Our Breastfeeding Journey

I have once read that breastfeeding can be a springboard to good mothering. I never doubted my capacity to fully breastfeed. I have always looked forward to that day that I will nurse my own baby. When I was pregnant I have attended breastfeeding classes and my husband bought me a book, "The Art of Breastfeeding". Being a nurse, I thought I knew enough. I thought I have prepared enough. I thought I am confident enough. When I gave birth, my baby has to remain in the hospital for 10 days for treatment. This means I have to go back everyday to the hospital to breastfeed and express milk at night. That daily routine was not easy after all. Some would say I should be staying at home and rest instead so I will have strength when he comes home. Not only that, because I have flat nipples the nurse had to assist me by dropping milk on my breast so he would latch. I have my own struggles in drawing the nipple out. 

As days go by I have witnessed how my little one find comfort in my breast. Not only because he is being fed, but because he finds security in my arms. I have my fair share of sore nipples, plugged ducts and discomforts, but the rewarding times always outweigh the difficult times. 

My enthusiasm to breastfeed is backed up by facts that my very own produced milk is the ultimate source of nutrients for my baby. The favorable response of my family and spouse is a big factor for me to keep going. A big shout out to my mother for baking lactation cookies. 

It's also good to have a community of breastfeeding mothers in our city.  I have joined thrice already for the yearly gathering. I am also grateful that we have a lactation consultant in our city. Ma'am Adhara Sebuado is my go to person when I need support.

When our second baby came, I am more confident that I can make it through with breastfeeding since I was able to breastfeed my first born until he was three years old. 

Cyan was 9 months when the photo above was taken by hubby. :)

Being a Mom

I always look up to all mothers. To me, they're superheroes and the most selfless human beings on the planet. There is so much meticulous work that only moms can do. Indeed there's none like mom.

I've watched a working mom waking up early to do some chores before leaving for work. I've watched a working mom in a 9-5 shift rushing home after work to cook meals and attend to their children's needs. I've watched a working mom in the middle of a meeting, but her mind is preoccupied with how the children are doing. I've watched a stay-at-home mom with loads of laundry while looking after the children at the same time. I've watched a stay-at-home mom cooking meals and cleaning up all the clutter and mess around the house. It's never easy for both moms. One has to juggle a full-time job and family life. While the other takes full responsibility for being at home.

I've considered myself a career-oriented woman. I grew up competitive. I always make sure that I excel in all the things I do. But at some point in my life, I also asked, do I still want to pursue the career I've always dreamed of or focus on the ultimate calling of motherhood? How can a woman be a full-time homemaker while also working for a living? And a lot more questions keep my mind active even at night.

Then freelancing came into the picture. Though it's a full 360 degrees turnaround from my career path, I believe it will give me opportunities to earn while just staying at home. Was it an easy transition? Definitely, no. Some friends would question my decision because I gave my best in a degree that I cannot take advantage of. I even ask my own choice. Will it be sustainable? What if it won't work for me? Everything is new, and I have no experience at all. I'm glad I gave it a try. I learned and mastered marketable skills in the online space. I have been working as a freelancer before the babies came. My world revolved around graphics, podcast production, social media management, content creation, etc. I love it in the long run because there's more to learn, and opportunities are endless.

But everything shifted when children started coming. I thought I already mastered time management. I thought it's just easy peasy because I'm at home all the time. I thought I knew it all. Nobody warned me that it's hard. They say being a working mom is challenging. But being a stay-at-home working mom is beyond challenging. It's beautiful chaos, though. It's becoming common that my son is present while I'm having client meetings. My client is amused, so it's a significant relief for me that he's just goofing around. Sometimes the mom's guilt creeps in when my son wants to play, but I have some urgent tasks to attend to. I multi-task in ways I never thought were possible. There are days when I'm overwhelmed because stress levels are higher than I've imagined. Days are longer, and burnout is real. Reality bites that these days two heads earning can better secure financial means for the future. Sometimes I wish that I'll be a stage mom and won't be dealing with client work at all.

Here I am now, still freelancing in between mom roles. But I also became wiser as I focused on things that mattered most. I'm struggling but always trying to be present as a mom. While all tasks are important, I took the urgent ones off my plate, and my workflow runs smoothly. After all, the main reason why I chose to freelance is for me to have time freedom. I still manage to rest well despite the chaos in the house. Self-care is on my list. I am not deprived of sleep.

Being a mom is a gift. Though it's challenging to rear children in our time, It's the best role I have ever embarked on. It's sleepless nights when you have a newborn. It's being available for children and witness every milestone. It's telling the same stories over and over again. It's an endless mess during playtime. It's being full of love while being mean at some point. It's being terrified when your child is not feeling well. It's dealing with tantrums for reasons you can't understand. It's waking up each day with cuddles from the growing not-so-little ones. It's being strong even if you want to break down and cry. It's drowning with a never-ending to-do list. It's beaming with happiness with random "I love you." It's the extreme excitement when you're expecting another baby. It's the love that never runs out.

This is who I am. This is what I do. I'm a mom.

Our Money Story

All of us aim to have a bright future. However, along the way, there are some uncertainties beyond our control. It could be health issues, job loss, economic crisis, or any major setback that can be a threat to our finances. That’s why preparation is vital. Our financial reserve goal as a family started early in our marriage almost seven years ago. It was already a habit of saving up and tracking our expenses when my husband and I are still single, which has helped us be consistent on this matter up to this day.

It was never easy for us. It takes discipline to spend within our means. There are unexpected things that happened as we transitioned into our work from home jobs. There were unforeseen challenges that we had to pull out from the money that we saved. Nevertheless, it even moved us to be wiser on our financial approach. We develop skills that help us to be more productive in our jobs. Because we become sufficient in the things we need, we have spare to spend on the things we want to reward ourselves.

Because we have established our emergency funds, we feel safe amidst the pandemic. We were able to secure our basic needs, especially food that could sustain us every day. We have the assurance that we can survive even if we have to stay at home. We were also able to offer help to extended families.

The fundamental lesson we learn as we do this is that the goal or purpose of money is not only to buy things. But it serves as a tool to help us feel safe and secure. Marvin J. Ashton said: “Peace, contentment, and security in the home are not possible when financial anxieties prevail.”

We serve and love the youth of the Church. Being motivated to have a financial reserve can also be a great lesson to those around you, especially the rising generation. How can we teach them prosperity if we are living in poverty? Our good examples as adults are more powerful than any other personal finance curriculum or books.

We wish others to know that our attitude towards money is essential. When it comes to spending habits, we have to prioritize what we need. The Lord wants us to progress financially not only for ourselves but also for better instruments in building his kingdom. He wants us to have an abundant life. Invest in yourselves by developing marketable skills that will enable you to increase your earning capacity. Once you are already earning good enough, always live within or even below your means to be free from debt. Make it a habit to save each month and make wise investments. Take advantage of the self-reliance program of the Church, especially the lessons on personal finances. As we strive to follow the counsels of our leaders and obey the commandments, heavenly help will be made available to us.

In times of need, you will thank yourself if you have prepared long beforehand. The process is not for the faint of heart, as it takes a lot of faith and hard work. Mortality has a lot of challenges ahead. The Lord, through his leaders, always reminds us to be prepared for every needful thing.

The Source of my Strength

While waiting for our meal to be cooked, I would browse my feeds on Pinterest. I love Pinterest! I bumped with this quote below and so I pinned it my board "Gems for Thought"

I am not sure where I am now without the power of prayer. Days would run smoothly despite being busy with chores and work. Things become more bearable.

This is a good reminder to anyone of us to always look to our ultimate source of strength. 

Money Matters in Marriage

One of the blessings of being married in my 20's is having developed the skills to see the "beauty" of money in a mature way. I know others have their own way of managing their money. So far this is how we do it.

1. Pay an Honest Tithe
Marvin Ashton said, "successful financial management in every LDS home begins with the payment of an honest tithe." It is our goal to be honest with our tithes. We've been doing this before we got married so it never became a problem at all.  We just pay out tithes online. Thanks to BPI for making it possible with ease. :D


2. Use a Budget
Even before I got married, I already keep track of my expenses. It requires diligence to really take note of daily expenses to the very cent. It takes 100% discipline to stay on your budget.

Money management when mastered is an accomplishment. Spending patterns is way different when you are single compared to when you you are married. But because I was able to see things in a wider perspective, seriously I was able to save more when I got married.

I usually get hold of the money so I also create a budget plan for certain categories like food, home investment, retirement fund, savings, transportation and  apartment rent. The secret is really to just stick to your budget no matter how enticing advertisements are. It could have been easier to just swipe our credit card but I have never used it even once.


3. Invest Wisely
The best time to prepare for the future is when you are still able to do so. If you are married, you have someone to talk to about financial goals and you will realize that indeed  this is something not to be neglected. Inflation is getting higher so the money we save today will no longer have the same value 10 years from now. Sounds alarming!

We have already started investing for our retirement. And we already planned to add an investment for our future home. Marvin J. Aston said "Work toward home ownership. Home ownership qualifies as an investment, not a consumption. But the type of home your income will support." Homes need not be that expensive. The important thing is you can have something you can call your own. We've been renting and it's simply money out. So we decided to invest in a home we can afford.


4. Keep Emergency Funds
This is so crucial. Tomorrow can be full of uncertainties so better be prepared before it's too late. Emergency funds is emergency funds. It is not a fund to buy shoes or clothes. It's something you need to spare for "emergency".  We just let it sit there but hopefully no emergencies will take place. Hehe.

5. Keep a 72 hour Kit
We should be prepared to have basic needs on hand if calamities happen especially food, clothes, medicines.

6. Save While You Still Can
Are you a saver or a spender? Butch and I are just blessed since we have the right attitude when it comes to finances. I really see to it that we have savings. Remember, savings is savings. Don't move an inch closer to use it to buy stuffs.

6. Reward Yourself Too!
Of course we are working hard so we also reward ourselves. But reward with some limits even if you can afford to buy. Sometimes if I see something in the mall that really attracts me I ask myself if I can afford it. Though the answer most of the time is a yes, a follow up question comes next -- Do I need it? So If the second question is a no, I don't buy it. Though I really love shoes and books I still think twice before buying :D

7. Stay Away from Debt
When Butch and I got married we immediately moved into our apartment by ourselves. Life can just be so simple yet you can feel that extreme joy. As long as we have a lot of food and books we are good. Haha! We don't really have a problem with debt. BPI granted us with a credit card probably because they want us to have a little debt somehow. lol. Sorry BPI we are smarter than you are and thank you for the good credit limit! When we needed a new laptop for work we were contemplating to just charge it to the card and pay the monthly dues. In the end we still ignored that idea and pay the laptop with our own money.

8. Pursue New Skills/Further Education
 I recently enrolled in a cooking and dressmaking class. Our teacher in both classes asked us why did we  enroll in that class. I have  graduated in my 4 year course but there are still other skills I want to improve on especially the homemaking ones. Seriously, I enrolled in cooking class because I want to learn new skills in cooking considering that I prepare our meals three times a day. I also enrolled in dressmaking because clothes for children are more expensive than the ones for adults so I'll just sew clothes for our children. haha! Additional savings! :P Education is an investment though we can't deny the fact that we have to allot money for it. Like in my dressmaking class, I really bought my stuffs.


Everything actually boils down to this : Take control of your money, not the other way around.

Commit To be Self Reliant Early

Just want to share my talk during last Stake Con's Youth and Single Adults Devotional

If you were to pause and think seriously about things you do on a regular basis that would make a positive influence in your life to be more self reliant what would they be?

Two weeks ago we had an orientation to My Path to Self Reliance which really empowered us to evaluate our goals and see what steps we need to do to be more self reliant. Those who have chosen to improve further on their education will be using the new Education for Better Work workbook. Remember that this is not only for those who want to apply for a PEF loan. Even if your family can support your education or even if you think you are already doing well in school, this 6-week workshops can help you to further become an effective student.

President Monson said “I urge you to pursue your education and learn marketable skills so that, should such a situation arise, you are prepared to provide. Your talents will expand as you study and learn. You will be able to better assist your children in their learning, and you will have peace of mind in knowing that you have prepared yourself.”

We are so blessed with the many resources the church has offered through the Self Reliance Services. We must grab the opportunities so we can be more prepared to be self reliant.

Education is a key to opportunities. The world needs men and women of who have the ability, skills and training. Do not short-circuit your education. How far are you doing so far in school?

I want to share with some of the effective ways I have done when I was your age that really helped me to excel in school.


1. Establish good study habits

Set a time each day to study and be sure to follow what you have planned. Don't just study if you have exams the next day. It's always good to be prepared because there might be some projects or school work that you also need to do.

If we study on a regular basis we can also keep the Sabbath day. The tendency if you cram, you may be tempted to do school stuffs on Sundays. I have graduated in college with honors without studying on Sundays. I have also passed the board exams without reviewing on Sundays. The Lord helps those who help themselves and obey his will.


2.  Capture and remember what you learn

Make it a habit to take down notes and review them when you get home while the lessons are still fresh in your memory. I love taking down notes and I still have my high school notes until now. And it can benefit my sister since I have kept the simple formulas in solving trigonometry and algebra problems.

I’ve noticed that majority of our youth today come to classes, activities, devotionals, workshops and even right now without a pen or notebooks. I believe your parents and leaders would want you to look always like a learner not just spectators.

They say the pen is mightier than the the sharpest minds. Human as we are, we sometimes forget but notes can help us recall important principles we learned.


3.  Use Time Wisely

To avoid cramming we should be wise in spending our time and make sure we have completed our assignments.

There will sometimes be immediate, fleeting pleasures that will eat up your time like spending much time on Facebook and other social media platforms. Lost time is lost forever so be productive in any way


4.  Make Seminary/Institute a priority

Seminary and Institute are not just options if we have time. We have to commit to make time for it. Lessons learned in the seminary and institute will prepare us to become better students.

Elder Dallin H Oaks said “Cherish and nourish your spiritual life. Seek spiritual growth at the same time that you are seeking to enlarge your learning in other areas. Nourish your spirit just as regularly as you nourish your body or mind. Don’t neglect study of the gospel and activity in the Church during the period of your schooling. It is needed then as much as or more than at any time during your life”

For those SAs who have finished schooling and are already working, continue to love learning. Those that I have shared are still applicable to you as you work out for further learning opportunities to improve yourselves.

May I add just a few tips on how single adults who are already working can be more self reliant .


5. Learn the art of Money Management

Your future self will thank you if you have the right attitude towards money. We can't deny the fact that money really matters. Elder Dallin H. Oaks mentioned in the Philippine area Special broadcast last week that we can find ways to earn even if we are still in school.

Be a saver because in due time you will get married. Butch and I got married without asking financial assistance from our parents because we have saved enough to get married.

Be a saver rather than a spender. If you are saving at least 50 percent of your income you are way close to establish your emergency funds in time.


6. Be Proactive at Work

Don't just wait for you to be instructed. Being proactive means thinking and acting ahead of anticipated events. You create a plan and see which tasks are priorities


7. Learn New Skills

Do not limit yourselves to just the things you know. Continue to seek new learnings that can help you and your family to be more self reliant.

I know that it is important to start being self reliant during the early stages of your life.

Education is one of the greatest investments that we will have. Though the experience will be challenging most of the time especially if you are already in college, everything will pay off. Our success really depends on our attitude. If we see things in an eternal perspective we will be more motivated to be more diligent.

The Story of My Life

I was born on the 12th day of April.


I studied in Assumption Iloilo from kindergarten to 6th grade, finished high school at Central Philippine University and graduated with a degree in Nursing at West Visayas State University.

I was assigned in Philippines Quezon City Mission as a full time missionary for 18 months.

I got married with my lalabs Butch on the 28th of  June  2013 at Cebu Philippines Temple.