rules of a lady

 http://etiquetteforalady.tumblr.com/

dinner, coffee & spa

it's been a long time since my cousins, sister and i went out for a girls night out, and i have never laughed so hard in a long while until that night. it brings back childhood memories. it's always fun to reminisce about funny moments and funny people, and despite all the brouhahas with the recent family affair, we still had a great time laughing our butts off.

 

 and a spa on a whim... super sarap!

girls night out wouldn't be complete without starbucks!

So when's the next night out?

Earth Day

Every day is Earth Day.

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago.  

The next best time is now.   

my life

 my life is ...

... not perfect.

my life is full of hopes, dreams and wishes.

there are some accomplishments,

but also disappointments.

there are afternoons spent daydreaming,

or with a laptop and very late movie nights

when i tell myself i should be doing something more productive.

in my life,

there are doubts & uncertainties.

but there are also wonderful moments,
encouragements & supports

from loved ones.
they always know how to make me laugh and smile.

my life is full of mood swings.

sometimes i feel giddy

and the next moment i am devastated or enraged

(usually depending on how long it's been since my last grocery or meal).

my life is still shaping itself

and what it will look like

both in the days and years that are to come,

and that's pretty scary.

in my head,

i have an ideal life.

a life full of adventures,

of dreams fulfilled,

of beauty & contentment,

of wonderful moments always put to their best use.

of pursuing hobbies that fill every inch of my free time,

of challenges surmounted and rewards that are rich.

every day,

i try and strive

to live this life.

so far, it's not perfect...

(and it probably never will be)

but i'm getting there bit by bit.

and for now,

i try to enjoy every imperfect moment

of my messy, confusing, crazy right-now life

because if i didn't,

i wouldn't really be living...

would i?

- m o n i c a -

Tantrums

feeling a little bit off the last couple of weeks and it is obviously shown around here. i always blame it on the hormones. yes, female hormone is usually the culprit for this type of unexplained sudden mood switch. this is how we are wired from conception until we reach the age of 45 according to Louann Brizendine M.D author of this intriguing book The Female Brain. 

i am very familiar with this craziness and i know it will pass, but when i am in it, it's always a little harder than usual but i know I'll bounce back to my old giddy self soon. i'm just lucky i have a family who can always make me laugh especially my little one. and here i thought i had the worst sunget kid until i recently witnessed nicole's tantrums. as parents we all go through this and we eventually learn to handle it. this is the reason why with cheskas i am a little calmer. my eldest would often say i am spoiling her, and maybe unconsciously i have. i'm a hands on mom with my two eldest daughters when they were little, and look at them now, they are all grown up and soon they won't be needing me as much as they needed me when they were kids. soon they will have their own decisions to make. i won't be the "boss" in their lives anymore. the one who makes decisions for them like what clothes to wear, what movies to watch, what food to eat, the one who reminds them to do their chores before they can go out and hang out with friends. so dealing with my youngest daughter now i simply just want to enjoy her unique self - her ability to make me smile when she rolls her eyes while i try to explain and teach her something, her standard so-not-speaking-to-you attitude when she doesn't get what she wants because she can't boss me around and a few couple of tricks she learned to convince me to say YES (music to her ears). her little throw fits amuses me. adults throw tantrums too, and sometimes even worse. i have learned my lessons and i have so much control over my temper now. time is very fast. our little babies will magically grow up in our eyes and these funny, annoying temper tantrums will just be one of those memories we laugh and share over dinner one day.

so when your little brat throws a fit at you, never (ever!) be violent with them. breathe...
tantrums are a fact of life when you have kids. deal with it gracefully. i know i have.

First Grade 4th Honor .

Cheska was being stubborn and moody all because she didn't like her hair style.

i still find it adorably cute.

Explore

 

enjoy the little things in life

for one day 

you may look back and realize

they were the big things

blog digest

for those who are obsessed with vintage inspired interior design, here's a link of furniture makeover that will inspire you to keep your old furniture you have inherited from your lola's (grandma).

visit this website: Better After

have you heard about TOM's shoes?  

i am not so  much a fan of  these shoes but i stumbled upon 

this lovely blog and wanted to share it with you

guest-post-husband  

"With every pair sold, TOMS donates a new pair of shoes to a child in need"

sometimes

what we sometimes need is just a damn good cry.

we are so bottled up
and so much has been happening and going

through our minds that it's frustrating.

for us girls, this is how we are made up

and it gets the best of us.

a good cry will make us feel tons better.

sometimes we just need one.

need you now

Picture perfect memories, scattered all around the floor.
Reaching for the phone cause, I can't fight it any more.
And I wonder if I ever cross your mind.
For me it happens all the time.

It's a quarter after one, I'm all alone and I need you now.
I said I wouldn't call but I lost all control and I need you now.
And I don't know how I can do without, I just need you now.

Another shot of whiskey, can't stop looking at the door.
Wishing you'd come sweeping in the way you did before.
And I wonder if I ever cross your mind.
For me it happens all the time.

It's a quarter after one, I'm a little drunk and I need you now.
I said I wouldn't call but I lost all control and I need you now.
And I don't know how I can do without, I just need you now.

I guess I'd rather hurt than feel nothing at all.

It's a quarter after one, I'm all alone and I need you now.
And I said I wouldn't call, but I'm a little drunk and I need you now.
And I don't know how I can do without, I just need you now.

I just need you now.

Oh baby I need you now.

 NEED YOU NOW official video 

thought bubbles

this week...

weight

ok. so i never realized just how much i gained weight since last year (and the year before that, and the year before that) whenever i complain about it, some people would tell me i don't need it, i am perfectly fine. i wonder if they were just being polite. but you see, i really did gain weight over the last couple of years i just hide it better than anyone else. i used to like taking pictures of myself until recently. and it just hit me right freaking now. i was not a believer until i saw recent pictures of myself. it's frustrating already how i always make up excuses to start dieting. there is a constant reminder in my head "tomorrow i will start my diet" or "i only need two weeks to lose 10 pounds anyway so it's okay to pig out right now". i am 5'4" and weigh more or less 125 pounds, and i only need to lose at least 15 pounds. for some people they may find it very shallow and silly of me for complaining about my weight. i didn't say i am overweight, i only said i gained weight and i care about how i look because i like to wear clothes that would fit me perfectly. so the ultimate question is, when do i stop procrastinating and finally start losing weight?

casey abrams

oh casey, casey. i agree with jLO, you are so sexy. he absolutely made me smile throughout the whole song when he sang your song by elton john.

when he was voted out, i wasn't really shocked because this season they have sent home potentially great singers, and sadly casey is just one of them. but then the judges saved him! yay! it's good to know that the judges felt the american fans made a bad choice. ( i am not going to elaborate more, it's googleable if you are interested to know more about casey) please check out the video above though.

sleep paralysis

i recently found out through google that what i have been experiencing is called sleep paralysis. thank God i am not the only who suffers from it.  for a while i thought it was something i should learn to live with, then my condition became more consistent like twice in a month. i had an episode again a few days ago and i started worrying and wondering what could have triggered it. also, when i go through this frightening  experience, i panic and scream for help but only in my head.

 Here's a brief explanation of sleep paralysis
Have you ever felt like you were awake but unable to move? 

You might have even felt afraid but could not call for help? 

This condition is called sleep paralysis. 
Sleep Paralysis is possibly a hereditary disorder in which 
one experiences very frightening seconds or minutes
of total body paralysis with little respiration and eye movements. 
A victim in this state feels awake, but he cannot move or speak  

Sleep paralysis may leave you feeling frightened, 

especially if you also see or hear things that aren't really there. 

Sleep paralysis may happen only once, or you

may have it frequently - even several times a night.

The good news: sleep paralysis is not considered a dangerous health problem.

QUOTE of the day

 

life's lessons 

Everything we are inside is obvious from the outside.

It pours out in everything we say and do.

So be the same person no matter who's watching. 

 ♥ ♥ ♥