11 Things Sophia Said

My firstborn is quite a chatter. I really wonder where she got it from! Haha, fine, my genes must have something to do with it. In fact, when she was a baby, not even turning a year old yet, she can copy whatever I or her father say. It was the cutest! But now that she's a pre-teen who actually has a reaction to anything that's happening around her, it can be pretty annoying. So yeah, cute isn't exactly a good word to describe it.

But of course, it also means that her responses can be funny just like when she started talking non-stop. And for her 11th birthday, here are 11 memorable things Sophia said.

35 today

Well, well, well. What do we have here?

But first, lemme take a selfie.

When I was 10 years old, I looked at people my age now like they're so old. Like when they don't have their own house, don't drive their own car and have zero career, I thought that they are failures. The younger me even swore to never wash my own laundry! I said I'd have maids to do the house chores. I said I'd be wearing stilettos to work. I said my future children would have their own bedrooms at my house with a beautiful garden. Such dreams I had as a child. God bless every kid who dreams like I did. 'Cause guess what? None of those came true.

My Formula to Be a Zero Worries Parent

I have two daughters, Sophia and Samantha. They have a 9-year age gap. People are always amused when they learn about that miniscule fact about my kids. Comments about how difficult it's going to be when they become adults are inevitable but is it really necessary to point that out?  I mean, isn't parenting a tough task in general no matter what gender and age gap our children have? I don't think there's a cookie-cutter way to follow, you know. I believe, though that there's no harm in doing what those ahead of us have done already especially if they actually succeeded. Well, this is a huge topic that a single blog post won't do justice but as a mom for more than a decade, please allow me to share with you a few things on how my husband and I raise our girls with zero worries.

My best ever life is to joyfully spend it with these two. ♥

Okay, before you judge me for being so internet-fake with the zero worries phrase, I hope it's clear with you that it's figurative. It's not possible to raise a child with zero worries! Moms worry all the time, I worry all the time. Anxiety is synonymous to my name. In fact, there are times when I can't even sleep at night thinking about my girls' future - career, first boyfriend and will they ever learn their way in the kitchen like I do? See how I worry for them 20 years ahead? I can be a worry freak, I tell ya. But worry begets wrinkles and palpitations, which I strongly avoid at any cost. So as the primary parent of our offsprings, I created a formula to actually make the impossible hopefully possible. The results cannot be seen and enjoyed yet but I'm holding on to my goal because I got a great God who got my back.

Would you like to know the formula? It's quite simple. Basically, a kid must have these three in order for a parent to have zero worries:

The original #BaonSerye is back!

My pre-teen Sophia is now on 5th grade. I think her level of appetite for her age, built and height is just right. I mean, standing at 5 feet tall with an effervescent personality, she literally gets hungry every hour. So now that she's back to regular school (read: homeschooled for a year, will tell the story why we quit soon), which we all welcomed with warm, excited hearts, it means this mama is back to her baon-making game again! If you're not familiar with how I make my kid's lunches, you might want to read this lovely feature about me by theAsianparent Philippines entitled, Meet the Foodie Mom Behind the Popular #baonserye. 

For two school years, I prepped Sophia's meals with lots of love, cute bento tools and wide array of snacks. Nothing much has changed this school year. I'm just gradually minimizing the cute factor in each baon since she doesn't really mind how her food looks lately. Again, something from her tummy sends message to her brain that cuteness can't make it full, anyway. She has days that she appreciates that her baon looks like it's straight from an Instagram feed (like today's pancake, chocolate syrup and fruit crisps combo) but generally, she's totally fine with whatever I serve her as long as it's healthy and filling. I'd like to believe that I'm a cool mom so I try my best to include fun in everything I do for my children. This was one of the major reasons why I created #baonserye in 2016.

What Parents of Toddlers Should Know About Walking

When Sammy has started sitting on her own, everyone was excited to see her walk already... And now that she has perfectly mastered her strides, who's following her, pacing with her all the time? It's not everyone, it's just me! Where are they now? Oh, they're chilling on the side, laughing and saying how cute she is. Haha! Well, if not for the summer heat, I wouldn't complain as I felt like I lost a lot of weight by doing so. But then again, the weather just makes me want to scoop her up and carry her as long as my back can handle. 

Don't get me wrong, mamas. I would love my terrific toddler to have as much freedom as she deserves but let's be real, running after a toddler isn't easy. It requires many underrated traits and character that parents and caregivers should embody. Would you like to know some? I got a few basics here.

How We Make Our Marriage Happy

At 23, I was every inch of what I wanted myself to be — a fun and free college graduate who was working in the biggest broadcasting network in the country. Also, I had a cute military boyfriend who loved me back as much I loved him. I wasn't rich but I had everything I needed to be happy. For me then, my life was perfect. Things have changed dramatically, though when I got pregnant out of wedlock. Sadly, the boyfriend (who became no longer cute for me lol) and I had opposing views about the situation; it was expected that we didn't get married. Worse, I didn't have a job for the whole 9 months of carrying my little human. Just imagine how miserable I felt every time I craved a burger and I don't even have money to buy the cheapest kind.

While my mother took me under her care, I knew I had to do something for me and my baby. So during my first trimester, armed with resourcefulness and guidance from the Lord, I sold my huge magazine collection to a magazine store near our house. My collection of mostly Summit Media magazines was really that huge that I was able to buy myself fruits, maternity house dress and vitamin supplements. And just before my first trimester ended, my boyfriend (who became cute again lol) and I reconciled and decided to become partners in building our dream team. We knew we would never have our fun and free youth back but having a baby gave our lives so much meaning.

Fish Escabeche

I may look like I know a lot about food but guys, I am just actually learning so much from the people I follow on Instagram! Take for example, Joey of @chichajo. I was watching her Stories when I saw the tagged online shop that sells seafood. Wow. I mean, who would think that you can now buy fresh seafood online, right? Search it, it's called @marvsboqueria.ph. You're welcome. Marvs sells different kinds of seafood! He also has an awesome package that includes prime beef steak, tiger prawns and salmon. It's quite costly; I'm still saving up for that so I can cook them on my birthday. Or maybe on our wedding anniversary. 

Anyway, I bought crab meat, tanigue fillet and steak and bakoko. I never encountered bakoko in the wet market so after I did a quick consultation with Mr. G, I decided to buy that. If you are following me on IG, you'd know that I made a lot of dishes using the 500-gram crab meat. With tanigue, I made kilawin from some of it for my husband. As for my new fishy friends, I made escabeche.