Life Lately: Do you have someone who believes in you?

Few days ago, I fought real hard against sadness brought by envy.

As a blogger, may mga gusto akong ma-achieve na unfortunately, hindi ko nakukuha. Siyempre, diyan na ako magsisimulang mag-doubt sa kakayahan ko. Am I not good enough? Do I really have what it takes to be the next top model este to be an influencer? I even questioned myself once if my posts are still relevant. Pakiramdam ko, wala na akong bagong maihahain sa mga readers and followers ko.

But guys, may nabasa ako. Daig daw ng consistent ang magaling. Mahabang usapin yan, pwedeng topic for debate, pero pinanghawakan ko yan ng bongga. I spoke to the little girl inside me and said, “tie your hair tight and neat, marami pa tayong gagawin.” So kahit napaka-steady bordering to boring na ng #BaonSerye posts ko, tuloy lang ang daily hanash ng momshie niyo. Sa baon-making stories niyo ako nakilala at sinubaybayan eh, kaya hindi ko ito basta-basta bibitawan.

To further leave the puddle of toxicity that I created, I did my best to shift my mental gears. I strongly believe that clarity fosters calmness.

Pork Ribs Caldereta

Caldereta is one of my favorite dishes ever! If a Filipino kiddie party will never be complete without sweet spaghetti, I think any Pinoy handaan (basta mahanapan ng something to celebrate for) will not be as special without a tomato-based meat dish. Afritada, menudo, mechado, caldereta—whichever way you like it—at least one of them is surely ever present. When I was a kid, I always looked forward to having menudo with pancit bihon. But as I grew older, my food choices have changed. I'd have caldereta any other day. Its thick and savory sauce plus the non-complex number of ingredients make it so enjoyable to devour.

I read (or have watched) somewhere that caldereta originally has goat meat but I guess, our ancestors have actually taken it from beef bourguignon of the French that we also started using beef. For a lot of Filipino families though who'd like to eat caldereta on a regular day, beef can be a bit expensive for everyday cooking. Good thing a more affordable and very versatile meat has entered the picture—pork. Of course, there's nothing like beef caldereta but if you're on a budget and craving for this Pinoy handaan staple, this recipe that uses pork ribs is a great alternative! 

Salmon Teriyaki

Do you know that salmon is a stress-busting superfood? I didn't know that, too and actually can't confirm if it's true. I just read that somewhere and thought it can be quite a cool opening sentence to this recipe post lol. Kidding aside, fact or fake, eating salmon really does bust stress away! At least for us, my husband and I, who love the fish down to its pink meat. So when I knew that Seaking, a brand I love buying at the supermarket, now has wild-caught Alaskan salmon, I got excited for my salmon-loving better half. 

You see, Seaking's salmon cuts are not farmed so they don't feed from chemically-enriched fish food. It's clean, fresh-smelling and so convenient to use! It comes in three cuts – slab, steak and chunks. It's a life-saver, I tell you. Allow me to share with you this latest recipe that I've tried doing and had been successful at for the first time!

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.