Thursday, May 31, 2018

Let's unbox my back-to-school finds at National Book Store!

I am DONE with my back-to-school shopping! Uniforms, check! School books, check! School supplies, check!


I went to a shopping event at National Book Store a few weeks ago just to complete our school supplies list and here are a few of the things I picked up:

Index card and index card boxes for flash cards. My kids are learning spelling, multiplication, and Chinese at their school and my friends tell me flash cards really really really help. So we're giving that a try this school year.

The whiteboard markers are for the kids. They use that in school for their math subject.

Sticker labels for all the notebooks, books, and school stuff I need to put their names on.

The photo paper is for those times the teacher suddenly asks for a family photo or vacation photo. We print those ourselves. More convenient than going to the mall.

These exercise books are for the older boys. Multiplication and division for 2nd grader Vito, addition and subtraction for 1st grader Iñigo. I bought the time-telling book because of that article that says kids these days don't know how to tell time on a proper clock.

My youngest boy, Piero, is going to school for the first time this June. I'm preparing him by giving him exercises for his writing, coloring and counting. I hope he likes school!

This whiteboard is so useful! I've only had it for a couple of weeks and already we've used it to list chores, explain science, do maths, draw. It's the best thing and it's only P149!

These Eric Carle books aren't exactly for their back-to-school needs. But I always have to buy books for the boys whenever we go to National Book Store. One of their favorite things in the world is when we read to them. 

We also have the lunch bags that are just P75 for every P500 single-receipt purchase of participating products. So affordable! And so compact yet roomy. You can fit baon for recess, lunch, and merienda pa! Just look at it:


I also like that it folds flat. Yung mga lunch boxes kasi ng mga anak ko last year, they take up so much space sa kitchen shelves ko. So the fold-flat feature is fantastic for me. And because it's made of reinforced nylon, the bag is light and easy-to-clean. Super sulit siya, mamas. My boys approve it. I highly recommend it! It's got the Topaz Mommy seal of approval!


If you want to make your shopping a better experience, shop and learn at the Grand Back to School Fair this weekend at Glorietta Activity Center. Look at all the workshops and talks you can join!


If you can’t find the time or the energy to go to the store, just shop at  www.nationalbookstore.com! Right now, there’s a dedicated back-to-school section where you can shop by grade level. You get to see the recommended supplies for each level, choose what you need, check out, and have the items delivered to your home. Orders worth P1,000 or above get free shipping.

You can also call the delivery hotline 8888-627 if you’re too busy even for online shopping!

Okay, mommies, good luck on your back-to-school shopping! I highly recommend National Book Store—affordable and useful finds, aircon pa!

So there you have it, mamas—my back-to-school finds! Share yours, too! Use the hashtag #BacktoSchoolwithNBS and tag @nationalbookstore on Instagram and @nbsalert on Facebook and Twitter. NBS is also on Viber and YouTube. 

*This post is brought to you by National Book Store.

Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Why working mama me can't wait to watch The Incredibles 2


As a mom, I've watched all the Disney Pixar movies. Every single one. Multiple times. Bought the merchandise of several films, too. Loyal customer here! But as a WOMAN, there are a few of them that I actually liked and The Incredibles is on top of the list.

In case you didn't watch it, this superhero movie is about the post-hero years, when normal people began to be afraid of supers, forcing them to hide their superpowers and live a normal life. This doesn't sit well with Bob Parr (a.k.a. Mr. Incredible) because he wants to fulfil his purpose, which is to use his superstrength to help people. So he secretly goes on missions, neglecting his greater purpose which is to be a husband and father to his now-confused family of supers. It ends well, of course, but before they get there, all sorts of dangerous events happened (the plane blowing up tops my list of most horrific scenes for a parent to ever watch on screen!). If you haven't watched this movie, you have to!!!

I loved The Incredibles because of that scene when Helen Parr (a.k.a. Elastigirl) confesses to Edna Mode her fear that Mr. Incredible was having an affair. Here it is:



Helen: Now I'm losing him! What'll I do? What'll I do?

Edna: What are you talking about?

Helen: Huh?

Edna: [shouts] You are Elastigirl! My God... [swats Helen with a newspaper] Pull yourself together! What will you do? Is this a question? You will show him you remember that he is Mr. Incredible, and you will remind him who YOU are. Well, you know where he is. Go, confront the problem. Fight! Win!

I remember watching that scene and feeling so EMPOWERED! It didn't tell a wife to forgive and be long-suffering. It didn't tell her to confront the other woman. It told her to remember WHO SHE IS. I love that so much! I apply that to many times of doubt in my own life. When I think no one's going to hire me anymore, when I torture myself with thoughts that I'm old and Vince may not be attracted to me anymore, when I'm so tired from mommying and think nobody sees me, I slap myself with an imaginary newspaper and think, "Remember who you are!" And I stand up a little straighter and hold my head a little higher.

As moms, we forget that we are a woman first and foremost. We give and give and give that we forget that under all these ratty clothes, cellulite, piles of laundry and chores, and endless service to family, we forget that we are our own person. Never forget who you are and your own power, mamas!

I am so excited to watch the second movie because this time, Elastigirl is a working mom!



I want to see how they treat her status as the breadwinner and how they treat her husband's status as homemaker. As you know, for 5 years, that was Vince and me. We may look like it was an amazing time but we struggled with the perceptions and judgment of people and we also had to confront our own gender biases. Happily, it all worked out!

That's why I really support movies that show a non-traditional family. It's about time working mothers are celebrated (instead of vilified) and caring dads are appreciated (instead of mocked). I'm not saying roles should be reversed, that dads should stay home now. I'm saying that if a family is better off with a mom who works and a dad who's better with the kids, we should embrace that. I'm saying that if a woman earns more than a man, that shouldn't be a big deal. I'm saying that a mother and father should be able to choose what's best for their family instead of us imposing roles on them.

I'm really hoping The Incredibles 2​ treats this matter well. For my sons especially who will watch it and maybe see our family reflected on that screen, I hope they will love what they see.


Tuesday, May 29, 2018

My never-before-seen mama faces revealed!!!

I love May because it's the month we celebrate Mother's Day and my second son Iñigo's birthday. It's one of my most favorite months now. Remember when Mother's Day used to make me sad? Oh, don't click the link. It's too sad. I cried just reading it again. Let's not get sad on such a happy month!


Adored by boys. That's me! They also order me around and annoy me and make me deaf and give me massive headaches. Let's not kid ourselves. Motherhood is not easy. But I'll take it any day and every day for the rest of my life. Okay, let's not get too amazing. I'll be there maybe till they're 22. After that, I'm kicking them out because I'll only allow one man to live in my house and that's their daddy haha.

Anyway, just a short Mother's Day post that I forgot to do because I was busy being a mommy blogger and doing all these sponsored posts! But thanks so much for all the greetings from my fantabulous mama community! You guys really lift me up. You don't know how much I appreciate you. Madalas kasi wala akong kausap na matino hahaha If we're not homeschooling or talking about life at bedtime, puros Minecraft and Roblox lang ang topics of conversation namin dito sa Casa Sales. So my Facebook community of working mamas really make me happy. Thank you!

So today I just wanted to show you a few of my never-before-seen mama faces. The ones I don't share because they're not Instagram-worthy haha I want to share them because we all know motherhood is hard and wonderful and exhausting and amazing, but one of the very best things about being a mom is how FUNNY life suddenly is. Every day is a laughing day, right? Every single day, these critters make me smile and laugh. How lucky am I?

Well, this lucky:
When no one wants a picture...
When you want him to smile for the camera...
When your face isn't ready and he clicks...
When you're trying to fix their hair and they think it's the worst thing ever!

When they show you what they really think of you!

Kids. Can't live with them. Can't live without them. They definitely make life interesting. I'd do this gig all over again. It's the best! I hope you enjoyed your Mother's Day, mamas! God bless us all!