My Gentle Birth Story

It was last October 20, 2019, at 4:53 PM, our new bundle of joy was born ~ James Gadiel Marfa, my third baby.

As of writing, he just turned 1 month. Wow! That was really quick. Oh, how time flies..

DIY Maternity Photoshoot

When it comes to DIY, hubby is the master. He loves the personal touch and to exercise his creativity in whatever he does. Plus the amount of money you could save by doing things by yourself. Since we invested in good DSLR years back, we usually do our photoshoot on our own. 

My Third Pregnancy Journey

A surprise Baby Shower pulled off by our Dgroup Family

My third pregnancy was unplanned but as we know, there's no accident in the Lord, this is another qarah moment and I embrace this new season of motherhood.

Redefine the Freelance Industry with Rakuboss PH

Freelancing in the Philippines is thriving more than ever. Many Filipinos are joining different freelancing platforms and choose to leave office position.

Rakuboss.ph brings freelance sidelines closer to you! Rakubos connects clients straight to the freelancers. With their user-friendly interface, a wide range of clients can seek specified freelance jobs. From lawyers to realtors, to artists, you name it!

See below for more information:

Manila International Book Fair 2019: Book Haul

Last year, I wasn't able to go to the Manila International Book Fair, so this year. I made sure to be present. I have a couple of books on my bucket list for our Philippine History and Literature.

Book Haul

6 Years of Homeschooling

Finally, we started another homeschool year! My eldest Gabi is now on his 7th Grade and my #LittleManGael is officially homeschooling too as a Preschooler!

I'm the type of person who prefers to have everything mapped out on paper from the beginning whenever we start our homeschooling.  I like planning and organizing and I don't like to do things on the fly. Although through the years, I learned also to be flexible, to give room for adjustments and changes along the way and when necessary. So, after preparing all the materials, books and prereading, we're off to a new start!

Prereading

Handicraft # 7: 3D Origami by Gabi

Vacation is almost over, we will be starting our new homeschool year this September 09.

Since there is no gadget time for my boys, both of them made use of their time to create. Gabi recently learned about 3D origami and he is just unstoppable.

Embracing a New Season of Motherhood

As we welcome new addition to our family, it entails adjustments not just for me but for the entire family, a new season for us.

This means closing doors and new beginnings...

AmblesideOnline Year 4

Learning is not attained by chance. It must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence. - Abigail Adams 

We're finally done with AmblesideOnline Year 4, Grade 6 and our 5th year of homeschooling!

books on his lap are his favorites, Narnia is on top

KidSports, Your One-stop Shop for Sporting Goods for Children

It was time to get our boys a new pair of shoes and I know how important it is to invest in a good pair. Hence, we visited KidSports at Glorietta branch last Saturday to see what they have in store for my active kids.

Kidsports is a one-stop-shop for sporting goods for children. They carry the latest styles from Nike, Adidas, New Balance, Puma, Vans, Converse, and Havaianas for the active kids.

SketchUp by Gabi

SketchUp is a premier 3D design software where you can make 3D drawings. This is one of the life skills we have scheduled for Gabi once a week. There is no particular task, he can just play around with it and the idea is just to create anything as his output.

Handicraft # 6: Finger Knitting

We explored a new handicraft for the previous term, finger knitting. This is something new to us and as always, we have Youtube Tutorials to help us through it. 

Overcoming Obstacles and Life's Challenges

We celebrated our Small Group Anniversary by holding an Obstacle Course Race Team Building last May.

Our group experienced different challenging physical obstacles that tested our speed, endurance, and agility. A warm-up commenced the session, followed by some drills before the actual race/relay. The goal in an Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) is to outrun your opponents while also overcoming a set of obstacles. It's like the American Ninja Warrior (if you are familiar with it).

Why We Homeschool

Are you a newbie homeschooler or you've been in this journey for some time? No matter what season you are in your homeschooling, it is important to know WHY you do what you do. Homeschooling is more than the list of to-dos and boxes to tick, it's a way of living, a lifestyle.

A Unique Mango-based Treats from Go Mango is Here!

Mangoes are known for it's sweet and creamy taste. It is not only delicious but also healthy. It's incredibly a versatile dessert; perfect for topping, added tidbits, and it’s even good eaten on its own. But if you think you’ve seen all the possibilities this delicious fruit has to offer, local soft serve and mango connoisseur Go Mango begs to differ.  

Teaching Grammar the Charlotte Mason Way

In a Charlotte Mason Education, grammar program starts at age 10. Children learn more quickly and efficiently if one waits until the child is a bit older. According to Charlotte Mason, the children will pick up grammar concepts without years and years of formal training if they read books. As they get exposed to books, they are seeing the correct formation of sentences in English, a sense for good style, and proper grammar.

Kids Kitchen Camp: Bloggers' Kids Series by San Miguel Pure Foods (SMPF) Culinary Center

Last May 3, 2019, at the 28th floor Kitchen Studio of the Makati Diamond Residences (MDR), little chefs-in-the-making of different Mommy Bloggers got their hands busy at the Kids Kitchen Camp organized by the San Miguel Pure Foods (SMPF) Culinary Center in collaboration with Makati Diamond Residences.

A Family Celebration of Holy Week

"Easter should be a day of unsurpassed joy and celebration. Without the Resurrection, there is no Christianity."

This year, hubby and I decided to be intentional when it comes to making a family tradition. So, we are started with the celebration of the Holy Week.

My "Curly Girl Method" Journey - Part 1

"The Curly Girl Method (CGM) is an approach to hair care designed for naturally curly hair that has not been chemically relaxed. It is similar to the "no poo" method in that it discourages the use of shampoo. Among other things, it calls for the use of a cleansing conditioner in place of shampoo (also called "conditioner washing" or "co-washing"), no silicones (used in many commercial conditioners and styling products), the use of a diffuser when blow-drying, and no combs, brushes, or terrycloth towels. It also includes tips for using hair gel and other styling products. The aim, in general, is to treat naturally curly hair gently, minimizing damage to the hair cuticle; to keep it moisturized since curly hair is more prone to dryness than straight hair; and, perhaps most significantly, to accentuate rather than interfere with the hair's natural curl pattern." - WikiPedia

Do you fall into #MalnutritionTraps?

The country has been facing the rise on the number of underweight and overweight Filipinos for more than 20 years. The World Health Organization (WHO) defined this phenomenon as the “Double Burden of Malnutrition” or the “prevalence of both undernutrition and overweight in the same community, nation, or region.”

To address this problem, our government launched the Pinggang Pinoy® campaign in 2014. Pinggang Pinoy® is an easy-to-understand food guide showing proper food group portioning on a per-meal basis. This reflects the principles of MOderation, VAriety, and BAlance (MOVABA) to promote healthier eating habits. 

Handicraft # 5: Paper Sloyd - Year Two

Paper Sloyd is a very important part of the feast offered to the children. We did Paper Sloyd Year Two for our AO Year 4, Term 1 Handicraft. Last year, we also did the Paper Sloyd Year 1.

Chicken Roulade by Tsep Dad

Our Tsep Dad is very passionate in bringing yummy food on our table. He loves cooking a special and dainty dish for the family. Recently, he learned a new dish which has become one of our favorites, Chicken Roulade!

They had a Team Building ala Master Chef with his officemates and he got the recipe there. So, this is not originally ours.

Finger Puppets Narration

We started reading the actual plays of Shakespeare this school year and my son decided he wants to change the way he does his narration for this particular book.

3 Ways on How to Prepare for Retirement

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are mine.

Have you started thinking about your future and consider retirement planning seriously? It may sound too early to think of it especially if you are a Millenial. However, if you want to have a comfortable retirement, the best time to prepare for it is the soonest possible!

Nature Study: Blue Ruellia Flower

We usually do our Nature Study in our front yard. Every now and then, we have different visitors coming; a praying mantis, slug, wasps, etc. There's just so much our small land area has to offer for us to enjoy and observe that we need not go far.

Dancing Momma

One of the members of Saints Dance Ministry (the dance ministry I am currently involved in) asked us different questions about our background in dancing which I'd like to share here too.

All About Prereading

We started our Term 2 two weeks ago. A great way to prepare before starting is thru prereading.

Prereading is not a must in a CM Education but it is a helpful tool in teaching our children. It is part of being prepared for the lesson. Having prepared in this way is really empowering to us Mommas!

I don't always preread, but I'm actually driving myself to it. I like to be more self-disciplined in my time management and get to it all, but I'm still working on that habit. Prereading is so important yet so time-consuming, to be honest. :)

Let me share what I've learned about prereading and how I do it in our homeschooling.

Our #LittleManGael is now 5!

Today, our #LittleManGael turned 5!

An Appreciation Post to my Adam (because I am Eve) on his 30th Birthday

Dear Dad,

As you celebrate your 30th Birthday, I just want to honor and appreciate you today. You know I am not good at appreciation, but this post is for you.

First, I want to thank God for your life, for giving me the partner I don't deserve yet exactly what I needed. Thanks for making me feel special and loved. Life is easier with you by my side and I couldn't imagine it without you. He gave me an accountability partner to check on me, to rebuke and to help me improve. You support me in my every endeavor and I'm so grateful with that. Your strengths are my weaknesses and it's funny how it compliments and fitted together. Isn't God amazing?

2018 Highlights

Happy New Year dear readers! Thank you for being part of my 2018 and hopefully in the years to come!

As what my custom for the past two years, I'm listing down my 2018 highlights. Before I wrote this,  I backread my previous years' highlights and it just blesses me to see different milestones of our family for the past years. It brought memories of the past that is dear to me. This is a good way to be reminded of these things since these only displays God's faithfulness in our family.