Everything in writing

Given how much of a scatter-brain I’ve been these last few months, and anticipating that I will be the same way for a good long while still, I have bought these:


The original Belle de Jour planner for my everyday things, the Everything is Possible planner for…well, my own plans. It’s not yet been re-covered; I intend to cover it up in pretty wrapping paper as is typical of me, hahaha. And the Ideas Journal pad to stick into both planners for those little random things.

I mean, yeah, I’m a wife and mother…or will be a mother very soon…but I need to have some personal goals on the side too. ^_^




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Interiors Inspiration

It has been a very long and arduous process, getting to this point where I am taking very seriously the need to clean up my junk and get everything in the house organised the way I want.

That said, I’ve been looking for inspiration from everywhere.


http://on.fb.me/RQ1wBv
I’ve posted before about being thrilled that Elle Decoration has found its way here.

For the most part, it registered on my radar early because my best friend is part of its editorial staff. (To be honest, I’d say that’s the best way to get wind of what’s coming ashore. ^_~) It’s not the first time I’ve picked up a magazine because she’s part of the staff; though I’m still not a regular follower of Preview, it has become one of my favourite go-to magazines for fashion inspiration, and Cosmopolitan Philippines is my favourite “for my sanity” reading material. I have to admit I’ve been paying more attention to Good Housekeeping, Smart Parenting, and Real Living these days, albeit irregularly.

(Bet you didn’t catch the shameless plugs. ^.^)

See, skulking about home organising stores like Japan Home Center, Howards Storage World, and the home and hardware areas of department stores isn’t always enough. Though I’d once trained as an architect, I am no longer as up-to-date with trends, materials, and material sources. I’m also not so adept with creative and compact storage spaces which was why I decided to visit the Ethan Allen showroom a month or so back.

The plan was to pick up this first issue of the magazine primarily for “friend support” as I call it. It’s the first issue after all and I always love a good interior design reference so I can plot and plan what I want to do with the house, but I’d always kind of felt that the magazine’s sensibilities would be too luxe for my own sensibilities.

Note that I have nothing against luxe. The thing is that I do not have sole control over the training and disciplining of the pets in the house and the rest of my family spoils them rotten, resulting in furniture both expensive and inexpensive getting perhaps a quarter of their lifetime reduced in a matter of months. But I do love getting ideas and inspiration from all over—and the most amusing thing is that, upon reading the features noted on the cover, their first issue actually covers a great deal of things that fit my personal liking.

Blow by blow of my favourites—and no, this has absolutely nothing to do with who wrote or edited each article or section, I promise.

Our house actually has a very basic, no frills structure. Kind of boxy, typical of its age (it was built in the 80s), and, stripped of all furnishing and paint, can really be transformed into any typical or atypical design depending on the designer.

That said, it’s easy to just keep building on what my mother already started, given that I do love the near rustic feel of the house with all its wood and rattan furnishings. Seeing the various features in the magazine, however, has encouraged me to attempt to liven up the house to ultimately make it mine.

Livening up the house in general with different wall colours isn’t exactly an option although I must say that the combinations in the Flights of Fancy feature are very attractive. I’ve used the green and red combination before in playing The Sims 3, but normally detesting yellow, that particular palette doesn’t naturally appeal to me but this made it look so good I want to try it. I’m actually making plans now to re-colour our kitchen into a lemon and lime motif.

I see what you did there…
The main features that stood out for me, though, were the ones in the sections Now news, Into the wood, and Natural curiosities. They will be very simple and easy changes to make in our house: choosing colder metals, for example, to accent our generally warm palette, adding a variety of materials and textures to enhance the look of our existing pieces, and some really awesome ideas for pieces that are compact and functional that match our general theme. Like that basket in the snapshot on the right. Meta-styling, anyone? ^_~

The Country bliss feature gave me something to kind of aspire to—just with a little more modern touch for our city home, and quite a lot of adjustment for our country one. I mentioned last time that I’m laying out plans to restore our old family home to its style period but while I’m going to stay faithful to the general look, I find no harm in getting inspiration from more modern interpretations, just to make it a little more current.
This being already November, I’m studying—no really, I mean studying—the second issue. I’m not normally a big magazine buyer, but the November issue feels just as relevant to me and our household personality as this first issue. So why not, right?










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Pregnancy Shopping

I am grateful that I have family—well, truthfully, family friends who are as good as family to me—who have loaned us a great deal of the big ticket items we’ll need for Bean’s arrival. (Thank you so much, Kuya Joma and Ate Kay, Kuya Dennis and Ate Pam!*) It has taken a lot of the stress out of the preparations, at least as far as those items are concerned, and I can turn my attention to more personal things.

In general, I have simply adapted my wardrobe to suit my current size by setting aside the clothes I can’t wear for now and focusing more on caring for (to avoid too much wear and tear on the garments) and modifying how I use those that do still fit.

This is not to say I have done no shopping at all. I’ve already shown off these initial purchases


when I reviewed them for this entry. There are no photos of my M&S nursing bras but I’d gotten those as well, and all four have served me wonderfully so far in the past months as I transitioned slowly from alternating using them with adjusting my pre-pregnancy bras, up to this point where I’m using my nursing ones exclusively. As predicted by most readings I’ve done, I do need to go shopping for new ones again though I did decide to give it a wait until my final trimester so I’m closer to the size I’m likely to be at after giving birth.

I have several guides that I’ve looked at for newborn/new mum supplies. I’m not looking to purchase much until perhaps late November to early December—there’s a little cultural thing where it is believed one ought not purchase items before the baby is born—with the rest of our necessities to follow after birth once I’ve gotten the hang of how things will work.

Right now I’m studying these lists: Pregnancy Shopping for the 2nd Trimester and Pregnancy Shopping for the 3rd Trimester. I love BabyCenter.com!

Can’t go wrong with this book!
Of the lot, at the top of my list right now is to get a nice, sturdy wooden crib. It sounds so retro and expensive—the latter being quite true—but given the fact we have cats who enjoy snuggling against humans, I am immensely paranoid of the possibility of Bean being smothered by something soft, furry, and alive. A wood crib is our best bet because I can get a “lid” of sorts fashioned for it that will keep cats out but still allow us full view of our little gremlin. The list says we can do without a crib for a while but daddy rolls around the bed like crazy so crib it is.

I’ll need a nice, maybe slightly cushy changing mattress for the dresser in the soon-to-be nursery. I’ve decided we can leave off on the changing table since the built-in dresser is a good height and has more than enough storage for all things nappy-change related.

I’ve been advised to prepare lots of bibs and wipes in preparation for feeding, and that three bottles will do. Plus several nipples, probably, and of course a decent bottle brush. The pump I’ll deal with at a later point though I’m already looking into the different types.

Nappies are so expensive when it comes to cloth ones but I honestly think it’s worth the splurge to get those BabyLeaf or Next9 diapers because they’re just as easy to use and act almost like disposables, but I can toss them in the wash just as easily as every other clothing article. In a separate load, of course. ^_~ There are these diaper liners too but I think they defeat the purpose of carbon footprint reduction if used regularly. Perhaps for travelling. And these iPlay Swim Diapers are too cute. Not immediately necessary, but just really too cute. Won’t be needing the latter two until probably the fourth month or so though.

These are some of the cutest socks I’ve ever seen…EVER.
With the exception of those four main categories, we’re actually fully covered. Again I thank with all my heart my (pseudo)cousins for loaning us the diaper bag, play pen, high chair, carrier/car seat and stroller, tub, and rocker. Such a big deal to already have those with us, plus some baby clothes and loads of socks too! Can’t get over how adorable they are.

I’m currently going over the list of things to prepare for the first six weeks. Again from BabyCenter.com, Baby Clothes for the First Six Weeks and Mom and Baby Gear for the First Six Weeks quite interesting and useful guides. And again, it stops a new parent from excessive purchasing since it gives the low-down on the basics.

I mentioned before that it can get confusing and quite daunting for a first timer like myself to see all these products and have to read through all the notes and how-to’s. It takes a long time for everything to sink in but the more I read, the more I realise what I believe are and are not essential to me.

The truth of the matter, I think, is that it’s grown to become such a big industry that people seem to come up with more and more things for new parents to go crazy over whether or not they’re important or even practical.

Bedding, for one, drives me nuts. Tons of pillows? Comforters? Have you ever heard of SIDS?

The second thing that drives me nuts is probably this whole obsession with decorating a nursery. As my friend Darren once said, all they really care about is that they’re fed, loved, and cared for. It’s really all more for the parents, in my opinion, especially when welcoming the first born.

This is not to say that we don’t have a nursery prepared. My old bedroom will serve that purpose but to date, it’s still half livable, half storage. And those stuffed bears in the shelf? Probably going to scare the wits out of any toddler if I don’t get a move on fixing them up and making them look less threatening. But that doesn’t bother me at this point; I intend to have our baby sleeping in the same room with us for his first six months anyway, giving me plenty of time to prepare the room for him to move into when we’re ready to chuck him out of ours.

I haven’t taken photos of the bigger stuff yet—first I have to set them up where they’ll photograph prettily!—but I’ll likely share them here at some point too.

My parting words as a first timer to other first timers? Chill out. Seriously. Don’t get sucked or suckered into getting “must-haves.” Know what you want and think you need—projected as they might be. It makes being a parent-to-be so much more fun.









* “Kuya” (KOO-yah) and “ate” (AH-te) are Filipino words for older brothers and sisters respectively. I can’t give the etymology for kuya off the top of my head but ate is the bastardized form of the Mandarin term for older sister “jiejie” (check out this link for the proper way to write it in Mandarin) or “ahjie” (not sure if I wrote the Romanized form correctly). It’s possible that kuya has the same etymology since the Mandarin for term for older brother is “gege.”

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Positive Thinking

I am hardly the best advocate for this because I tend to straddle the line between pragmatism and pessimism. I find, however, that I have suddenly been thrust in the role of doing my best to be the beacon of positivity in the family.

Oh the irony. And the music.



Truth be told, my family is often deceived into thinking that I’m more of a loose cannon than I actually am, while at work, people are deceived into thinking I’m a pushover and nicer than I really am. Only my friends have seen both sides of this particular quirk of my personality.

It has, I think, surprised my family how stubbornly I cling to certain hopes and thoughts. What they don’t see  is the strain it puts me through to keep up that face and that belief. *sigh*

This is not to say that I have never wavered  in my belief in the Lord’s plans. Of course I have. As a human being, there have been times when I’ve questioned the things that have gone on and are going on my life. I don’t always see the bigger picture or have no idea what these things would even have to do with the bigger picture. And I complain. A lot. Boy, do I complain.

And then I get a grip.

Because really, what parent would want his/her child to go astray, fall, or fail? It will be my choice whether I want to listen or not, but choosing to listen and to believe in His plans for me has never failed, no matter how much I may think, at the moment (sh)it occurs, it has. There are lessons to be learned whether or not I obey, perhaps contingency plans for when I suddenly realise, recognise, and respect His wisdom.

It’s a tough choice to make to follow somewhat blindly, but listening to His voice telling me that it is all for the best assuages the fear. Somewhat. Hey, I never claimed to be a perfect follower or the most obedient one, and this has earned me my share of I told you so’s.

I just wish they would believe as much as they say they do because I can’t believe for them.






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IHeart Organizing: Reader Space: Magnetic Meal Planning!

This tidbit is brought to you by IHeart Organizing

IHeart Organizing: Reader Space: Magnetic Meal Planning!: Although I recently posted about my meal planning process here , I couldn’t resist sharing another super incredible and fun way to go about …
A bit of a ways back I posted first about meal planning, and then the awesome magnetic chalk board another reader of IHeart Organizing made.

I love nurturing that domestic part of me. As I’ve said before, there is a reason why I chose “Career Housewife” as my handle. In local lingo, to “make a career” out of something [for fellow Filos, that would be variants of the term kinarir/kinareer] means to take anything seriously enough to really study and develop skills that would aid in the said activity.

Food is a huge deal for my family, not just because of the food itself but because meal times, particularly dinners and weekends, are the only times we are all seated at the table together. It is, therefore, very important for us to have good food at the table, special dietary considerations plus likes and dislikes included.

I do my planning weekly. In fact, I still have planning to do beginning our meals for tomorrow, haha! We only shop for groceries twice a month, meats once a week, so planning has to be done ahead of time, with some allowances for changes depending on sudden cravings or surprise take home food. I’ll probably need to adjust this magnetic meal planning board quite a great deal to suit our needs but I definitely think it’s better than my current method of having to print out weekly  plans. The board wastes no paper or ink, and I can easily include a list of things that need defrosting and whatnot.

I’m learning so much from people who’ve been doing it longer than I have. I love it!




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Regaining Balance

Today we are back to the set up I originally envisioned for myself: one household helper and I splitting the majority of the chores with the rest of the family pitching in.

Except right now, this isn’t quite the most ideal set up.

I do wonder sometimes if, perhaps, we are expecting too much of these new ones. But then they come to us knowing what we require help with and that we do have a set way of dealing with things. They are never recommended by strangers; they are recommended by our closest family or friends so these are people who can give them accurate information about us and our habits. They generally come prepared.

I’m trying to get things back into gear the best I can. I can’t say the attempt is completely effective as this isn’t purely my household but a household full to the brim with three very strong-willed women. It’s a constant struggle considering the reins aren’t in my hands alone but I am expected to manage things as though they were. It’s the same frustration that my grandmother had when she was living with us, the difference being she’d already had the chance to take full control of her own household. I haven’t yet and I don’t like making decisions when I am not fully responsible for the results.

It’s not the easiest or best position to be in. In fact, I do greatly envy friends who live by themselves, not only for the fact that they control their time coming and going, but they are responsible for everything in their households. I truly feel it’s a much easier position to be in compared to the position I am in.

It’s in this moment of self-pity that I am at right now. The sense that the past decade during which I should have been able to flourish by myself and grow up and learn to manage my life was very nearly wasted. “Very nearly” because I do know that I have learned some things at least, despite the highly curtailed freedom compared to that which my peers had.

Perhaps it comes with the changes happening in my life now that I have suddenly found myself in the throes of contemplating what I have done with my life and myself that’s worth any kind of mention.

The bout of dissatisfaction is disturbing and this lack of control over things that I feel I ought to be solely managing (at least as far as the temporal matters are concerned) is frustrating to say the least. It does make me wonder why I even bother trying to manage a household that is not solely mine.

That said, I suppose I’ll take this as practice, to make the best of the circumstances.





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IHeart Organizing: Conquer Clothing Clutter!

IHeart Organizing: Conquer Clothing Clutter!: Happy Monday!  I hope you all had a lovely weekend! This past weekend I found myself realizing that time has gotten the best of me and I h…

Okay, I officially love Jen’s blog. I see so many things that I can use for around the house and so many ideas that I can mix and match and adjust to suit my needs.

I’ll be tackling my closet soon so her entries on it is quite the eye opener/inspiration for me. There is so much I’m learning from her, seriously. It makes me want to take pictures of the entire process and progress I’m making just so I can show it all off too! XD





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IHeart Organizing: March Challenge: Project “Household Binder” {Link …

IHeart Organizing: March Challenge: Project “Household Binder” {Link …: All free printables mentioned within the post are now expired and available for sale!  Please check out my Etsy Shop for a large selecti…

I have literally been spending hours on end going over Jen’s blog.

I am learning so much from her and I’ve been (mentally) adjusting things according to my own family’s needs and, of course, the environment in which I live.

I’ve started working on our own household binder project, studying our family and making notes on what on her list will be of use to us and how I can create the system so that both my husband and I can use it. Mainly I intend for it to be a quick reference so that the things we individually handle/take care of can be accessed by the other easily. Not very easy to put together, to be honest, since my husband and I have very different visions of organisational systems.

But he lets me have my way with the whole mess anyway, hahaha. ^_~
 




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IHeart Organizing: 5 Time Management Tips for Busy Families

IHeart Organizing: 5 Time Management Tips for Busy Families: For those of you, you have found me via Money Saving Mom , I say, “Hello and WELCOME!”  I am so excited to have you here!  Now please forgiv…

Although my user name is “The Career Housewife” please do take note that I’ve only just gotten married and therefore I am quite new to all of this so far.

A lot of the time I’ve been spending online has been devoted to learning from experienced wives and mothers who are indeed running their households and doing things without the aid of household helpers. Jen of IHeart Organizing has been one of my biggest inspirations—which means I need to update my blogroll, haha!—to date with all her time management, organizing, and D.I.Y. tips and tricks.

I seriously salute those women who do it by themselves. I’m still trying to figure out how to do that in a country where no matter how unhelpful the help can be, they are often a necessity. *insert an overly dramatic sigh here*

Meantime I shall continue to ogle her blog and glean from it whatever I can to help me get my own housewife career on track. ^_^





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Never too late

Of course maintenance is very important but life just doesn’t always happen the way we want it to.

This past weekend has been dedicated to cleaning up our home office which, finally, looks a bit closer to a home office again.

The truth is while I can be quite obsessive about how my things are arranged, where everything is placed, and all of that, I was never a very tidy person.

I suppose I can partly chalk this up to growing up with someone always picking up after me. If you’ve never had to lift a finger for your toys to instantly go back to the proper containers, clothes to neatly appear hung or folded up in your closet, and other odds and ends to disappear from view, ready for the next activity, you must know what I’m talking about. Right?

Okay, so I might quite possibly be completely alone on this one.

I suppose most children would have had some form of chore or might have been taught this particular discipline more than I was. Or I could simply just have been a lazy child.

I remember attempts to teach me responsibility in this aspect of life. The various containers and boxes to help me put things together however I deemed fit. Except the only place I ever seemed to manage to be organised in any form were my bookshelves and computer files.

Image found via Shutterstock.com
It’s funny now how I can’t stop obsessing over how I’m going to overcome this particular shortcoming. Perhaps it’s the idea that I will have my own little ones someday and I don’t want them to have a mum who tells them one thing and does another.

I shan’t hide the fact that I’m as messy as heck to them.There is still a method to the madness, just that it’s not always obvious to everyone. But the madness has to be restrained at some point and brought to an order that can be understood by the general populace.

As of today, I have sent about 5kg worth of paper for recycling, recycled two cardboard boxes and turned them into file organisers (photos to follow once I’ve completed covering up the first one), had our home office floor scrubbed and polished, all the while sorting out bits and pieces to keep and discard.

Image found via Shutterstock.com
There must be some sort of psychological explanation for this phenomenon but to me, it’s plainly growing up, something I’m well overdue doing. I’ve finally sorted out what I really want out of life and from myself and the chaos that was prevalent before has to make way for that shiny adult me to show through and shine.

I’m not saying I won’t have my moments. I’ve never been one to completely take myself too seriously and I will crack if I don’t have my moments of spouting nonsense and blurting out ridiculous things. I own up, too, to being spacey and have accused myself on more than one occasion of making very little sense for as long as I use my own speaking voice rather than choosing to speak through a fictional creation.

They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. I think this ought to be revised to “You might not be able to teach an old dog new tricks on your own time; sometimes they need to learn by themselves.”

And that’s what I’m doing.






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