4 Things to Help You Relax at Home

It is now 2021 and by this time, people have learned to adapt to the new normal that was ushered in abruptly in 2020. It's been almost a year since our life was turned upside down so it's time to say enough with the stress. 

It's time to learn how to relax at home since it looks like we will still be staying and working at home. For me, I have learned to find ways to make sure that when I "get off" from work, I can easily switch to relaxation mode so I can have a good sleep. 

Lights - WIZ Lights from Philips

This strip of light may look like it's just a strip of light but when placed in the correct setting, it can make a place look truly cozy. M placed it on the backside of our bed and voila, instant coziness.

SCENTS 

Another thing that helps me relax is when I smell something like french vanilla or lavender. I make sure that I have scented candles with me to help me feel relaxed when I need to. 

What I love the most about scents is that there's one for relaxation, staying up, and even just plain zoning out. 

BODY PILLOW

This may be situational as I know that there are people who can sleep without pillows but for me, a whole-body pillow works wonders for my sleep. It puts me at ease and I have better sleep when I have a whole body pillow.

 

Humidifier 

Since you're not supposed to leave a candle on the whole night, I switch to a humidifier that has essential oil in it to last me the whole night. It's safe and it is truly relaxing. 

I simply put on some Lavander and Sage oil, turn it on, and then in a few minutes, relaxation starts, and I sleep like a baby. 

Which one do you already have and which one will you be getting? Let me know in the comments down below.

On goodbyes, hello, and goals for 2021

Goodbye, 2020. 

Honestly,  I would have to say that I am one of the lucky ones for 2020. I was able to find new clients, I had a lot of paid articles, I did some research papers, and I was even able to land a new job. 

Everyone I know has been safe from the virus, I gave birth to a bouncing baby boy, and I even got proposed to. 

M and I also have our own place (rented but we are on our own) and things are much better between us. Whereas before we would fight like cats and dogs, now, it's more of let's discuss how we can fix this instead of who's wrong and who's right. 

There was a major heartbreak but as they say, when one door closes, another door opens. I've realized a lot of things that I wasn't aware of before and now, I am learning daily how I can be better and how much I am truly capable of. 

Hello 2021. 

I am welcoming 2021 by making a big change in my life. If you have been reading my blog for a time, you know that I am a single Mom and have been one for 12 years now. Apparently, 2020 was my last year as a single Mom, and this 2021, I am becoming Mrs. B. 

YES! I am getting married to M and will become Mrs. B. I never thought that this would happen but it is and I am so excited to officially and legally be a real wife. 

I even ordered a dress online already and I am hoping that it will fit. My dress costs less than Php2000 and can be altered so that I can wear it for casual dinners or dates. 

Even our wedding cake topper will come from Shopee. 

I've also been welcomed with open arms by M's family. It feels overwhelming but I am happy that they accept me for M. They made the holidays truly feel like one. 

This year, we will also start processing our papers to go and migrate to Canada. It's something that I never thought I'd do but for my kid's future, I will go and pursue it. 

Goals

I would like to stick to having 5 doable goals this 2021. I used to have so many and though most of the time I get to do most of it, I feel that having 5 will make it feel less like a burden and something that I can accomplish. 

1. Self-care. One of the things that I let go of last year was self-care. I used the reason that I just gave birth as an excuse but it was more of laziness the last few months. Sometimes, I'd go days without washing my hair. It was really bad. I also ate too many sweets and really indulged in everything that I wanted but if I want to live long, I need to eat healthier, move more, and be mindful of what I take in. After all, I am no longer a kid. 
2. No Spend Year. Last year, I used my depression and anxiety as an excuse to buy so many things that I haven't even used till now. Shopping for too many wants has left me scrambling when I need to buy something that is needed and I want to address that online. So this year, we are implementing the no spend year which means that we will only buy what is needed. I've actually done this in the past and was successful for 10 months. 
3. Be a better Mom, Wife, Friend, and Person. It's hard, to be honest. Being kind sounds like this should be a given but it can be a struggle sometimes especially when I am tired, cranky, hungry, not feeling well, or dealing with my own drama. However, I vow that I will start doing my best to be kinder and more understanding.
4. Do more of what I love and say no to doing things I don't want to. No explanations needed on this one. 
5. Be debt-free and set aside money in the bank. I incurred debt last year and I vow to pay off all debts this year. 

I think that these goals are doable and are something that is worth pursuing. I have a lot of WHY AM I DOING THIS for every single goal so it won't be so hard to achieve. 

For now, I leave this makeup-free, absolutely no filter photo that I hope to look back on next year and be able to say, I look and feel much better in 2022 than in 2021. 

3 Tools to Help Make 2021 Better

2020 was the year that threw everyone off their comfort zone. Scheduled trips, plans, vacations, and businesses were all disrupted. It was chaos like nothing the world has ever seen. 

People lost their lives, family members, precious moments, and so much more but for those who survived and are surviving, they gained a lot as well. They gained perspective, respect for life, and value for time, time that they now know matters more than ever. 

This 2021, one of my goals is to manage the time that I spend on people, tasks, goals, acquisitions, and dreams. One of the ways that I plan on making this happen is by ensuring that I have the right tools around me that can help me make this happen. 

1. Happy Planner

It has always been my dream to use a planner that I can use as a to-do list, a budget tracker, and a memory keeping tool. The Happy Planner does that for me and it has been truly instrumental in helping me remember my schedule, online events, bills that I need to pay, as well as storage for photos and cards that I want to keep as a memento.

It may seem like the Happy Planner is on the more expensive side but for me, it's worth it because it's my organizer, budget keeper, and scrapbook all rolled into one. When I look at my layouts, I feel like I can create new plans and dreams, execute them in style, and make things happen. 

2. Tommy Hilfiger Watch 

As far as I can remember, I have dreamt of owning a watch that is versatile enough for me to wear with jeans, slacks, a morning dress, or even a semi-formal gown. Trust me when I say that it is not easy finding one so when I saw the Tommy Hilfiger Blake and Payton model, I knew that I have found the watch that I will wear for 2021. 

For some people, a watch may seem outdated but I believe that wearing a watch is one of the classics that people need to keep. When I wear a watch, I am more mindful of the time that I spend on things and the time that I give away to people. I don't know what it is but wearing a watch makes me more goal-oriented and helps to keep me focused on the task at hand.

Tommy watches are distributed worldwide, but its first-ever watch-centric store opened in the Philippines last January. Last Dec. 14, its Philippine Distributor, Wizer Industries, continued with the momentum generated during the store opening, by introducing the brand’s Filipino ambassadors - models Sam Ajdani and Jessica Yang. Just like them, I look forward to a better 2021. 

With Tommy Hilfiger watches, I know that I have a watch that encapsulates what the new normal will be like - aware, informed, and responsive to the climate of the times. 

3. Xiaomi Mi10TPro 

This phone has been on my wish list since I first reviewed it. I loved how clear and crisp the photos are, how defined the videos are when I do a shoot for my YouTube channel, and how the audio sounds. It's light, sleek, and durable. 

It's exactly what I need in a phone camera and I know that with the Mi10TPro, I can definitely do more and be more this 2021. 

How about you? What tools do you think you need to make 2021 a better year? 

On Break ...

I have been on break for the last few days and it feels a little different. 

I now have a home to manage and a family to take care of but I also have more free time to actually do things that I want to do. 

Some of the things that I hope to accomplish in this almost 2 weeks break that I have are: 

1. print photos to put on display and send over to Canada 
2. print photo of my Mom with my two sons 
3. finish two small diamond paintings 
4. clean the house of clutter and unnecessary things 
5. finish the contest for our diamond painting group 
6. get some much-needed sleep
7. have a formal family photo taken 
8. spend time with my kids and future husband 
9. binge-watch 
10. REST 

What are your plans for this holiday break?

Christmas 2020 and New Traditions

A part of me dreaded Christmas this year. 

It's the first time in a long time that I won't be spending Christmas with my Mom. For the last 12 years, it has been with my Mom and our family, no exceptions, no excuses. 

This year, it was just supposed to be M, B, and my brother the chef. Khali too but he's sound asleep by the time we open gifts and have Noche Buena. 

However, God had better plans for us and out of nowhere, Kuya Jay and Mamita were able to go to the Philippines. Luckily, our place was big enough to host everyone and so we ended up with M's side of the family celebrating with us. 

I was able to secure gifts for most of my friends and PR partners. I was also able to secure gifts for family and it made me feel so good to be able to give back to people who have supported me most especially this year. 

We had a mix for our Noche Buena this year. The pre-noche buena had Filipino food such as palabok, lumpia, cheesesticks, and puto. We also had steak. As you can see, that was American and Filipino combined. 

For the proper Noche Buena, it is what you can see in the photo. We had sushi bake from Salmon HQ, we had spaghetti with meatballs, we had Excellente Ham, and we had Korean Chicken Wings. In short, we had Japanese food, Italian, and Korean. 

My new family comes with their own traditions but I am happy that they are also amenable to traditions that we want to introduce to them. This Christmas, it wasn't anywhere near what I thought it would be and I am beyond grateful to them for ensuring that I wouldn't feel the absence of my other family members. 

Thank you Lord. Your will is truly amazing.

Review of De Venezia Cafe in BFRV

I've seen this place even before the pandemic started. They were just about to open and since the place looked so pretty, I wanted to give this place a try. 

It took months but I finally got to try it out. I met with Jen and Kimi to exchange gifts. We chose this place because it didn't look crowded and it was just inside my village which made it a little bit safer because there's not a lot of people. 

Inside, you will find one aesthetic coffee shop. 

 I love how the place looked. It felt homey. The place had a good vibe. It seemed like a decent place to hang out. After taking a few snaps, we finally ordered. 

We ordered the nachos for an appetizer. As pretty as it looked, the sauce was too sweet. I don't know what happened there but this nacho was the worst nacho that I have had. I didn't even think it was possible to have bad nachos. 

I wish they stuck to melted cheese dressing. It would have made the nachos good. The sauce they used was just ICKY. Sorry, but it was ICKY. 

The buffalo wings will be loved by people who love HOT FOOD and when I say hot, I don't mean the burn from being newly cooked kind of hot. It was HOT as in way over spicy HOT. 

The chicken dish was okay but at Php200+, I expected it to be more than okay. The gravy had too much cornstarch. The chicken was okay and the veggies were the highlight of the dish. 

I felt sad to be honest. I really wanted to hang out at this place because my favorite coffee shop is currently closed but aside from the aesthetics, there is nothing worth coming back to in this cafe. 

I hope they improve their food and their coffee so that it equals what the aesthetics look like. 

Property Insurance in the Philippines

One of the dreams that most people have is to own a piece of land and build a house that they can turn into a home. Almost every person in the world dreams of owning a house, not realizing that there are a lot of responsibilities that come when you own a property in the Philippines

One of the most confusing things that you can process in the Philippines is the transfer of the deed of sale and property insurance. I know this because I recently started the process of sorting my brother's land now that he is finished paying it off. 

I thought that it would start out with proof that the land is already paid off. What I didn't know was that there would be so much that needed to be done before you can get your hands on the Deed of Sale and then start the process of securing property insurance in the Philippines. 

Property insurance is a broad term for a series of policies that provide either property protection coverage or liability coverage for property owners. Property insurance can include a number of policies, such as homeowners insurance, renters insurance, flood insurance, and earthquake insurance.

Typical homeowners insurance policies offer coverage for damage caused by fires, lightning strikes, windstorms, and hail. However, you need to know that not all-natural disasters are covered by homeowners insurance. For example, damage caused by earthquakes and floods is not typically covered by homeowners insurance so this is important for homeowners to know. This is mostly applicable to properties not in the Philippines. 

Property insurance in the Philippines is very important to protect your investment. You never know what can happen tomorrow or what natural disaster, manmade disaster, or unknown disaster will come your way so being ready for all things that can potentially happen and let insurance handle all the expenses. 

Here in the Philippines, insurance companies offer different basic and comprehensive home insurance packages. The most common type is fire insurance, which covers fire and/or lightning-related incidents.

If you want broader coverage, you can avail of the comprehensive package, which requires the payment of an additional premium. This will include damage to property caused by other acts of nature (earthquake, typhoon, or flood) and extended coverage (explosions, smoke, falling aircraft, and vehicle impact).

Other insurance companies also include coverage on broad water damage caused by bursting of water tanks and/or pipes, burglary and housebreaking, riots and strikes, and malicious damage. There's almost nothing that isn't covered. 

There are even insurance plans that cover replacing your visitors’ personal effects if loss or damage within the insured premises. They will even pay a reasonable amount for your temporary accommodation in case your home becomes uninhabitable due to any perils covered in your insurance.

There are so many that it can make your head spin. Make sure that you affiliate yourself with a property insurance company that you can trust. When you have something as valuable as your property to protect, it's best that you trust only the best.  

Give the Gift of a Colgate Smile this Season with Colgate Christmas Toothpaste

This Holiday season, make sure to equip the ones you love with a great smile by giving them something to smile about and something to smile with! You can give them the Colgate Merry Christmas Toothpaste, the Colgate Plax Antibacterial Mouthwash, and the Colgate Natural Bamboo Charcoal Toothbrush. 

With something as festive as the limited edition, first in the world Christmas-Themed toothpaste from Colgate, everyone you give a box to will surely have a reason to smile. Only available this Christmas Season, Colgate has come up with a new reason for us to smile this Christmas. 

Feel refreshed, fun and festive this Holiday Season with its refreshing “Merry Mint” flavor! I tried it on and it made me smile because who wouldn't when your toothpaste looks like this! 

You have your own Christmas tree every time you brush your teeth. How cute is that?  You also have a festive holiday packaging with a window to view the product inside!

There is also a space at the back where you can write a note to your loved one. 

Join the promo #SmileStrong This Christmas and get a chance to win a Noche Buena package worth P2500, and donate another Noche Buena package to a family in need! Truly, the spirit of Christmas will live on with this. 

Great for Christmas Gifting to make them Smile and make other people smile. 

You can buy this at Shopee. Buy a pack of 2 or more and keep one for yourself and give the rest to family and friends. Don't forget to download the Shopee app if you haven't via Google Play or Playstore. 

Christmas Flower Arrangements from the Little Flower Hut in Singapore

One of the struggles of Christmas is always finding the right gift for someone, especially if that person seems to have everything already.  After all, it's not easy finding a gift to give if the person wants for nothing right? 

This is why I was so happy to discover Little Flower Hut in Singapore. They have the cutest Christmas Flower Arrangement and this is perfect for anyone and everyone. 

You can easily add some cheer to their home, office, or work from home office table. 

I loved the Mini Christmas Tree the most so this is what I had and it was just perfect. 

It's big enough to make a difference and bring cheer to our home but it's also small enough to stay nestled on a table. 

There are other items that you can choose from. The wreath is next on my list because it would look so perfect on our door. Right now, we need all the holiday cheer that we can get so I'm really stoked that the Little Flower Hut has these Christmas Flower Arrangements. 

It feels like they really thought of their customers and how they can help give people a better holiday season. Order from their site today and if you are in a rush, you can even have it delivered on the same day. Isn't that amazing? 

The Little Flower Hut also offers other floral arrangements so if you have any need for bouquets or special occasions, they can be your one-stop-shop. Order the Mini Christmas tree! I'm sure whoever you give it to will be one happy person.  

Review of Salmon HQ's Naked Salmon and Tuna Cake

I'm just a simple girl who knows how to appreciate good food when I see one. 

I say this because try as I might, I can't describe in full detail the joy and happiness I experienced when I was able to try the Naked Salmon Cake and Naked Tuna Cake of Salmon HQ. It was just out of this world.

My entire family is a fan of salmon. Whenever we eat at a Japanese place, they would always consume a lot of salmon. So when this arrived at our doorstep, everyone was just too excited. 

This one smelled fresh. I don't know about you guys but I can easily spot when fish isn't fresh. Blame it on the fact that every summer when I was growing up, we'd be at an island in Batangas because my Dad scuba dived a lot. 

My first experience with sashimi was literally a fish out of the ocean, still struggling, and my Dad fillet it and made me eat a slice. It was THAT fresh so trust me when I say that I know fresh. 

This naked salmon cake is FRESH personified. It smelled fresh, it felt fresh, and it definitely tasted fresh which means IT WAS SOOOO GOOD! Melt in your mouth raw salmon that you can just eat and eat and eat. 

This Naked Tuna and Salmon Cake were very unique. The combination of two of the best sashimi in town is just too good. If you love sashimi, then this is the cake for you. Hands down, the best thing you'll ever buy for yourself and those you love that love sashimi. 

If you still don't know what you can bring to the potluck, send over to the potluck, or give as a gift this Christmas, choose the Naked Salmon Cake of Salmon HQ. You can't go wrong with it and you will never be embarrassed when you present this to someone. Guaranteed! 

Weekends at Home

The pandemic has forced a lot of people to stay at home and though there are already a few brave enough to venture out, we are not among those people haha. 

A typical weekend for my family and I are just spent at home. If ever M and I would go out, it's just to the groceries and this happens once a month. 

My weekend normally starts with me wrapping up my work. I have learned to not work on weekends as much as possible so Friday morning, I would wrap what I can. On Friday nights, I would just blog or vlog and then turn off my laptop for the rest of the week. 

This weekend, I was able to wrap 90% of the gifts on my list. This made me so happy because it was something that I knew would take hours but thankfully, I was able to do it. 

We also had pizza for dinner. M had Shakeys GC so we indulged. 

Yang still thinks that she is the queen so whenever I leave my bed, she takes over. 

However, we have a new puppy. He is a Belgian Malinois and we named him COOKIE! He's been quite a pain coz he's new so he cries a lot but he is quite adorable. 

Weekends at home is normally quiet. We watch movies on Netflix, catch up on sleep, indulge in food when we can, and basically just stay home and spend time with each other. 

Pandemic or no pandemic, I like how we do weekends at home. How do you spend yours? 

Gratitude # 11

It's been over a month since I last did a gratitude post and now, I feel like it's time to do another one just to remind me once more of what I have to be grateful for in life. 

Recently, we had bouts with getting sick. Khali had allergies because of the change in milk that we made. Apparently, he likes S26 and hated Bonamilk. I felt so bad that for 2 months, he was drinking Bonamilk and his body didn't have a good reaction to it. 

We placed him back on S26 and then he took Allerkids for a week. He is now much better thank God. 

After a week, it was M and I who got sick. M had a fever which thankfully was just mild. A few hours later, it was my turn to have severe diarrhea and then I became dehydrated. I ended up having a high fever and it was really bad. Thankfully, I got better after almost 3 days. 

Aside from the crazy bouts of illness, it has been a pretty good few weeks. I finally finished this diamond painting of Peter Pan for M. He loves Peter Pan so much so I thought that seeing this in our room will bring a smile to his face. 

This is Khali's cute face. When he wants something, this is what he looks like. Pretty hard to say no to a face like that right? 

This was us during our Thanksgiving meal. We had a lot of salmon that day from Salmon HQ. I kid you not, this is one meal you need to include in your noche buena and media noche. 

We have also been spending more time as a family, or trying to whenever we can pull B away from his schoolwork which has been crazy these past few months. 

We also have our tree up and I am so happy that B and Khali's memorabilia thingie is part of it now. 

Lastly, this is M's gift to me for our 3rd anniversary. He thinks that he's getting Back to the Future Toys for our anniv but I'm actually getting him some Funko Pop display case that he has been eyeing to show off his Back to the Future Funko Pops. 

2020 has been crazy but I am so grateful that it has been overall kind to us. Thank you Lord for keeping us all safe, healthy, and alive. We lift everything up to you.