If you are looking for a parenting resource book, Intentional Parenting Autopilot Is for Planes is a good read. The book is written by Sissy Goff, David Thomas, and Melissa Trevathan. It is published by Thomas Nelson. Based from the authors experiences in Daystar Counseling Ministries, they put together 12 chapters answering the most common problems that parents encounter. Parents need to undertstand that intentional parenting does not happen automatically. It requires understanding, courage and action from the parents to make it work.

The book focused on the 12 types of parents we all want to be. Each type of parenting was discussed at length. The different type of parents are:

- intentional parent

- patient parent

- grown-up parent

- balanced parent

- consistent parent

- playful parent

- connected parent

- encouraging parent

- spiritual parent

- merciful parent

- hopeful parent

- free parent

I personally would like to become more intentional as a parent. I believe that God will bring  opportunities for me and I wouldn’t want to waste these moments not knowing how to respond to them. The book gave out hands-on approaches on what to do in certain situations. I really liked the following advices: Set a vision for your family, linger as a family and create memories, take a break and replace a family vacation with a trip of a different kind.

Intentional parenting is not easy, but it is definitely worth it. It shapes who we are while we shape who our children can become.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255  : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

This is me exactly 10 years ago when I first got pregnant. I can still remember the symptoms that I experienced then and also during my second pregnancy, 2 years later.

The symptoms I experieced included delayed menstruation. I always had my menstruation on regular intervals so I when I was one week delayed already, I bought a pregnancy kit from the drug store to find out if I was indeed pregnant.

Another symptomwas being easily fatigued. I was a very active young adult then but when I was a few weeks pregnant, I remember wanting to rest and lie down all day. Gone were the days when I wanted to watch the latest movie or eat out or stay up late at night.

One of the toughest pregnancy symptoms that I had to go through was being nauseous or having “morning sickness”. A week after I found out that I was pregnant, I began to have “all day sickness”. I couldn’t keep anything I eat or I drink down. I became dehydrated and was later confined for 3 days in a hospital. The doctor diagnosed that I had hyperemesis. I needed to ensure that I was taking enough liquids so I won’t dehydrate myself and the baby. It was a very rough first 3 months for me all through out. I lost so much weight too.

I also didn’t like anything that smelled. Whether it was perfume, laundry detergent, fabric fresheners or the smell of food. It made me dizzy and I just couldn’t tolerate it.

Frequent urination and constipation were the other symptoms that I experienced as well.

Pregnancy symptoms weren’t easy for me. More than anything, I was afraid for my baby’s well being. I wanted to be healthy for both of us and experiencing all these symptoms made me feel like I was sick. Thankfully, my OB-GYNE reassured me and taught me how to stay healthy during the entire pregnancy.

> Eat balanced meals. I needed to ensure that I was eating a balanced diet. More fiber were needed so that I wouldn’t be constipated too.

> Drink pre-natal vitamins and Anmum milk. It helped me to stay healthy as I was facing my “all day sickness” symptoms.

> Get enough rest. I must remember that I was carrying another life inside me so I was to get more rest and not be too stressed.

> Visit the OB-GYNE monthly. My OB-GYNE was a blessing to me as she helped me from pregnancy to the safe delivery of my baby. She knew how my body reacted to the pregnancy and I was confident that she will take care of me and the baby during the delivery.

> Prepare for pregancy, delivery and motherhood. I attended different classes where available, sought help from experts, read different blogs and books to help prepare myself for the new stages of life.

The pregnancy journey is supposed to be an enjoyable and memorable one. With the help of your loved ones and choosing to stay healthy, you can have a pleasant journey.

If you have questions on pregnancy symptoms, visit www.anmum.com.ph and follow Anmum Mommy Circle in Facebook facebook.com/AnmumMommyCircle and Twitter (Anmum MommyCircle PH) to get the support and information you need on your own  motherhood journey!

True enough, the past years have shown us that there are several advantages of not having a household helper at home:

- It made everyone in the house more responsible. Every one in the house has their own household chores that they need to do. Dad does the cooking when he is home, daughter washes the dishes and gets the clothes from the wash area, son sets the table and helps in the yard work. When cleaning day comes, everyone helps in their own capacity. Oriental rug cleaning and other specialized cleaning tasks warrants that we hire additional services.

- It helps the kids realize that living requires hard work. They don’t grow up with a sense of entitlement to the pleasures of life. They learn life skills early on.

- It gave the family a sense of teamwork and goal-orientedness. Every one needs to cooperate if we want our house to look tidy and neat. If we want to make the living area more spacious, everyone needs to consider one another’s needs and compromise to achieve our goal.

- It gave us a spare rooom which we converted to our study room. It was God’s perfect timing when our helper left, we have also decided to homeschool our daughter. We eventually coverted the helper’s room to a mini library area and study room.

I definitely like it that I don’t have to worry about an additional person in the house. Moreso, I like it that the family has many bonding memories inside the house. It provides many opportunities to come to know each other and enjoy the atmosphere of our home together.

One of the ways that God continues to speak to me is through other homeschool moms blogs. When I feel lost, and unsure what to do, I often come across their blogs and find inspiration.

Here are the Filipino homeschool mom blogs that I read often and have been a source of encouragement to me, maybe they will be useful to you as well.

Winnie of Living and Learning

Racquel of  Beyond Books and Walls

Joy of  Teach with Joy

Mariel of The Learning Basket

Connecting with other homeschool moms is important in one’s homeschooling journey. It is here where you can find support and encouragement.

If you ask me to enumerate what are the joyful moments of motherhood, I won’t be able to chose! From the first time I laid my eyes on my babies or our late night breastfeeding sessions or hearing them talk for the first time or seeing how much my kids love each other, there are just too many wonderful moments that motherhood has brought to me.

If you ask me to enumerate what are the unforgettable moments, I would say that it was when my son cried as I was explaining to him why he needs to be disciplined or when my daughter needs to do something that she doesn’t like to do. These are the moments when I see my kids grow and mature. Stretching out from their comfort zones, learning from their mistakes and trying something new.

One day, all of these will be nothing but memories. I am  overwhelmed with gratefulness to the Lord for every moment that I get to spend with my kids. As we spend each day together, I have come to know them and truly see their heart. I myself have changed and grown in ways I never could have if I didn’t become a mom.

Thank you God for giving me the gift of motherhood. 

We are still paying the huge credit card debt we have incured over the years. I am sure that many of you are also undergoing the same problems. I’d like to share with you what we do.

We check on the low interest rates promo of the credit cards to be able to pay off our bills. Best credit repair websites give us some ideas what we can do to further find solution to our credit card debts.

Make sure we pay the minimum amount on time to avoid further charges from the credit company.

If we have some savings, we invest in high yielding interest investments like stocks, time deposit and treasury bonds.

Study your family’s lifestyle and adjust when needed to make sure that you don’t use the credit card unless on emergency situations.

Save whenever possible. Even a single peso can make a difference at the end of the month.

If you have any credit card tips, do share it with me on the comments section too. I’d like to hear what you do to resolve credit card debt.

The hassle of lugging hefty suitcases through airports can be a real drag, especially so when you have kids hanging off each leg and one in your arms. Keeping your luggage to a minimum will ensure that you won’t have as much to carry, as well as potentially saving several pounds if you go over your baggage allowance.

Whether you’re travelling for a couple of days or a week or more, it’s surprising how much you don’t really need. Pack the essentials for you and your family and keep the unnecessary bits at home – you’ll be surprised at how much you can shed.

Shoes

While many people would love to be able to take different shoes for various activities and occasions, in reality they take up room and weight and aren’t really required. Girls and boys shoes don’t need to extend past a pair of comfortable sandals, while guys can get away with a pair of cool loafers or some cushioned trainers. Ladies may love their heels but wouldn’t look out of place in a pair of sandals that can be dressed up or down. If you’re planning on walking a fair deal, pack some canvas pumps too. You can pick up a pair of shoes cheaply from supermarket retailers. Make sure to look at ASDA George girls and Boys shoe range.

Swimwear

Let’s face it, if you’re travelling with the children, they’ll far more likely prefer to hang out around the pool all day or play in the sand at the beach than explore further afield, and for this, you’ll need some swimwear. Swimming trunks or shorts for the lads and a cozzie or bikini for the girls will suffice, with a wraparound sarong as a cover up. Pack a UV swimsuit for any little ones to protect their delicate skin.

Casuals

During the days, when you’re not in the pool or basking on the loungers, you’ll need some casual apparel. It’s particularly important to cover up if you’re exploring places that expect you to be clothed in order to be respectful.

Choose lights or brights to stay cool. White maxi dresses or t shirts will help to reflect the sun, while pinks and azures will help you stand out. For the boys, funky graphic T’s teamed with a pair of cotton chinos will be perfect.

Smarts

If you decide to dress up in the evening, you don’t need to be too OTT in most places. A simple maxi or summer dress for the girls and some cool chinos and a nice T or short-sleeve shirt for the boys will be fine unless you’re planning on fine dining at any point.

Accessories

Luckily, accessories don’t take up much space and can help to make a casual outfit look smart. Pack some jewellery to add a little glitz and a pashmina to help keep the evening chill at bay. A cardigan or light sweater will be ideal for the children. Don’t forget your sunnies either!

Travel light and pack the essentials for your upcoming summer holiday. Shop for summer for less at ASDA and you can fill your suitcase with all the latest trends affordably.

Mommy Talks is a weekly feature of different moms. I have been featuring work at home moms for the past months. This will be our second to the last feature on work at home moms. For today’s feature, please welcome Ms. Patricia Cuyugan. I’ve met her through some mommy bloggers event.

Hi Patty!  So happy that you agreed to be featured today. Please tell us more about yourself. 

My name is Patricia Cuyugan, and I’m a young mom and wife, a freelance writer and mom blogger, an event planner on occasion, and a self-confessed crochet addict. I’ve been married for a year and a half to my high school sweetheart (yes, we’ve been together for 13 years!) and we have a 7-year old boy, who just happens to be his daddy’s mini me.

I enjoy cooking, and eating as well. I enjoy reading, and my Kindle is filled with an eclectic mix of novels, from The Notebook to Game of Thrones. I love to travel, and I’ve been to many places within the Philippines. I’ve only been out of the country once though, on a Hong Kong trip with family back when I was 9 years old. My boys like travelling too, and we hope to visit Disneyland or Lego Land soon. The three of us spend a lot of time together in the single bedroom we currently call home, playing board games and video games, reading, and basically making a big mess. We hope to move in to our own house this year, which is definitely an exciting thing to look forward to for our family.

I have quite the colourful work background, beginning with my first job ever as an administrative assistant for an events company that organized rock concerts and music contests. After that, I had a very regrettable, and thankfully brief, stint as a foreign exchange trader. I then moved on to life in the corporate jungle as a marketing events officer in a big telecommunications company. I stayed there for four years, the longest stay among all of my jobs. I spent a year working as a mall marketing officer after that, and at the same time writing freelance on the side. Eventually I let go of my day job and switched to full-on WAHM mode after a year in the mall.

Can you tell us about your journey to WAHM-hood?

On my son’s last year at pre-school, my husband and I decided that it would be best if one of us became really hands-on with homework and reviewing once he moved to big school. While that’s initially what drove me to explore the possibility of working from home, I also eventually got tired of the daily grind. I started working while I was in college, and I was really looking for a change of pace.

Of course, more than anything, I wanted to spend time with my kid. I realized that he was growing up so quickly and that I had already missed out on so much, and that realization made me quite sad.

I tried to remedy the situation by moving to a job closer to home, which was my job at a mall, but there I had long hours and a 6-day work week, so it wasn’t much better than when I was commuting to and from Makati every day. Plus, I took on freelance writing work during that time, which was a realization of a lifelong dream, more than anything else. So I was also spending my time at home doing work.

Eventually, my husband pointed out that I was earning more from my writing side line than I was from my day job, and he encouraged me to freelance full time. Naturally, I was afraid that I wouldn’t make it, that I wouldn’t be able to find work, or that I wouldn’t be good enough to sustain a job as a writer. But he encouraged me to give it a shot and said that I can always go back to a regular job if I find that the work from home scene wasn’t working out for me. He promised to support our family while I was just starting out. So I did it, I made the jump, and by the end of May, I will celebrate my first anniversary as a WAHM.

I now happily work from home as a freelance writer, and I specialize in scriptwriting for events and AVPs. I also do article writing, web content and blog writing.

What steps did you take to become a work at home mom?

I tested the waters first, making sure that there was something I could do on my own. I didn’t want to give up my job without knowing that there was freelance work waiting for me, so I lined up a few projects for the months after my resignation. Most importantly, I enlisted the support of my friends and family. The encouragement that I get from them really helps get me through the tough times up until now.

Looking back though, one thing I should have made sure of was that we had savings to carry us through at least 6-8 months without income. At the time of my resignation, we were set for about 3-4 months. I realize now that I should have built a bigger safety net before making that big a change. But we got by, nevertheless, with faith and a lot of hard work.

What are the struggles you face being a work at home mom? How do you overcome them?

The biggest challenge for me is actually sitting down and getting to work, and not spending my day playing or watching TV with my son. I was never really good with schedules too, so it takes a lot of effort for me to plan my day well and to make sure I fight the temptation to procrastinate. A lot of it involves being disciplined and making sure that you get the important things done first, whether that’s errands or work or grocery shopping. I try to prioritize the really urgent stuff on my to-do list for the day.

Waking up early is always a good way to get a head start. I also give myself a computer curfew, meaning all work and social media activities should be done by a certain time, and I turn my laptop off and start winding down. This is a really useful trick for me otherwise I end up sleeping really late, and in effect, I wake up late the next day.

Not every day is busy actually, and I find myself sometimes in between projects with nothing to do. During times like those I worry about lost income, like I’m sure most freelancers do, but at the same time, I try to relish the fact that I don’t have deadlines to meet, and use those as mini-vacations. I spend time with my husband and son, we go see a movie, I prepare something special for lunch or dinner, stuff like that to also help me de-stress.

Were your expectations met? Why?

My expectations were met, yes, in the sense that I really got the time that I wanted to spend caring for my family. At the same time, the stress level of working from home is much lower than what I had to go through as an employee. This was something I was hoping for, and I’m happy that it generally is the case, for me at least.

On the other hand, while I am less stressed, I am more tired, both physically and mentally. I do more things and am on my feet more now than when I was in an office. At the same time, I need to think about work while thinking about what meals to prepare, what activities my son can do while I work, errands and other responsibilities, and the list goes on. My mind is constantly working now. But it’s a rewarding sort of tired, so I really don’t mind.

What advice can you give to those who want to take this journey?

Making the switch to a work-at-home setup really is a journey, a big one that you should make sure you are prepared for. First of all, make sure you know what kind of work you want to do or what you are capable of doing. If you can, try doing it as a side line first before you actually go and make the switch, just so you are sure that you can do it, you can earn from it, and you can sustain it. Choose something that you will love.

Second, be strong. A lot of changes are coming your way, and you need to be firm about your decisions and strong willed on your actions so that you can move forward. Third, enlist support. No matter how strong you are, you will need someone to encourage you and help you get settled. Remember that not everyone will understand your choice, and sadly some people still think that people who are working from home just lie in bed all day browsing the internet aimlessly. It is best if you have someone to talk to who knows what you are doing and who understands what you are going through.

And finally, no matter how busy things get for you as a WAHM, remember the reason why you chose to leave your job in the first place. Family comes first, and you have to remember to fulfil your responsibilities as a mom and a wife above all. You will definitely feel happier and more fulfilled if you do.

You can find Patricia online at mrspcuyugan.com. Here, she shares about her daily adventures as a wife and mom who is still learning the ropes of making a home, while working from home at the same time. To learn more about her as a freelance writer, check out her portfolio at patriciacuyugan.wordpress.com.

Thanks Patty for sharing your story! Hopefully, other moms out there will find inspiration and courage to take that WAHM leap, just like you did!

Eventually, I understood that I don’t want just to visit another country but I want to immerse myself into their culture and life. I see meeting people from other places and areas as a way of growing and enlarging my own perception of life and how great our God is. I know that I can learn so much from others and hopefully, I will also be able to impart the love of Christ to them.

But since I had my children, I embraced my role as a mother and didn’t pursue that dream. Instead, I took on the role of motherhood knowing that God has called me to nurture and to train my children in the way He has instructed me. I have been homeschooling the kids for the past 3 years now. This has allowed us to study about the world geography and world cultures more.

We play pretend that we are in another country and discuss the coutry’s culture, dress, money, population, government and other details.  Then we research around the web, just like the london heathrow car hire – Easirent.com and pretend we are renting a car for hire and visiting the famous landmarks of the country. We try to listen to the different languages and speak it too. If possible, we try to eat the different cuisine too.

I am grateful to God that He has turned my passion so I can teach my kids about world geographyand the different people of the world.  Who knows? Maybe someday, my kids will be the ones who can travel around the world and share God’s love with them.

Truly, by the grace of God, my son has passed his final assessment and is now eligible for first grade in the coming school year. He particiapted in the graduation ceremonies of The Master’s Academy last April.

The preschool years passed by so fast but I have no regrets as I look back with so many treasured memories togeter. I am so glad to have seen his progress through the years and how he is growing up, loving God and his family. I am tryly grateful that God has given our family this opportunity to grow together, serving Him and living our lives for His glory!