Hi.

Hello much forsaken blog... I'm still here.

Whew, where do I even start? The last 4 months had been very hectic yet rewarding.

First off, we finally and completely potty-trained Hunter barely a month after he turned three. It was a very trying first two weeks. The triumphant smiles and screams and way-to-gos in the end made all the experience very special. Amidst "accidents" and exasperations, I wouldn't miss any of that in the world.

We joined two consignment stores, two online shops and opened a store in Lazada very recently. I will also be opening a small community store. I know that I had been talking about taking it slow though there are still some big decisions to be made I generally like the direction I'm going. We'll see where it goes.

Chloe and Isabel Howlites Necklace

My parents are back in the Philippines for some well-deserved vacay. It will only be for a short while.  Days before my mom leaves and I'm having minor panic attacks, bursting into tears just thinking she will be in a completely opposite timezone again.

Honestly, I've been making myself extra busy to take my mind off from that. 
I am honestly feeling the itch again to fly back to Chicago and be with family but with all the things going on and preparing Hunter for the big school (gasp), I just don't know how the next few months will be for me.

*Sigh. My first post after a long time and I sound a bit nega. It's the whirlwind of activities and emotions that are getting into me.
More things to blog about, I guess. Hashtag: Welcome back. =)

Monday Musings

Just Start.

This applies to anything in life. I’ve been slacking off, putting off doing things. Always thinking I deserve the break and there’s ample time. I was sadly reminded that that’s not the case.

My dog died today and it was the saddest I’ve been in a long while. I wasn’t expecting it would hit me as hard because although we’ve had pets before, I’ve never been this attached and invested to a dog before. My golden lab was the sweetest, most playful dog in the world and when Paolo called to tell me about the bad news, I just bawled for the whole morning. I realized I was crying also because I took for granted the time he was with me, thinking we had more.

So now, I am reminded of something I’ve always known, have always worked for me and yet I keep on forgetting: Just Start.

Start writing again, start on my projects I’ve put off, start on Hunter’s lessons, start on my workout regimen, JUST START and keep moving forward.

I’ll miss you Bullet. Thanks for all the happy times.

Monday Musings

When friends talk badly about other friends, the gossip usually comes around and back to the person you talked about …especially when you move in the same circle.

She who gossips to you will gossip about you.

Monday Musings

 I am enjoying my days right now. I’ve always loved owning my schedule but I must admit, I am extra loving it these days with my little mister.

I have always been extra (and annoyingly) diligent with whatever endeavor I deem important but I am taking this domesticated WAHM to another level.

I figured I have been given the privilege of having a choice to work or not and I have to make the most out of it.

There are days though when I wonder if I made different decisions and how different my life would be if I did.

Choosing to stay at home, I have to constantly remind myself, is not an excuse to slack off but a privilege and an opportunity to make the best possible environment and home life for my family. I want them to feel like always running back home at the end of the day. That doesn’t mean I will never work outside home again for the rest of my life but for now, I can’t imagine being far away from Hunter’s smiles.

One lesson I learned from my mother that I love to always remind myself is doing your best with whatever you have right now.  I used to ask her which is her favorite time in her life so far and she always answered the same thing: all the stages.  That is because your life now is your only time.

Sometimes we tend to feel unmotivated thinking we are in a transition.

That will just do better in the future when we are already living the lives we planned for ourselves, when we are already living in the house that we dreamed of or doing things that we have always wanted without thinking that one of life's sharpest paradoxes is that our brightest future hinges on our ability to pay attention to what is happening in the present. 

Life is lived in moments.

Today, I will cuddle with Hunter a little bit longer and feel thankful and blessed of everything I have now.