I wrote this piece on my personal Facebook account exactly a year ago.

At times, it still rings true.

_________________________________

Time check: 12:05am, December 4, 2019

This is us, now.

We braved a storm today and I struggled with going online for work because my gadgets' batteries were dying.

But I want to put this out there.

I've been told many things. You know, sometimes I look like a good mom. Other times, I heard they think I'm lazy and not doing enough as a parent.

So I made this piece and entitled it:

I'm a bad mom.

I wish my son would sleep anytime before midnight. Heck! I wish even I could sleep before midnight. I want that, too! But he had gotten so used to seeing me work at these hours that he believes he's working with me when he sets up his tablet beside me.

I wish I can be that "no gadget, zero screentime mom" but because I work online I couldn't be that much of an example to him.

I wish I can cook 3 meals a day, because I'm good at cooking! If you didn't know, I used to compete in culinary competitions before so it's not that I'm slacking off. But because I have work to do, I can only serve cereals or sandwich for breakfast, order lunch and cook dinner.

So, they said, I'm a bad mom.

In this picture is one of my many work areas: the laptop on a laptop table on a bed.

Sometimes, it's the dining table.

I've been working like this since 2015. I never had my own workstation, let alone a nice ergo chair. I've had back and wrist pain issues in the past 4 years. (Fast forward to 2020, I still find myself working on the dining table, but I do have two proper workstations at home now.)

I have lived in 4 houses and it's always messy. I am not very good with chores. But I do sweep, dust from time to time, wash the laundry... I fold clothes though it usually takes 7-10 business days to finish that. I also fix stuff. (We're now in our 5th and final home. Finally!)

But I work for clients from all over the world and they all seem to love the work that I do, anyway. I mean, digital marketing, content writing... Give me that! I'm good with those.

I lose sleep all the time and I wish I have more than 24 hours to be everything that I need to be. I'd love to finish work and do chores if I can.

But because I can't, I heard I'm a bad mom.

On another perspective though, despite my lack of sleep, I drive my son to and from school 5 days a week. I wash him, feed him, play with him with the little time that I have... I read him stories. I pray with him.

(In SY 2020-2021, I am now the teacher for many subjects because we're homeschooling!)

But despite not being able to give Marie Kondo a run for her money, I help my husband build an empire. We had nothing to our name a few years back! I used to pawn my engagement ring! But with God's grace, we rose above our trials. Our son goes to a good school. We built our home. We drive our car. We pay for our bills and investments. (We have a small business now and have since moved into our own house.)

And I wish people can see past me not being the best housewife material.

I'm not that.

I'm that mom sitting in front of a laptop at midnight. I wake up at 6am on weekdays wishing I can sleep until 8am because I just slept at 3am. (Now, I sleep at 7am or later and wake up at around lunch or a little after lunch. On busy days, I get 2 hours still. I'm just recovering from anxiety and depression, so sleep is a bit aloof.)

But hey!

Just now, my son made his voice louder when I didn't respond the first time:

"Nanay, you're my best friend!"

I may not be able to do everything that needs to be done...
I may not be able to prepare hot meals every meal...
I may not be able to keep this household gadget-free...
I may not be able to make him sleep early...

I may not be a perfect parent...

But I try to do everything in ways that I can...

And you know what?

At the end of this long tedious day, finds me his "BEST".

2:03 AM No comments

I have a story to tell...

TODAY, I AM A STUDENT AGAIN.

But let's step back a few days ago.

I posted on my personal FB that there was something I wanted to do, but I only had a day or so to decide. I was looking for signs. I was asking God for even just one sign. I've been wanting to take up this course for almost two years now and this particular one is already on the 9th run.

Imagine how long I've been holding back.

It was always because we didn't have enough money for it. When the course started back in 2018, the fee was cheaper because it was still new. The fee picked up success after success. But that time, we were still in the process of picking ourselves up, so I couldn't enroll.

I just kept putting myself on the waitlist, hoping that when the next batch opens, I can finally sign up.

We've been there, you know.

We had very little when we started. I gave up a managerial job when I was pregnant. We had a single-income household where the monthly savings were either a little or none at all. We had ups, but before everything and many times in between, we had a lot of downs. At some up point in our life, we bought a property and the next thing we knew, we were worried about how to pay the next dues because my husband was suddenly laid off from work. I even had to pawn my engagement ring not just once! But a few times just to get us by.

I was working as a Social Selling Consultant in 2016.
My son was still breastfeeding that time and I would babywear him while working.

I'm very blessed to be working from home, 5 years by December! It helped us immensely to get to where we are now. If you have been following my blog and my Facebook Page for a while, you probably know my early struggles as a freelancer.

My husband is a wonderful provider and I find no fault in him because he works hard. But there were hard days for us, too. I started as writer and when we ran out of supplies at home, I would search online and ask friends if they need my writing services. I got paid very little that time, but a project's pay would be able to buy us a few kilos of rice or a few groceries, and I was thankful.

I never get tired of this story.

So going back to my post, our ninang sa kasal (primary wedding sponsor) wrote me a comment that said, "Do it, inaanak."

The sign I was waiting for.
Nag-iisa yan na comment.

That same day, I reached out to the coach and asked if I can still enroll. It was funny because the deadline was September 30 and I managed to officially enroll at 11PM!

Thank, God for making it!

And thank you, Coach

CJ Maturino-Cajoles

for having me in this final batch for 2020!

I am beyond grateful!

A few months ago when I still didn't have a workstation.
I'm also homeschooling this little bub.

Unknown to many, I'm battling anxiety and depression. I've been meaning to share it here in my blog but did not have time to do so (maybe after this). I did talk about it in my Instagram and Facebook Page.

My doctor encourages self-care. And to me, finally enrolling in this course is self-care.

See, I've been putting enrollment at the end of my priorities for over a year.

Imagine, I've known about the course since it first opened in 2018, but I never took that step until today.

Two days ago, I decided to put this FIRST in line, which to me, meant I am finally PUTTING MYSELF FIRST. (I'm literally crying while typing this.)

I love learning. This is an investment on myself, so I can improve whatever skills I already have, learn new things, and hopefully, put them to good use after.

Today, we were asked to find a quote that we can post on our personal profiles, so we can find it in our FB memories one year later.

But instead of posting this just on my Facebook profile, I wanted to share and commemorate this day here, as well.

I thought it was a nice idea.

Like a gauge if we lived up to it...

At first, I wanted to share my own quote:

"Motherhood never stopped me. Don't let it stop you."

But I always say this to myself and to many moms I know, even to you who's reading this. To simply put, do not hold back. Do not allow anything to stop you from chasing your dreams and fulfilling them.

So today, to make it different when I look back a year after, let me share my favorite quote from my favorite book written by my all-time favorite author:

"When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too."

- Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

You see, on face value, I am doing this for myself. I do this to improve... to start something new... to build something... to be more than I am now.

On the hindsight, I do this so I can give my family a better future. So maybe one day, my husband won't need to work far from home (and a big thanks to him for supporting me in this). I want to do this, so we can extend a hand to my parents and my in-laws. I want to be able to do something for all those who stood by us, because we had really tough days before and there were people who helped us push through.

That's what I want to do.

A year from now, I want to look back to this post, and see myself in the best possible place that I can stand on and providing better lives to those who never left us.

This journey started today.

With hard work and God's grace, I will succeed.

__________________________________________________

Follow my journey on Instagram and Facebook!

#TATAKOFFU

3:10 AM No comments

School year 2020-2021, here we come!

Really? Yes, really, and we kicked off the year with The Learning Place International in Los Banos, Laguna.

I've been asked about how we'll push through with education while in the pandemic... a lot!

And we decided to go ahead with it.

We were quite lucky because before the quarantine started Popy's school was over, so we didn't have any unfinished school work except for graduation.

Summer was long and tedious with the pandemic putting Luzon on community quarantine. Moving to the new house also got postponed. We were all stuck. Not just my family or Luzon, but literally almost the whole world.

And one of the biggest decisions we'll make (or have made this year) is how we'll make education work for our children with the virus still looming around.

While waiting for our previous school's plan and DepEd's announcement, Gab and I decided to search for homeschool providers.

A little background...

Homeschooling has been in our hearts ever since.

Waldorf Doll Making at Waldorf School Batangas

Before we sent Popy to Nursery and Kinder 1, we took "parents as first teachers quite literally". We used the Waldorf approach back then and for a time, I had a dream to borrow and turn our family farm into a weekend nature playschool. We taught Popy how to count using sticks and rocks. He learned the colors through nature. We even went all the way to Waldorf School in Batangas to learn how to make dolls.

When we moved to the province, however, we saw how he was so happy interacting with other kids in the neighborhood. We figured we'll give it a shot and went to inquire with 7 different schools.

Open-ended toys are our staples.

We were very meticulous with finding the right school because he was just a month short to 3 years old come June 2018. Our main goal was for him to interact and have fun. We wanted to make sure that he would enjoy, that it was not going to be a very traditional desk and blackboard type of class, and that the school would share our values as parents.

Eventually, we found a Christian Chinese school in the same city that used ACE curriculum. We did installment, at first, so we can easily pull out in case he decides he doesn't want to go anymore. We allowede him have a say on this because we didn't want to pressure him. While we were fully aware that formal schooling starts at Kinder (5 years old), Popy thrived in school. The following year, we enrolled him again. It was a good decision even the second time around.

Fast forward...

With the pandemic not looking like it will go away soon, we made a firm decision to homeschool.

Since it will be our first formal year to homeschool and the first year that he will have a DepEd record, we wanted to be with an accredited homeschool provider.

But what led to our decision?

Like many parents, we didn't want to risk going out. Before DepEd's announcement that no face-to-face classes will be held until a vaccine is found, we were all worried about schools opening and risking our kids' health. Especially for us, with Popy just turning 5, social distancing and keeping masks on among toddlers is just unheard of. I was also iffy with the thought of sending my son back to face-to-face classes mid-year (because who knows) when the government deems it safe. At least with homeschooling, whenever they announce that physical schools can finally open, the decision of sending him back will solely depend on us.

We also couldn't choose the online class setup because Popy can't stay for more than half an hour in front of the laptop and we don't want him to be online for x hours a day at this age.

Work from home setup

There's also our work schedule to be considered. I'm a work from home mom on a night shift while my husband is temporarily working from home, too, on mid-shift. Obviously, no one is a morning person in our family. Maybe in a few months time, Gab will be called back to his office. It will end up with just myself teaching all the subjects.

Homeschooling seemed like the best option in terms of schedule. We won't be bound to waking up to a certain time, especially not in the morning. This momma needs to stay alive, too, you know. 😂

But we knew this isn't enough reason to succeed. Homeschooling is not a walk in the park and needed our devotion as a family to be able to do it. We prayed and reflected hard so that we will have the wisdom, grace, patience and love to teach our son.

What did we look for in a provider?

Three things: Accredited, established, and has a strong support system.

We inquired with at least 7 DepEd accredited homeschool providers. It's important to us that it's accredited so they can help us process documents. We're working from home but we're equally busy parents, too. We wanted the convenience of having a school that can process the LRN etc. for us.

We wanted a school that has an established homeschool program. The pandemic has forced a lot of educational institutions including both private and public to adapt to different modes of delivery and it's only natural that schools will find all these new to them, too. For us, however, we wanted to be with a provider who has been offering it for quite some time, so we can be more confident that we're doing things right.

And of course, a strong support system. Considering that this is our first time, I will be asking a lot of questions and will be needing help. I know homeschooling will shine this year and will have numerous inquiries and new enrollees, but we wanted a homeschool provider who can guide us in the journey and not make us feel hanging or leave us waiting.

We found all three with The Learning Place International!

Founded by Professor Violeta Valledor-Quintana, The Learning Place International (TLP) is located at UP Los Banos in Laguna and has been around for 20 years. It has a physical school that provides progressive K-6 and a homeschool program that offers K-12.

TLP was part of our Top 3 Homeschool Providers, and eventually won our hearts. I'm very meticulous when it comes to details. I have sent TLP numerous questions, and they have answered everything promptly and cheerfully. They never made us feel like we're makulit. I never had to follow up because they replied to every single one of my emails. We needed a school that we can trust to be there for us when we encounter challenges along the way. That meant a lot to us.

Teacher Vicki, the school directress and daughter of Professor Quintana is also very active in sharing her teaching and homeschooling know-how to the parents. We came from a school that uses the ACE Curriculum, so we're very much used to mastery and independence. With TLP, we're able to apply the same type of modular learning through LifePacs. The great thing is it's Bible-based, too!

We love how we can learn at our own pace. I say "we" because isn't homeschooling learning (again) along with our kids? I like re-learning with my son. We can move forward easily when the lessons are easy enough and we can stay in a lesson that's more challenging. There's no pressure and we're able to make the learning process as fun as possible through activities.

I'll talk about more of our daily homeschooling life in the next few blog posts. I would love to share how we do it next time.

We can study in our jammies!

Overall, I find homeschooling with TLP to be one of the best decisions we made for our son, and our family as a whole. I was worried for a time how I'll be able to teach him how to read, but with the curriculum that TLP is offering, he was able to and I wasn't even sure what I did except for guidance! Popy is definitely enjoying and learning in our new setup. They also have programs and activities for homeschoolers (maybe we'd get to join one when the pandemic is over), but we do meet online with other homeschooling families. They also provide us with a lot of online resources and extra-curricular activities through their partners. We love it so much that we're already considering staying until such time that we can't teach the subjects anymore (maybe when there's trigonometry already 😂).

The enrollment process was also a breeze. This is a plus because the school is not within our province. We're in Quezon Province and Los Banos, Laguna is around 2-3 hours from our place. Everything was done online. We never even have to leave the house to process anything with them. Inquiries were via their Facebook Page and their email. Fees were sent through online banking. I find their TF reasonable and even more so on the second year. The assessment was also done via video call. All the teaching guides (yes, there are guides!) and worksheets were sent to us via Google Drive.

Easy, right?

How about you? Did classes start already for your kids? How's it going so far?

Let's share homeschool/distance learning ideas! There's always a thing or two to learn from each other. 😉
____________________________

Great news! If you're inclined to homeschool this year but have not chosen a provider yet, TLP still has open slots for new enrollees until September.

Learn more about TLP by visiting the school's website, the homeschool program website, and Facebook Page. You can follow them on Instagram.

You may also reach out to Teacher Myrine, Home Education Admin Head via tlpeduchomelinks.adm@gmail.com.

HAPPY HOMESCHOOLING!

XOXO THE PEREZES

3:47 AM 2 comments

It has been almost two months since Luzon was placed under community quarantine because of Covid-19.

This post has been on my draft for a month! It's a little late now because ECQ might soon be lifted, at least in my province, but nonetheless, if we move to GCQ the activities in this blog post can still be done. I heard once we move to GCQ, only people between 21 to 59 years old will be allowed to go out, so these are still applicable for the young ones.

Actually, they can be done even on regular days.

I've been joking how my life wasn't turned upside down since the quarantine started. I've been working from home for years, so being confined at home wasn't really such a big adjustment for me, except that we couldn't go out for family trips and do groceries (whenever) anymore.

Luckily, a day before the quarantine started, our son's school year has ended, too, so we didn't have to continue school work at home. But March and April were supposed to be busy months for us because we were preparing to move to our new house, and Popy was supposed to graduate from K1, so we had a whole road trip ahead of us.

And then the pandemic happened.

My son is a bubbly, talkative and super active 4-year old and he was bored beyond I can imagine. I am amazed, though, because he's trying so hard to be patient knowing he can't go out.

Fortunately, we're all stuck at home, all five of us - my parents, husband, Popy and myself.

Now, before we even enrolled Popy in a regular school, we were practicing homeschooling and we've come up of different activities since then to keep him busy.

Here are some activities that we did while we're stuck at home:

1. Workbooks - We have a lot of workbooks at home. If you don't have one, it's easy to make simple ones. I draw and make him tracing activities, sometimes. If you have a printer, there are a lot of printable materials that can found online.

2. Cooking - I asked him to help me prepare food a couple of times. His favorite are pizza rolls. We even made ice cream and Japanese cheesecake together. He helped his Tatsie make donuts.

3. Mud and sand play - This is something we've been doing since Popy was a year old. Since he misses the beach so much and we have a lot of excess sand and loam from the garden, we allowed him to build castles.

4. Gardening - My husband and my dad have green thumbs. I come from farming families, both my mom and dad's side. My husband had been growing plants for a long time and did urban farming back when were still living in Manila, and Popy grew interest in doing the same. We have already transferred avocado, mangosteen and lemon seedlings in the family farm. Since the ECQ, we've seen the garden produce vegetables and crops for our meals. We grow tomatoes, Chinese cabbage, arugula, bitter gourd, chilis, okra, cassava, malunggay, bananas, sweet potato and more recently, calamansi and squash.

If you're living in the city and don't have a garden, you can grow several vegetables and herbs in pots. :)

5. Painting - Popy just finished painting pages on one of my planners. He's almost done with his sketchbook as well. We even allowed him to paint on his toy cars.

6. Making the bed - My maternal grandmother stayed with us for almost a month and she slept in the living room on her folding bed because it's breezier there and more comfy for her. We taught Popy how to help her in fixing her bed every night.

7. Folding clothes - I don't like folding clothes. 😂 Because I'm a work from home mom, one batch of laundry takes an hour to wash (thank you, AWM), but folding clothes can take 7 to 10 business days for me. Now, I have a little helper who's taking charge of this and won't let me help.

8. Scavenger Hunt - Thanks to Gab for making the map! This is one activity that Popy really enjoyed. :) For this one, I hid 5 yellow paper with stickers inside and outside the house and he had to follow the map to find them and get the reward at the end.

9. Dishwashing - This is very recent, like last night sort of recent. All of a sudden, he was volunteering to wash the dishes and he did them well.

These are just to name a few. There are a lot of activities for kids that can be done, which they can enjoy as well.

Sometimes, when we're packing his die cast cars (and we have a lot), I teach him colors and counting through that. In folding clothes, we learn about color and sorting according to who owns the clothes or according to what kind of clothes those are. He also helps his Nunsie in sorting the laundry and acts like an alarm when the washing machine is done with the process.

We also do storytelling, Bible-reading, singing and narration. For storytelling, I am the one who reads to him. For narration, he is the one who tells me what I read to him or what he watched.

A lot of our activities look like chores but there are a lot of learning opportunities that can be found in seemingly normal everyday activities.

How about you? How do you keep your kids occupied during the quarantine?

6:49 PM 2 comments

To quote Dr. Seuss: To the world, you may be one person; but to one person you may be the world.

And by the world, at least for me and my son, that means a lot of roles under the single job title called MOM or NANAY as he fondly calls me.

If you've been to my Facebook account, my bio says FULL-TIME SUPERWOMAN. 🦸‍♀️

Because really... I'll tell you why.

Here's how it goes daily:

I wake up to prepare Khale's breakfast, bag, snack and uniform for the day. Then I wake him up to take a bath. We live half an hour away from school but leave 45 min before the bell rings to give a little time for traffic and finding a parking slot.

I drop him off and I go to either a co-working space or Starbucks to work on some stuff. If there are errands, I go to the city proper after an hour.

I pick up my son from school. We eat lunch together, then we read or play or watch some shows a bit before taking a nap. When we wake up, he'd play while I prepare dinner. After dinner, I wash him up again for bed and then I set up my laptop to work on the other half.

My husband works corporate. I'm the only one left to attend to Khale and all his school activities. On top of that, I also work from home. Currently, I have three clients where I manage digital marketing and copywriting; one full-time and two part-time. All of which need calendars and a lot of content planning.

That being said, planners and organizers are biggies in my life.

Here's what I have so far... yes, so far. I love collecting all things paper, so yes, you get the idea.

Starbucks Planners and Organizers:

Every year, I only actually intend to get one planner for myself and one organizer for my husband. I got all 4 in their 2020 collection.

Well, remember that part where I go to Starbucks after I bring Khale to school? That Starbucks branch is the only branch in the Quezon Province and one of the few establishments near the school that are open early. I do some work for 2 hours in the morning and because the mall is still closed during that time, that's the only quiet place that I can get things done.

The planners come in Berry Pink and Frost Gray with matching pouches.

Why it's great for the all-around mom?

I am using the Frost Gray Planner for my everyday life and work. There's a week on week page for daily plans and a big space for your notes.

I jot down my work schedule and my son's school activities here, bill due dates and how much needs to be paid.

There is plenty of space at the back for extra notes.

The organizers are in Neo Mint and Coffee. (Continue reading for a surprise!)

I gave my husband the Coffee Organizer.

But it's perfect for on-the-go moms, too.

It comes in a leather case that has card and pen slots. The notebook is blank so you can get creative with your plans or simply just write down whatever comes to mind. A phone even fits in the bigger flap. It's perfect for me too because it carries all my essentials in one place. I can even leave home with just this one in tow.

All Starbucks Planners and Organizers carry a bookmark a set of stickers and coupons to save on your next cups.

You'll also get an overview of the 2020 and 2021 calendars.

Thinking of when to have your vacations? That's perfect because they will show you this year's holidays.

Where to Next Planner and Organizer:

My husband gave me a Where to Next bundle last Christmas and I was so ecstatic. I had been eyeing this since it came out on their Facebook Page.

The bundle contains the following:

WTN Planner 2020: Coming Home

I love how this planner circles on the idea of home. To my boys, I am always their "home".

This is great for the mom who loves to travel!

In my family, I'm the one who does all our travel plans. Tickets, hotel accommodations, itinerary... Name it! That's me!

We do a lot of local travel during weekends both for leisure and for work. The WTN Planner features a world map and a Philippine map that you can color to track all the places you've been too.

The monthly and weekly spreads are dateless too, so it's ok to start any time of the year, and if you're the creative type, there are spaces to do a bullet journal. You'll also love the Coming Home stories of 11 individuals and the life stories it will encourage you to write.

Let's move on to the Starting Point Journal.

You'll need this if you're a busy mom.

I was particularly excited about this journal that was a product of Things That Matter and Where To Next.

This journal started with this statement: Life happens in chapters.

Isn't that true?

The Starting Point Journal asks you important questions. Sometimes... Or most of the time, because moms are selfless beings, we get too preoccupied concerning ourselves with the littlest to the biggest of things. We think too much of our kids, our husbands, our parents... Pretty much everyone else that we tend to forget to take care of ourselves.

This journal encourages us to take a break and reflect so we can focus on things that matter.

Another item from the bundle, though not a journal or a planner, is the Life Stories: Cards for Conversations.

I'm currently using this for blog ideas (Hear! Hear, Mommy Bloggers!), but it's of course, great as conversation starters with people who matter to you. Gather your family and your closest friends and have meaningful conversations with them.

The WTN Planner 2020: Coming Home and The Starting Point can be bought separately from the Where To Next Website.

___________________________________

GIVEAWAY!

If you don't have one of these yet, I have good news!

I'm turning 32 next month. Yep, officially out of the calendar but definitely another year wiser. I do pray that I'm growing in grace.

So I'm giving away a Starbucks Travel Organizer in Neo Mint to one lucky nanay in February!

Follow Bare Nanay on Facebook and Instagram and watch out for the mechanics on how to join.

This is open for all Philippine residents, so you don't even need to worry about shipping, too.

Good luck and I hope your 2020 was off to an amazing start!

__________________________________

This blog post is part of Mommy Bloggers Philippines January 2020 Blog Hop

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Check out the cool blog posts from my fellow moms!

Junk Journals for Mom's: Affordable Crafts and Tips

Muji Planner 2020 - Minimalist & Functional Planner for Moms

Planner for a working mom

Planners for Busy Moms

My Companions for My 2020 Vision: 2 Journals, Piso Planner, and the Bible

Kikki K Planner: I love it! You’ll love it too!

5 Real Reasons To Keep A Fitness Journal

I Chose Starbucks Planner 2020 for a Business Mom Like Me

Start The Year Right: 2020 Planners

Why I’m Sticking to the Hobonichi Weeks Mega Planner

Table Calendar – My Choice Of Planner

2:15 PM 2 comments