Build Your Dreams Into Reality

My husband and I have been married for 19 years now and we have been blessed with 2 kids. At the early years of our marriage, we stayed in an apartment free of rent since the house was owned by his late grandmother. When I had my second child, we transferred to another house that was owned by my husband’s father. It was in their agreement that the house will be transferred to my husband’s name when the right time comes. We still live in this house that was built around the 1960’s. It was partly renovated in 2011 but the bedrooms stayed the same, only re-painted. It was also turned into a duplex type of house since the area was quite big. We were thankful for the house that sheltered us for over a decade but my husband and I still hope to build our own dream house someday. Our kids are already getting older and we would very much like to purchase a new house that could fit our family of four. We almost started to build one in 2014 but it was put on hold when my husband had a job transfer to another company.

The plan of purchasing a house was again discussed last year, during the time when COVID-19 pandemic was at its peak and the economy started collapsing, not just in the Philippines, but globally as well. Yet, even with the pandemic, life goes on. However, whereas we initially planned having a big house, we now opted to have a smaller house instead, just enough for us to live in comfortably and for some of our belongings to fit in. We realized that having a big house is rather impractical for us since our kids would soon grow up and probably go their own way and have their own house to live in someday.

According to Inquirer.net, COVID-19 has had a huge impact on the real estate market, especially since local government restrictions have slowed down real estate development. On the other hand, basing from statistics taken from BSP.gov.ph, it might be the right time to purchase real estate property nowadays since prices have significantly dropped for residential units. With this in mind, my husband and I think that now may be the best time to push through with our plans. Our only concern was on our savings, since we don’t have enough of it to finance the whole project. I have come up with a solution, though, which involves a small parcel of land which has not been used for a long time. If we mortgaged this property in a bank, then we would be able to secure enough funds and be all set to build a new house by the middle of this year.

Good planning and right timing are indeed important in making our dream home come true.

CDO's Highest Peak

C'est la vie

Picture was taken early this year at Noah's Ark, Amaya View. I was actually standing at the highest peak of Cagayan de Oro. The place was 1,122 ft above sea level. Hope to share some clips of my video soon (if I won't be too lazy to edit it 😄).

Netiquette of an Influencer

I started blogging over a decade ago and at the start, my main focus was writing about family and parenting since I was most comfortable about these topics. With the rise of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, as well as other social media platforms that have become very popular over the years, many people I know became social media influencers and some opted to become video bloggers (or vloggers as the term is more popularly known). I remained being a blogger but also adapting to be an influencer, though from parenting, I eventually expanded my niche into lifestyle blogging. 

As a lifestyle blogger, I am able to share varying topics. I write not only about parenting or family but also about food, travel, hobbies, beauty, fashion, whatever is new in our city and quite any topic that catches my interest. It could be about a day-to-day activity that others might find interesting. Oftentimes, viewers usually give comments, engage me in conversation and even ask for my recommendations.

As time passed, I learned to put my voice into good use because I know that whatever I share in my blogs could influence my viewers. Even when promoting a product or an event, I would make sure to focus more on the positive aspects rather than on the negative. Fact checking a topic is also a must before I publish any article because I want to be very truthful with my audience and not stir up controversy or be the source of fake news. These are the things that have been instilled in my mind when I decided to become a social media influencer.

I have witnessed the rise and fall of many influencers over the years. Some fall perhaps due to the fact that they lacked or probably did not practice proper social media etiquette which is crucial in these digital times. Below are some of the things I have listed that could be helpful to influencers. I based this on my own experience and what I saw in others who were practicing it which created a big effect on the audience:

1. Be responsible. If you are campaigning for a product, make sure to say positive things. Do not destroy their reputation unless you are asked to review and express your opinion. Otherwise, say only good things.

2. Refrain from using words that are hard to comprehend. No matter how simple the things you say, people will still notice it if they are interested with what you are posting or promoting.

3. Using explicit words will lead you nowhere. Remember, many social media platforms have very strict rules. They could disable your website or channel if they find that you violated those rules.

4. Keep on posting even if you thought you have no audience. This is also where I failed most of the time. Although, I am trying my very best to change that by updating my site from time to time.

5. Be truthful. Do not plagiarize if you are told to write an original article just to sound intelligent. Simple writing can work and can sometimes be better! I myself prefer reading articles that are simple and easy to comprehend rather than reading those with overly complicated words.

6. Engage in a positive manner with your audience if you are in a discussion with them. Remember that you have to agree to disagree and be polite in accepting constructive criticisms. Unless of course you are being harassed, then try to report them. Know that you have the option to limit comments especially when using certain platforms such as Instagram or Twitter. Also, never engage in a heated argument. You have the power to IGNORE.

7. Write an article that you are most comfortable with. Not just because it is the fad these days that you immediately joined the bandwagon without even understanding what it is all about.

8. Be transparent. Do not promote a brand while visibly using their competitors. Be sensible and be sensitive in that aspect.

These are just a few of the things I have learned to practice over the years as an influencer. How the people react in both positive and negative manner has been my way of determining how effective the influencer's voice is and how it could affect the many followers. I am also learning from these and trying my best to practice what I preach 😉💜

Wellness Week 2021

My kids had their last day of exams yesterday and I was glad that they could rest and enjoy the weekend. They were enrolled in different schools so they have different schedules and policies in their online learning. My eldest had classes 2-3x a week only and about to graduate in senior high school; while my youngest, who is still in grade school, had classes from Mondays to Fridays but every morning only.

My eldest doesn't need anymore supervision when it comes to studies but my youngest child needs my assistance to be able to review her lessons well and to submit her requirements on time. Otherwise, they do things on their own.

Online learning place a big impact not only for the kids but also for the teachers as well as for the parents.

I was hesitant at first about this concept thinking that it was not suited for my youngest child given her personality. I was even planning of transferring her to another school that will not stress her out and be more flexible in their schedules.

But I decided to let her stay in her old school and crossed my fingers that everything will be fine. That was 6 months ago...

Now, I could say that I did not regret my decision. My youngest daughter adapted so well in what they call - Distance Learning. She's very compliant, cooperative and tried her best to participate. She answered her assignments after class and submit them on time. She even gets very good grades in her subjects. I hope she will maintain this when the time comes that she could finally go back to real school.

Anyways, I am also glad that their school practiced Wellness Week to give the kids a chance to relax from their online class and to enjoy life outside their "virtual school". Right after their exams, they will be given a week or two to rest from their online class.

Image source: https://www.pace.edu/mypace/wellness-week-2021

My eldest child has no problem with her class schedule since they don't virtually meet every day.

But I really think that Wellness Week is not only for the students or teachers but for all of us especially we are dealing almost everything online, at the same time, taking care of our mental health during pandemic.

So, Happy Wellness Week everyone!

Hello 2021!

Last December 31, we had dinner at my mom's place together with my brother and sister-in-law. The weather was good and the food was great. However, unlike last year that we stayed until midnight, we went home early this time because we wanted to welcome the New Year in our place. Besides, there might be curfew so better go home earlier than usual.

Celebrating the New Year was different this time. In fact, it was quieter than the previous years. Most people were avoiding big parties to prevent the spread of the virus. At my mom's place, there were only 7 of us yet we still tried our best to always wash our hands, put alcohol from time to time and wore our masks if we were not eating.

It was a quiet but a lovely evening. I still don't know what 2021 would bring us but I hope there's an end to this pandemic...and whatever challenges I will have to face again, I will try to endure it but fight back if possible coz Hey, it's 2021!

Christmas 2020

Wishing everyone a Safe and a Healthy Christmas. Celebrating Christmas this year is quite different because most parties are done virtually, food are ordered online and parties are not held at some hotels or some places coz big gatherings are prohibited. The pandemic we experienced now really changed our lifestyles and directions in life....But really, these changes did not bother me that much maybe because I have long accepted that I am an introvert person and socializing is not my thing these days.

Don't get me wrong, I still love to go out and get dressed once in a while but won't do it every week. I think going out to see nature is much suited for me, inhale fresh air and beautiful views of mountains are the things I'd like to see these days. How about you, what are your plans this Christmas?

The picture I posted in here is a pic of myself (of course) holding a yummy chocolate cake. That's for our virtual Christmas party but my kids consumed half of it after my photo session, ha, ha.

Merry Christmas everyone!🎄🎅

My Daughter Won 1st Place in an Art Contest

Congratulations to my daughter Chloe who won 1st place in DENR's Environmental Art contest for Grades 10-12 in Region 10. The theme was about New Normal Challenge: Sustainable Actions for a Sustainable Future.

The contest this year was a bit different and perhaps quite new for all the contestants. They submitted their entries online that included the story behind their drawings and a video of themselves doing the artwork.

As far as I could remember, my daughter started sketching at the age of 2 and a half. It was Christmas time and we bought her a gift at the mall already but she caught the eye of a MegaSketcher (she called it magic board that time) and she didn't want to leave without it. We never spoil her with material things but it was only at that time in her life that she sat on the floor and didn't leave the mall without getting that thing. We gave in but told her to promise us to never to do it again and she nodded (and she never did👏). As it turned out, the Megasketcher helped her improve her drawings in her growing up years. Later, her sketches were more developed until she finally let her younger sister inherited her 'old toy'.

Now, she's 17 years old, had joined many school competitions on traditional arts (won some, missed some). She started joining digital art only last year and even won a place at her school.

But DENR contest was a big thing for her (and for us as well). It was the first time she won first place in an inter-school competition and with no coach (because of Covid19 pandemic). She joined before but only landed in top 7 or top 10. Anyways, just wanna flex myself for guiding her this time and acted like a 'caoch', hehe.

Actually, I am not good in art and I have no talent like my daughter and the only thing I could be of assistance was to check if her drawing was in line with the theme or if her drawing was able to convey the message in one glance...oh, I took videos of her while sketching but it was she who did the editing then submitted it via email.

Anyways, I also checked the other entries and wow, I was really impressed to see the artworks of those talented kids. They all deserved to be in top 10 with their God-given talents.

So, congrats to all but most especially to my daughter who put much effort in this artwork. I should know coz I saw how passionate she was, how she slept late at night just to finish it but I was also glad that she somehow listened to me when I suggested something what to include and what to exclude :D

Again, congrats Chloe! You deserve it💓

Lamoiyan Corporation Donates 1-M worth of Hygiene Products for DepEd’s Basic Ed Learning Continuity Plan to VisMin

DepEd Region X Northern Mindanao received hygiene products from Lamoiyan

Lamoiyan Corporation, a leading manufacturer of personal hygiene and home care products in the country, has donated over one million worth of Lamoiyan products to Department of Education (DepEd) in Visayas and Mindanao as it celebrates the 5th year of Kilusang Kontra Kuto (Movement Against Head Lice) initiative.

In support of DepEd’s Basic Education Learning Continuity Plan amidst the pandemic, Lamoiyan Corporation distributed packs of Licealiz Head Lice Treatment Shampoo, Hapee Toothpaste, and Dazz Dishwashing Liquid to selected regions for distribution among the students.

Selected regions include Central Visayas, Northern Mindanao, and Davao. Lamoiyan also recently donated hygiene products to Central Luzon, CALABARZON, and National Capital Region.

The total value of donated hygiene products nationwide amounts to over three million pesos.

DepEd Region VII Team accepted the donations from Lamoiyan

Lamoiyan Corporation’s Licealiz Head Lice Treatment Shampoo initiated Kilusang Kontra Kuto (KKK) in 2016, a coalition that has been battling head lice infestation nationwide for a kuto-free Philippines. The campaign includes yearly nationwide shampoo activity in schools in its commitment to fight head lice infestation or pediculosis and eliminate the social stigma associated with it.

In light of the 5th year of this initiative, Lamoiyan Corporation’s Licealiz aimed to support DepEd’s Basic Education Learning Continuity Plan in the time of COVID-19 (BE-LCP). This is the department’s response to the challenges posed by COVID-19 which covers the most essential learning competencies, multiple learning delivery modalities for teachers, required health standards in schools, and more. 

“We are grateful for DepEd for being very supportive of our KKK campaign. With our long-running partnership with them, we were able to visit several schools in Visayas and Mindanao, do shampooing activities among students, and share the correct way of combatting head lice since 2016,” said Lamoiyan Corporation Vice President for Marketing Bing Cavestany.

“Although students now are practicing distance learning and we temporarily cannot do our annual activities due to the COVID-19 crisis, Licealiz would like to consistently promote health and personal hygiene through our humble donation as children or even family members are still susceptible to head lice infestation no matter the circumstances, especially with many staying at home and in close quarters during the pandemic,” she added.

Region XI also received Lamoiyan products

Aside from encouraging good oral hygiene, Lamoiyan is also advocating the correct way of treating head lice infestation, which is considered the second most common health problem of public school children after tooth decay.

Lamoiyan Corporation’s Licealiz Head Lice Treatment Shampoo effectively kills lice and nits after two weeks of use and prevents lice infestation from recurring. Its active ingredient, pyrethrin, a natural extract from chrysanthemum flowers, is clinically tested and proven safe and successful in killing lice and nits, while its conditioning formula keeps your kid’s hair soft, smooth and fragrant.

For more information on head lice prevention and other Lamoiyan products, log on to www.facebook.com/licealiz or visit www.lamoiyan.com.

My Daughter The Artist

I used to post her achievements or upload her activities on YouTube. I used to make a blog about her when she was a kid until time came that she doesn't want me to write or post anything about herself. I dunno if it's just a teenage phase or maybe she's just too embarrass showing off about herself, lol. I stopped doing it also as not to pissed her off. But glad there were times that she would still allow me. But for today, I will not ask permission from her. I got a feeling that she would find out anyways as she often stalk my blog 😃

This is quite late already but I was just proud that she landed 2nd place in their Filipino Digital Poster Making at school last August. She's more on visual arts and just recently joined Digital Arts so placing second was a big boost on her part. She was awarded online early September during their Virtual assembly. 

Just to let you know that my daughter is struggling so hard in Filipino. It's hard for her to speak or write in Tagalog. She speaks English most of the time, or Visayan/Bisaya to some of her friends. And for her to win in one of their Filipino contests at school was a big honor on her part. Sharing to you a picture posted from their school, which I cropped and edited by the way, hehe.

I Want a Time Out Just for a Day, If Only I Could...

I'm literally tired and exhausted this week. I dunno if it's a 'supermom' thing or something's really going on inside my body. Yeah, few years ago, small cysts on my liver and kidney were detected. It was too small to be seen, however, years had passed and the cysts in my liver kept growing. My doctor told me that while my cyst is getting bigger, it still functions normally well. So, I'll just have to have an X-ray monitoring every now and then. It is said that my cyst is hereditary and not related to what I ate. But still, it bothers me coz I can already feel the heaviness in my tummy :-(

Then a year later, I felt something in my throat. My EENT told me that I already had a chronic pharyngitis but not much to worry because it was secondary to my rhinitis. All I need is to do was use the nasal spray that he prescribed and take some antihistamine so that I could sleep well at night. This  probably what triggers my vertigo. Yeah, I had it since 2015 I guess.

So, just recently I had all these things going on with me like I have an upset stomach, I had a terrible migraine and my throat is bothering me and I feel so tired most of the time. I don't have a fever, don't have a cough and not even had a diarrhea. I just don't feel fine.

I told my hubby but he kept hearing me over this every so often about this so I guess he thought it's just one of those days. I so wanted to tell my mom but I didn't coz she might not be able to sleep thinking about my dilemma. Sometimes, she complained of not being able to sleep thinking over my problems so I felt guilty of sharing that burden with her. There's also my mother in law who is just my neighbor but I avoid talking to her coz she won't stop talking about all the kind of illnesses that she had and often compare her illness to mine, as if we have the same symptoms. I can't share to my friends coz they also have other things to worry especially this time of pandemic, and other people might misinterpret my condition.

So I think I best share it here where I am free to talk and express what I feel inside.

I am exhausted. I wanted to rest. But I can't. Because I'm a mom. A stay at home mom. So, I am expected to get up early (no matter how tired or no matter what I feel) to cook, to prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner. I am expected to clean the house, clean the bathroom and kept things in place but I recently neglected coz people here at home just kept making a mess and won't even to bother to fix their mess. It will just make them lazy if I do it for them all the time.

I understand it's my job and a lifetime FREE service but I'm so exhausted already, my mind and body often cannot take it. I've to take care of my mental health, too, which is very delicate these days. So, for others to easily judge people with mental health issues, I hope this won't happen to you in the future. It is not a joke and cannot be cured if all you do is ridicule or giving some unsolicited advice. Better just listen and just be there for them coz I think that would be enough to know that you care.

I've been avoiding social media these days, too, so that I can focus on myself and not abuse my eyes and my mind. There's no good news to read might as well do something else like helping my youngest child with her online school projects or review her lessons for upcoming tests. She's doing good, by the way, and that's one positive thing that I hold on to. I dunno how she would fare if no one's assisting her especially that she's a child with special needs. I'm just glad she's highly functional coz she could really catch up with their lessons, only that her speech is delayed, but has improved a lot lately. She's still enrolled in a regular class and I'm happy with the result of her online class coz she's so behave and very much focus on their lessons. I wish she will stay like this if they will go back to their campus when the pandemic is over.

Anyway, just sharing to you what my life had been this week and hoping to get fine very, very soon.

And yes, I need prayers. Let's pray each other for good health and for our safety, okay?