Holiday Travel: We Survived!

Today, as I sat here, I'm finally feeling the exhaustion from our holiday travel. Feels like I'm going to have a fever. But anyway, at least I get to finally blog about how we (I) survived our Holiday travel.

Every year, since I got married, we spend our holidays at my in-laws' hometown in Bataan - New Year to be specific. It was easy before when we were still living in the Metro because Bataan is just a BUS away from our home.
However, now that we're here in Bohol, this was the 1st Holiday travel we did, and we literally crossed the waters to get there. And since it was the Holidays, would you imagine the volume of passengers traveling - by land, air, and water?
Bohol - Cebu - Manila - Bataan - Manila - Cebu - Bohol
That was our itinerary. We spent our Christmas in Cebu, at hubby's place, because he works there. Then went to Manila for our Bataan travel and spent our New Year there.
It was the most tiring travel ever! 2-day rest is not enough to get all the energy back! Plus, the most dreadful post-travel part are the countless laundry waiting, the cleaning, and the organizing. I love packing things better than this! Argh!
But of course, everything is worth it. We get to spend the Holidays with our loved ones, my daughter enjoyed playing with her cousins, and she definitely enjoyed riding the airplane! That, alone, is enough to compensate all the stress and restless nights - and the gastos too! Lol!
And for all you travelers out there, here's a little tip from me which really worked and lessen the "baggage" - given that your destination is somewhere you are already familiar with or staying with a friend or a relative.
Tip #1 - Bring sachets of shampoo and conditioner instead of bottles. If there's a store near the house you're staying with, you can buy there instead. If you have small containers designed for travelers, use it. It saves space and weight of your baggage. Forget bringing big bottles of perfumes or colognes, if you have a smaller atomizer, then much better. Don't bring too much makeup, bring only those you constantly use.
Tip #2 - If possible, bring 1 pair of shoes or sandals that match your planned wardrobe (see tip#5), and of course don't forget to bring your slippers. Don't bring too many accessories as well, they may end up being lost or left behind.
Tip #3 - Don't bring too much gadget! You're there to spend time with your family, to catch up and to bond with them. But please, don't forget to bring your trusty digicam! You don't want to miss to capture those moments! *wink*
Tip #4 - Ask your host if they have spare towels for you, or if you've been going home yearly or twice a year, you can just leave your towel (and extra clothes) behind so you can use it for your next visit. But if you are an OCD, better bring your own towel but not the thick ones - your goal here is to save space on your luggage. For us, since we stayed at my in-laws, me and hubby didn't bring our towels, instead, we used the extra towels there. He brought lesser shirts too and just borrowed from his father. The only towel we bring every time we go home is my daughter's.
Tip #5 - Plan out your wardrobe for your entire trip or travel, including your sleeping wear. Pair it up, or mix and match. This is the first time I did this, which really was of big help because I only brought clothes we could use. On our 7-day stay in Bataan, I paired up 3 pambahays, 1 pantulog, 3 pang alis, 3 extra blouses, undergarments of course and the one we used for New Year's eve. My daughter had a few extra pairs, though, but still, I didn't end up bringing tons of clothes that ends up unused, which always happens to me before. Ever heard of "Dala mo na ata isang kabinet mo eh!" - yeah, that kind of thing. So this one's a success. The key is MAGLABA - wash them!
Tip #6 - ROLL UP YOUR CLOTHES! I know there's a science behind rolling clothes when you put them inside the bag, and it is effective! My daughter's clothes were rolled up and stored in a zip lock bag, then me and hubby's were used to fill all the spaces in the bag.

In the end, the 3 of us traveled with only one bag + my own shoulder bag of course! :)

Sorry for my little grumpy girl, we've been waiting for our flight in the wee hours - without sleep!

I hope, these would work for you. And I hope, next year, we could invest in one luggage bag - they're a bit pricey, though. Luckily, hubby is strong enough to carry our bag around. Lol!
And if you have any tips to add on, please please let me know. I want to learn how you travel light too. ^_^
Happy 2016 everyone!!!  PS If traveling with a child, don't get midnight flights. Puyat, pagod at nakakaawa yung bata! Plus, we've been kicked out from our original ETD twice! Maybe because of lesser passengers on that hour, so they need to transfer from one flight to another just to fill all the seats? I don't know. I'm just glad it's an hour difference only from our booked time. 
PPS Purchase tickets ahead - meaning months ahead! Be always on the look out of promo fares, and take advantage of it! What happened to us was, I was left with no choice but to book a 12:40am flight because that was the cheapest left. We were able to save a huge amount, yes. But I'd prefer morning flights instead. Lesson learned here!

No Letting Go

I just love seeing them together, walking side by side and holding each other's hands. It's a symbol of a father's guidance and assurance, and a daughter's trust to someone she looks up to. And to you, both, may you have the most wonderful father and daughter relationship ever. ♥

Planner Perfect with Pretty Paper Clips

Last year, I joined a wonderful community about planners. Even though I'm a planner user for decades, never in my mind had it crossed that you can prettify it with cute stickers, dashboards, washi tapes, and PAPER CLIPS.

And if you're really into pretty cute girly stuff, you would really gush over at beautiful planners now.

So here, knowing that I have another use of my small fabric flowers and bows, I tried creating a set of paper clips that I could use for my own planner.

I used ruffled fabric flower, a polka dot fabric, and some velvet ribbon for the first set I've made. It's sort of trial and error for me - how to stick it properly so it won't fall off, things like that.

Anyway, since the first set was a success, I decided to add a new creation for Nia&Bella. Thus, the born of Nia&Bella Paper Clips.

Check them out!

Each pack consists of fabric flower, bow, and fabric page flag paper clip. What I did was, I grouped them according to their combination of colors.

Paper Clip Set {PurpleLove}

Paper Clip Set {BlueParadise}

Paper Clip Set {Confetti}

Paper Clip Set {SugarCrush}

Paper Clip Set {Pumpkin}

Paper Clip Set {Pink&Dots}

Paper Clip Set {CoffeeShop}

All Paper Clips are available at my online shop. If you're interested in getting one for you or your friend, head over to Nia&Bella. 

A Glimpse of My 2015 - Happy New Year!!!

2015 was a very chaotic and crazy, yet FUN year for me. Here's how my year went through.. ^_^ 

Me, hubby, and my daughter relocated from the urban to my mother's hometown. 

The hardest adjustment ever with our current setup - hubby comes home every rest days. 

I have a preschooler now, which is fun by the way. She learns from school and I learn from her too - patience in teaching, reviewing, and helping her out with her assignments AND writing.. ^_^ 

Contemplating on how to sell my crafts considering the expensive fees of couriers here. 

Stopped joining giveaways for months, means lesser prizes won. But I'm joining again now! Crossing my fingers that luck is still with me. *grins*

Stopped blogging for months as well because of all the adjustments and stuff. Instead, I focused more on paid blogging opportunities. 

I found a new love in modern calligraphy. Practice, practice, and more practice! 

.. and watercolors 

.. and planners as well. Oh, just like the old days! 

That's it! I'm not gonna give details anymore because for sure it will be a loooooonngg post. But there's only 1 thing that I'm wishing for this year, and that is to have a MORE crazier and fun year ahead regardless of the bumps that I might encounter. *smiles* 

Happy 2016!!! 

Tiny Plant

"Think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another."  - Napoleon Hill

I WAS a smoker

I want to share to you about my life as a smoker, and how a little girl changed it all. :)

How it started

At 2002, I succumbed to a very unhealthy lifestyle. It was during my last year on college when I learned how to smoke. At first, it was just a stick. Then it became two. I told myself that I would only smoke after eating lunch with friends. I promised myself that I will not buy a pack because I will only be tempted to smoke even more. But then I lied, I broke all the promises I made to myself; until it became a bad habit to break. I became a chain smoker.

Because it was cool

There was no peer pressure at all, nobody encouraged me to smoke. It was a decision that I made alone. But I admit, I thought it was cool being with friends who smoke, I felt that I belong, I was showing off. I felt like I was a tough girl; that I can do what guys could do. I don’t care what other people think of me, I don’t care if I set a bad example to kids who passes by where me and my friends hang out to smoke. I was PROUD.

The habit

When I woke up, I smoke. Before I eat, I smoke. After I eat, I smoke. When I’m bored, I smoke. When I’m stressed, I smoke. When I’m taking a bath, I smoke. When I’m mad, I smoke. When I can’t sleep, I smoke. Before I sleep, I still smoke. It’s like everything I do, I smoke. Smoking became more frequent when I started working; I found friends who shared the same habit with me, it became one of our bonding sessions. Smoking too became our stress reliever during the 15-minute and lunch breaks. However, it became worst when I got promoted; I can have small trips to the smoking area when I want to, I own my time. I also had a senior who was also a heavy smoker, she would always ask me to accompany her and would happily join her puffing out those cancer stick.

An open secret

Friends, classmates, relatives who are close to me and people in our house knew that I smoke, I trusted them with my open secret. Though, my mother is a smoker and my father was a smoker, still I don't want them to know that I was smoking, especially my father. However, since my mom is a smoker, she noticed it eventually; but there were no talks or confrontations whatsoever.

The health

Ironically, I didn't get cough and colds that much when I began smoking. I was amazed, until I started to feel the effects of smoking. I was starting to have a smoker’s cough, I was gasping for air when I ran up and down the stairs. But what seems to be the most difficult was when I was having shortness of breath; I cannot fill my lungs with air when I breathe deeply. And when I push to breathe more, it was like my lungs won’t take more air; it would go on for days, sometimes weeks. My left thumb was beginning to numb, as far as I remember it went on for a month or two, although I’m not sure if it was related to my smoking but my cousin, who is a doctor, warned me that I should really quit.

On quitting

I tried several times, but I failed. The longest that I quit was for 3 weeks only, then I would light a stick again. And for more than 2 years of working with my company, I resigned. Staying at home toned down my smoking since I'm away from the famous “smoking area” and my "smoker friends". Happy with being a bum, I only smoked 1-3 sticks per day from my usual half-pack to almost 1 pack a day. 

The BIG news

2010, I became pregnant. It was the biggest and happiest news that changed my life forever. After testing positive, I completely stopped. I went on cold-turkey; there was no turning back, no urges, no nothing! I became protective of the little one inside me.

My Prenatal

It was my first time to meet the doctor, there were series of interview about my medical history, allergies, etc. And then she blurted out the million-dollar question

“do you smoke?”

I said "yes I did, before I found out that I was pregnant"

Then she asked me "how many"

I said "1-3 sticks"

Then she checked my tummy, and said that size of my tummy was small compared to the number of weeks that I am pregnant. And she scolded me. She said that we all knew that smoking is bad for our own health, what more for the little one.

Scared for the first time

What the doctor told me hit me bad, for the first time I was REALLY scared of the effects of smoking. I was scared not for myself but for the little life that I had in me. I was scared what the nicotine in my system could do to my little one. I cried!

Moving on

From the day that I learned that I was pregnant up until the day I gave birth, I was praying really hard for my baby to become healthy. Thankfully, I did not encounter any problems during my entire pregnancy. I delivered a healthy baby girl, no complications at all. I was blessed! I was relieved.

She changed it all

My daughter saved me, not only from smoking but from the way I looked at life. She is one of my biggest motivations to stop and not to go back smoking. She is my inspiration on keeping myself healthy. I want to live a long life, I want to see her grow up, graduate, have work, marry, and have kids. I want to be there with her every ups and downs, I just want to be with her. There is no turning back!

To my little girl, thank you for saving me. Thank you for making me decide to live a healthy life. Never again will I go back to my old habit. No promises, but I will DO it; for you, for me, for your dad, and for the whole family. I love you!

* And to this date, I am 5 years, 4 months, 10 days smoke-slash-nicotine-free!!! ^_^ *

The Importance of Reading to Kids with Mabel's Labels

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island. — Walt Disney

Mabel's Labels knows that reading to kids is important for their growth and development, and also one of the most rewarding and heartwarming activities we can do with our little ones. That's why they created this adorable video of Mabel's Labels staff reading with their kids.

After you watch it, be sure to check out the great personalized books for kids they have available to make reading with your kids even more special this holiday season. 

Discover all the great new products Mabel's Labels has for the holidays. There are all sorts of ways to be merry with Mabel's this year!