At Home With MrsC

Raising a family, making a home.

February Baby

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Good morning loves!

It’s finally here again, my birth month! This post comes a day late from the start of the month because I spent yesterday with my mom spying on the kiddo during his first ever big school field trip. Anyway, I’m extra excited because this year is a leap year and I’m turning 29 this year, and since I feel that the whole of February belongs to me I get to celebrate turning 29 for 29 full days! Which leads me to introduce my February photo blog project, 29 DAYS, 29 WAYS TO CELEBRATE “ME”. Yes, I am attempting another photo blog project, and yes, I plan to see it through this time. First post for that will be up real soon.

People who are close to me know that I take birthdays seriously, and that means I can get extra bratty during the love month. I’ve gone through moments of seriously dramatic birthday blues when things didn’t go my way, and the closer it got to my actual birthday, the more intense I became. I like to spend February with important people in my life, and this year I will make sure I get to do just that. I’ve decided that this February HAS to be great because it’s my last year as a 20-something. It’s also my first year as a Mrs, and that makes it even more special. So yes, I am celebrating ME this month, the first step on my journey towards truly owning my year (separate blog post on that real soon too).

February 2012 started out absolutely wonderfully with a day with my mom. It had been a while since my mom and I had a relaxing worry-free day together, and I’m glad that yesterday turned out to be an enjoyable road trip and food fest for the two of us. We’re both super happy and that we were able to see Tristan enjoy his first adventure sans parents and guardians. We got to bond and talk about life in general and plans of the future, just like we used to do when we both had more free time on our hands. I honestly grew up thinking that all mother-daughter relationships were like ours, so when I discovered that not everyone is as close to their moms as I am to mine, I learned to cherish our relationship more. I’m glad I got to spend day one with my mom. I believe that’s how it should be. After all, it really was her and me from day one of my existence.

So today is day two and I woke up pleasantly early to a nice cool, quiet morning. A wonderful surprise greeted me on my Blackberry today – an email from Discovery Country Suites regarding our reservation for my birthday weekend:

Dear Ms. Cuyugan,
A pleasant evening to you, yes Ma’am you are already booked on Feb. ** to ** however there’s a slight modification, instead of Andalucia Suites you are given a free upgrade to Nara Permiere Suites.

Absolute love! I’ve been dreaming about booking a room at Discovery for a long time, so I jumped at the chance when I saw a promotion on Deal Grocer. We booked it right away as my birthday destination, and I chose the best of the available rooms. Who would’ve thought I’d end up getting something way better? I’m glad I didn’t hesitate to book the trip, otherwise I would’ve missed out on such a great opportunity.

I’m off to a good start with February so far. I’m so looking forward to the rest of the day, and the coming 27 days. It’s gonna be a great month, I’m sure.

 

 

Extended Holidays Over. Officially.

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So, this morning I decided to step on the scale for the first time this year. Part of me couldn’t help but think, why would I do that when I already pretty much knew what was coming? But my better judgment told me to just get on with it. So I did, and it officially marked the end of my ultra extended holiday season.

The verdict? I’m back where I started around this time last year. The good news is, there wasn’t really a significant decline in my weight in 2011 anyway compared to the previous year, so the damage is not that immense. At the same time, I know in my heart that all joy I felt at the parties and moments of togetherness with family and friends can never be replaced. This was an extra special holiday season for me, and I will blog about that separately real soon. The key now is to get back on track, and get back on it right about now.

I won’t be hard on myself over this. The fact that I am still on a high from all the fun makes it all worth it. A happy me is way better than a hungry me, as far as I’m concerned. But yeah, time to put in the extra work. Unless I wanna look like a strawberry next February.

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Vacation Planning

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I’m stuck at home today with an upset stomach caused by the antibiotics I’m taking for my monster cough. All day I’ve been surfing the internet, looking for the best hotel for my super vacation in September. It’s been about nine months since I’ve experienced a vacation leave, as mine won’t be credited until I hit the one year mark at my new job this April. So, while patiently waiting, I’m building up my list of places to visit once I gain my access passes to freedom, aka my leave credits. First on the list, and already booked, is my September Boracay adventure with Mr C in celebration of our first wedding anniversary.

In the meantime, I’m allowed this magnificent thing called a change of day off at work. Since I’m not entitled to overtime, I’ve made sure to maximize my offsetting privileges over the past few months. This weekend will be one of those times. Our family is taking a much needed 3-day vacation filled with togetherness and love. We will be staying at the resort of a family friend in Batangas and I am beyond excited that my pale vampire-like skin will once again be sun-kissed!

I’m also looking for nice things that Mr C and I can do with a kiddo on weekends, like day trips to historic places, or fun educational trips. I only get one day off in the week and I want to start filling it with worthwhile bonding activities for the three of us. Nothing too expensive, of course, and it should just be around the city or somewhere nearby. Maybe you guys could suggest something. Honestly, if I had it my way, I would book an overnight stay at a hotel on weekends when we have nothing to do. Unfortunately my wallet disagrees with me.

Any suggestions? Seriously, I’m open to anything from Corregidor to Tagaytay to Intramuros to Malacanang. As long as it’s fun and family-friendly!

Much love and happiness,

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Back To Reality

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01.03.12
Back to reality = Back in uniform
 
 
Yes I’m making a ducky face. (Photographed with my BB9900)
 

Now that I think about it, I don’t think any of my friends has seen me in uniform. Apart from my family and my officemates, I’ve not been spotted in my brown outfit just yet, which is odd considering I’ve been walking around the mall in it for a few weeks now. Here’s a sneak peek for those who are wondering what our uniform looks like. What do you guys think? Honestly?

 

Learning to De-Clutter

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01.02.12 
Cleanup Time
 
My Makeshift Dresser (Photographed with my Nikon D3000)

One of my biggest challenges to myself this year is to find a way to finally clean up our room. The kiddo is slowly but surely getting bigger, Mr C and I keep getting bigger (which should really stop now that the holiday season is over), and we keep acquiring new stuff, even though we know there isn’t enough space to put everything in anymore.

Our room was designed as a bedroom for two children, and it now houses two adults and a child, so go figure about the lack of space. However, I’ve watched enough Lifestyle Channel to know that something can be done to make the space work for us. We just need to try, and I mean really try. More than anything, what will be difficult for me is the actual letting go of stuff. I find sentimental value in everything and still keep even old notes passed in class. Yes, it’s true.

I took the first step yesterday by organizing my makeshift vanity table. I got new makeup boxes from Muji, and now everything has its own little place. One step at a time, and I know I can finish the rest of the room. I should probably quit buying stuff too until I can manage to sort through and store everything properly. This would also be a good incentive to keep going. I really don’t think I lack storage so there isn’t any need to get any more, except for those makeup boxes hehe.

So here’s to me learning to be clutter-free for real. Every year I try, and every year I fail, but I really think I should get to it already while my space to manage is still small. Within the next two years, we plan to move into our own home, and by then I need to be a master cleaner/organizer already. I know that when the time comes I will finally get my own dresser – a real one – and a nice space that’s big enough for our small family. It means a lot to me that when we have our own house, I’ll know what to do to keep it clean and livable.

So yeah, I think I’m gonna start now.