A Boy Mom's World

  After the 6-hour train ride from Paris, we were ready to explore Belgium. As we were going down the train, there are a lot of people going up. DJ was able to bring down one of our luggages and Dylan immediately followed his daddy to go down, in which I also hurried down the train to follow and hold him as the step on the train was a little high. DJ went back to get our other stuff, one more luggage, the stroller,  which is carrying the kids' stuff   (food, Mason's shoes, and their own carry on backpack)  and DJ's own backpack.  As he was getting our things, people are rushing to go inside and made him stuck by the door. The people going on the train did not give him space to go down. After they all went up, the train door closes behind them leaving DJ stuck inside with our things. Meanwhile, Me, Dylan, and Mason were already on the train platform with one of our big luggage. We tried to press the open button on the train door, but it didn't work anymore and th...

  This is our family's first time in Europe and Mason's first ever travel outside of the country. The first stop that we have chosen was Paris, France. We landed in Belgium and took the train to Paris.  Our travel from Manila to France took almost 30 hours. Manila to Qatar, 9 hours. Layover, 4 hours. Qatar to Belgium, 8 hrs. Immigration, 2 hours. Brussels to Paris to our Apartment, 6 hours. I didn't feel tired until I have laid in bed when we arrived in France. We slept at around midnight, woke up around 8 am.  Up to this point, I am not sure if I should be sharing this. But just to let you know, I was not aware of how long the travel to Europe was. Maybe I just didn't do enough research and didn't even look at out flight details. 😅 Honestly, nobody talks about how to get there. Everybody is just talking about being there. Nagulat lang talaga ako, because I didn't prepare for it. The first ever long haul flight that we had took us 26 hours including layover and...

Paris has always been one of my dream destinations since I was 12 because of the Eiffel Tower, so when my husband said to me that we are going to Europe last year, I was so excited. I didn't let him know though! So chill lang, like, Ah ok, sure! 😆 I asked him what countries are we visiting, he didn't include France, so I just simply told him we should include Paris in the itinerary, wala lang, sama lang natin since we're already there. 😅  He agreed! 😍  We applied for our visa rather late, we just had a little over a week yata when we receive our visas, so we only booked our flights at that time. All flights to Paris has been sold out, we had no choice but to get a flight to Brussels and then go to Paris by train.  Paris is a super high traffic destination, so definitely all means of travels, plane and train, should be booked super advanced, as in at least 4 months advance. We did not know that until we are booking everything. The train going to Paris directly, from Bru...

We just got back from a 15-day travel to Europe and here are the list of my top 10 Essentials when traveling with your kids.  1. Stroller and Baby Carrier . You will need a stroller until when they are around 8-9 years old. Traveling means walking a lot and it will be very helpful for your kids, they can get to rest without interrupting your itinerary. They can have their naps while you go shopping and sightseeing. Carrier for when your small child doesn't want to walk and doesn't want to ride the stroller as well, this will make carrying a big heavy baby 😅 easier and you can have your hands free.    2. Kids Medicine Kit . In my list are Paracetamol, Rash Creams and Ointment & Bandaids for minor cuts and bruises. You do not know when the kids will catch a fever or get cuts while playing, walking, or running. It is better to have it and not need it than don't have and need it. <this is my reminder to myself whenever we are traveling.  3. Laundry Soap . You may...

  My husband and I loves to travel and it didn't stop us when we had our first child.  We had our first born year 2018 and we started to bring him on our travels at 3 months old. We've been with our first son to many different places and countries.  It was different though with our second son as he was born at the height of the pandemic, but we are slowly and carefully going back to traveling.  Here are some tips (based on our experience) on how to travel safely, fun, and effectively when you have babies tagging along: 1. If you are flying domestic or short haul flight choose a morning flight - during this time, they are not cranky and is in a good mood as they have only woken up. For long haul flights, you will want to get a night time flight - so the kids will just be sleeping a big fraction of the time.  2. Bring a lot of snacks - Bring all your children's favorite snack as you don't want to spend your time looking around the location where you're at ju...

  It is hard to find time for your spouse when you have little kids that always want to tag along when you go out, but that should not stop you from taking your spouse out on a date every once in a while.  My husband and I agreed that we should go out together every week to spend time together and talk about us, set our goals, check what we have achieved so far, politics, other people (maritessing 😜), sports, travel goals, travel plans, the Philippines' infrastructures among many other topics that we may think of.  So far, we have been true to our words for each other on this aspect. Here are some of the things that we do when we go out together. 1. Dinner Date . This is the most common activity that we do everytime we go out, this way we can talk properly without anyone interrupting us every minute. We can hear each other properly and we can think properly and address the things that need to be addressed be it work-related, house-related, family-related, etc. It doesn't...

Every family is different and every parenting journey has another story to tell, but some things are the same, here are my take on things that no one told us about parenting.   1. You will finally get that phrase from your parents - You will understand when you become a parent . It is hard to understand this phrase when you are young, but once you are in their shoes you instantly get it. It is hard being a parent and it is as hard to explain this to your child - we do not have any idea how hard it is.  2. You will accidentally hurt your child and the guilt will be unbearable . Kids are unpredictable, you turn your back for one second and there they are, already crying because they fell down to their face or they get so uncontrollable that you spanked them with a stick or a hanger or a slipper. I opened this up to my psychiatrist and he said that it is ok that the kids get hurt sometimes, or you spank them sometimes, this will make them stronger. And as parents, we get tired an...

  We come across a lot of people in our lifetime - some may help you, drain you, teach you a lesson, some you teach a lesson. The kind of person that comes to your life depends on how similar your level of energy and vibrations are. If your energy don't match, you will find these people irritating, boring, draining, or even depressing. They just basically don't match to you, we may call them the "wrong" people.  But if your levels match, you will find these people interesting, fun, uplifting and positive. We may call these people the "right" people.  Now how do you attract the right people into your life? Here are some of the steps that might help: 1. Know yourself . Know what you like, what you hate, what makes you happy, miserable, what makes you feel uplifted, energized.  2. Know your personality type . Are you the type that loves to go out and meet and talk to new people and instantly get along with them or are you the type who takes a while to warm up t...

Dylan's last of Face to face class was today, he still have to attend online classes next week for their exams. But!!! I cannot believe he is already done with one year of classes, in a big school no less! And will be in Kindergarten next school year!  1st Day of School (Online Class) To tell the truth, we (parents) were not yet ready to let Dylan attend school this school year, but he was the one who kept on asking us when is he going to go, we planned on making him start his school when he is 5 turning 6, para hindi na siya sana mag-nursery. Pero sobrang insistent niya that everyday he is asking me if it's time for school na. So we decided that it is time. We looked for school around our village, Dylan had 2 interviews and passed both of them. We chose the one nearer to our house, mga around 10 minutes away pag walang traffic in BF, mga around 30-45 if traffic in the entrance, but that doesn't happen naman often.  He is always excited to go to class and much excited if it...

  A few weeks back, Dylan asked us if until what age will he reach or will he be. He recently got fascinated with age because of birthdays. So we answered he would be able reach until age 100. He got all excited because 100 is his favorite number and we really want him to live a long life. Then he also asked if mommy and daddy will also be 100. We said yes, of course and he went on his way back to what he is doing, we moved on as well. But earlier today while having our lunch, he asked me, "Mommy, are you still going to be with me when I am 100 years old?" I was shocked and it took me a moment to respond to him. I said, I may not be here anymore when you are 100. Then he asked me another question, "Where are you going to be when I'm 100?" I just said I am going somewhere. Being inquisitive that he is, he was never satisfied with my answer. He asked again where, then I just said I will be going to be with Papa Jesus.  His next question almost broke me to tears. H...

It is really super hard to look for a reliable and trustworthy house helper nowadays. We are lucky to have a helper that is with us for almost 3 years already and she is excellent with our kids. Lagi nga lang niya pinapatay yung mga bulaklak and halaman ko, but you know, you can't have everything. 😂 For us to have a harmonious and fair relationship, I created a contract for us to follow. I based this to the one Isabelle Daza once posted on her socials before.  Here is a copy of our contract: You can copy and edit this to whatever fits to your conditions.  We are also conducting a quarterly evaluation to check her performance and if there are any concerns. I hope this helps!  Let me know if you also have a contract for your house helper or you are planning to make one! Love, K PS: You can send me a message if you want to get a copy of the file. 😊

  Relationships are hard. It will always be a choice between holding on and letting go, but it will not be easy whether you stay or leave. So how do we know if we are still in a healthy relationship? Here are some questions to ask: 1. Do we have common goals for the future? 2. Do we respect and value each other for who we are? 3. Do we want the same kind of relationship? 4. Are we an enrichment for each other's lives? 5. Do we give and take from each other? 6. Do we hold time and space for each other? 7. Do we have healthy boundaries? 8. Do we communicate and discuss in a healthy way? 9. Do we encourage each other to pursue our goals? 10. Are we showing our authentic selves? 11. Do we give each other space and time? 12. Do we respect and communicate our needs, values, and boundaries? I hope these questions help you with your current relationship and work it out if you're on the brink of letting go.  Love,  K

  I came across this topic online and thought of sharing these to you. This was shared by a couples' therapist and it made an impact on me, I instantly answered the questions and also asked my husband to answer as well. We got to know each other on a different level.  If you were able to answer at least 9 out of 12, you are in a really good place in your relationship. 1. What makes them laugh and cry? 2. What are they passionate about? 3. How did their family affect their growth? 4. What makes them mad? 5. Do they have spiritual beliefs and how does it affect their life choices? 6. What are their defining moments? 7. What is the most important to them? 8. How would they define success? 9. What kind of support do they need when they're stressed or sad? 10. What are they most proud of about themselves? 11. What can instantly light them up inside? 12. How do they recharge their emotional batteries? Go and ask these questions to your spouse, you might be surprised when you compare...

  According to google Financial Planning is the long-term method of wisely managing your finances so you can achieve your goals and dreams while at the same time negotiating the financial barriers that inevitably arise in every stage of life. In order to create a sound financial plan, goals must be first established. Essentially, Financial Planning helps us to be in control of our income, expenses, and investments so that we can achieve our goals. So where do we start? Here are the 4 Financial Goals that you can start with. 1. Income Protection - According to study, if you are a breadwinner or the provider of the family, you at least must have 10x of your annual income set aside, this way just in case anything happens to you as a breadwinner, the family that you leave behind will have at least 10 years worth of the income to use. This will give them the chance or the time to recover from the loss and be able to establish a life without the breadwinner. 2. Health Coverage - This one...