Weekly Project # 2 : Energy

My husband and I have a “Sunday Syndrome”. Almost every Sunday we always find ourselves feeling sluggish and drained of energy. It is the day of the week when we can actually stay all day in bed if we don’t force ourselves to do anything productive. We are suspecting that it is caused by the combo of a cold, gloomy weather and the fact that tomorrow is “back to work day”.  Now while this is not a major problem, it does give us a terrible feeling. It does not feel right being stuck in the couch after watching the morning news or feeling too heavy and drained after breakfast. We are aware that this may be psychological but it really does take conscious effort for us to get our energy up and running.

So this week I’m going to try to maintain appropriate amount of energy all throughout the day when I can.  This project is relatively challenging for me because pregnancy makes me feel like I have already ran a marathon after a day’s work. I don’t only get the syndrome on Sundays. I am basically feeling sluggish most days of the week. Simple activities make me run out of breath and five pm seems to be a sweet time for bed already.

So as not to be hard on myself, I have this simple goal of at least not feeling lazy or uninspired. I mean, it is okay for me to be tired often because that’s a normal part of carrying a 2 pound precious human being in my belly, but I want to have energy and enthusiasm during those times when I am not drained of energy to work on at something. I want to happily go out of bed instead of putting my alarm to snooze several times until I had to drag my feet to the kitchen and prepare breakfast. I want to go to bed Sunday night and not be grumpy because I will be waking up early the next day to go back to work.

As a result of my self- observations, I came up with a list on how to boost my energy / enthusiasm:

*  Avoid heavy meals and eat a balanced diet. A day of all meat meals is sure to make me lazy.
* Eat fruits or drink fruit juices.
* If feeling lazy to fix myself up, watch a make up tutorial on you tube or simply watch beautiful celebrities on TV. These never fail to inspire me to at least groom up.
* Read books on self improvement to inspire me to be enthusiastic in what I do.
*Sleep when tired.
* Seek inspiration from other blogs and from other people. Inspirations are always everywhere If I'm not too lazy to start looking for them.
* De-clutter my workplace, our room or the house. A messy environment makes me more sluggish.

Writing a goal down gives it more power and increases my tendency to work harder on it. I'm still adhering to My first project  alongside this one.  Writing goals makes me aware  of my actions.They have to be  aligned to contribute to the improvements that I want to impose on myself. I am enjoying this weekly project so far. It is a beautiful reminder that we have lots of potential to become the best person we can be.


The higher your energy level,the more efficient your body, the more efficient your body, the better you feel, and the more you will use your talent to produce outstanding results.- Tony Robbins

Weeky Project #1 : Confidence

I have a week long project to do starting today. This morning I decided to shake my perspective a little and be mindful of the things that I need to improve on myself.

Why? I believe that if we stay comfortably still in our current phase, we are not learning but denying ourselves many chances of becoming better than we are. So every week, starting today, I will be focusing in one area and put in conscious effort to improve on that quality. I’m doing this weekly project series as an attempt to make myself better, to make my relationships more fulfilling, to do my task more efficiently and to prepare myself for future challenges. I am 28 years old, entering my second year as a wife, expecting my first baby and might be changing my career soon. If there is a perfect time to re-invent myself that would be now.

The first quality that I want to radiate more is confidence. As I grow older, I’m becoming less of the shy person that I used to be. But still, I’m aware of how self –conscious I am when dealing with new people and situations. Our gestures represent us into the exterior world without us knowing. Meeting a person in the eye while conversing, keeping your head up as you enter a room filled with people, these habits can represent a person positively than if he does otherwise.

I want to stop downgrading myself just to please other people. I realized that there is a difference between playing small and being humble. A person can speak his thoughts, stand up for his rights, share his skills and still be humble. While playing small is never a trait of a confident person. Denying ourselves of the credits we deserve and not sharing our talents for fear of appearing too arrogant are attitudes that are not serving the world in anyway. Confidence and humility can go hand in hand.

This first project requires me to move out of my comfort zone. It will take an extra effort but the rewards will all be worth it. I just remind myself: ten, twenty, thirty years from now, the same attitude will give me the same kind of life.

Self- confidence is the first requisite to great undertakings- Samuel Johnson.

I cant wait to see you

I find it hard to drift into a comfortable position when I sleep. I barely can bend over to put on my socks. I lose my breath at the slightest movement. My back always ache at the new weight I'm carrying.
My stomach is always upset.

I would not be experiencing these things If I weren't pregnant.

BUT  I also would not be as happy as I am now. I would not be near tears listening to her tiny heartbeat. I would not be daydreaming about us laughing together . I would not be as excited. I would not be smiling alone.

If I weren't pregnant, I wouldn't  find as much meaning in my life as I do now. And despite all the discomfort pregnancy brings, there's nothing in this world that I want  now but be pregnant.
And I'm  thankful that I am.

Daddy and I cant wait to see you,baby.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: A mini vacation

"A gold studded city!". This was my initial thought as my plane was landing at the King Khaled Airport in Riyadh. The yellow lights from the buildings seemed like sparkling gold arranged in squares from where I was seated. Impressive. I don't know if it was just my imagination, but it was really beautiful.

My husband was working as an engineer in Riyadh during our courtship. After we got married, I had the opportunity to visit him and stay there for 9 days.

Roaming around the airport was not bad.Everything was organized and friendly enough for a clueless ( direction -idiot ) visitor like me. Although I was a little uncomfortable because I was the only woman in jeans and tops and all the rest were either covered up in black dress or had a long dress- like coat over them.

"Is someone going to get you on your way out? "

I was asked by a lady who obviously was not a national but seemed very much familiar with the place. I had the feeling that she actually wanted to ask " Are you going out of the airport dressed like that? If so, you'll be in trouble."

Her asking made me even more uncomfortable so I hurried as soon as I got my baggage to meet my husband outside so I can have my black dress, which I later learned , is called abaya. The women in Riyadh must wear it. No walking around the city in jeans. So for the whole 9 days I was there, This is how I looked like when we were out and about :

The first ever dinner I had there was a sumptous shawarma. It was nothing like the ones I ever tasted before. I loved shawarma when I was still in the Philippines but that one I had in Riyadh was by far the best I ever had.

To further prove the point that Saudi Arabia has distinct and unique policies, You will see that restaurants and fast food chains are divided in sections for Men, Women and Family separately. So unless you are within a family, men and women cannot be sitting together in an area. Now,I have not been there long enough to see if all people actually abide by this, but it seems really like a strict policy. We always bring our marriage certificate translated in Arabic with us wherever we go, you know, just in case. But Im glad we were never asked for it.

During the day when my husband had to go to work, ( and because my body clock was not used to the new time zone) I spend the morning dozing in here:

and in the afternoon, when I was done cooking ( if I ever had to cook at all for the day) I would stand by the door to his terrace looking at these:

We made one long trip to Al khobar during my stay. During the long drive, I was able to see , almost in close distance what the desert sand looks like.

I will always love Riyadh. Its the country which sheltered my husband when we first learned of each other's existence. I will always miss his cozy little room which was a little palace for the queen that was me. winks* ( a self assuming queen, maybe? ) I always tell my husband that I loved cooking in that common kitchen shared by all the tenants in the 3rd floor of the building. ( As if I cook that often! I remember once or twice when he was already home from work and I still haven't cooked rice, what a lousy queen right? excuse: jet lag )It reminds me of our old place in the Philippines- creaky floor,messy sink and gas stoves. I felt like I was back home again.

Its been a year since I went there. My husband is here with me now. And my short stay in Saudi is like a distant memory. As you know, I have not travelled much yet, but, Riyadh will always be a beautiful place I will remember fondly.

My Inner Little Girl

While I shuffle with deadlines and due dates,
There are times when I just want to forget schedules and dont mind what day it is.


While I happily look after my family and have their needs met,
Deep inside, Im still that little girl who still wants to be held.


I might be on watch about my diet,
But dont be surprise to see me messing with chocolates and ice cream dripping on my hands.


In time you will see my hair grow all grey or white,
But I would still want to wear a piggy tail once in a while.


Yes, I love my husband's passionate touch but I love how he still tickles me in my armpit and tummy too!


Im not just totally into romance, I still watch beauty and the beast, the little mermaid and cinderella.


I would still want to play in the mud or dance in the rain with my children someday.


I still dream about a pretty pink dress.
There are times when I still want to cry out loud, sleep and giggle with abandon like the little girl I've always been.

No matter what age, No matter how far we have gone, that little girl inside of us never really goes away...

Woman Scribbles Joins BC Bloggers Secret !

As a newbie blogger , Im still making my way into the vast atmosphere of blogging. I still need to build connections and a constant network to establish myself. Blogging is a worthwhile endeavor and the key is not only to have a good content in writing  but to obtain a healthy relationship with other bloggers  in order to build a community to share your work with. It's like having friends around who share common interests with you.

BC Bloggers Secret is a friendly bloggers' community where you can get support, appreciation and the connection that you need in blogging. It is a wonderful oppurtunity to join BC Bloggers Secret as you dont only gain friends, you are also continuously inspired  by dedicated writers.

Joining BC Bloggers Secret is a healthy step because a good blog will remain invisible if there are no friends to back you up. This is  a wonderful discovery I thought I'd share.
Join me and other inspired bloggers by clicking the badge:

or visit    http://www.mommydiary.net/   to sign up!

See you there!

5 tips to De-clutter Your Mind

A focused and clear thinking is the key to performing tasks well. Whether you are a busy, employed person or a stay home wife, it is important that your mind is calm and not rattled by your day to day responsibilities.

Here are five things that I do so I don’t find myself a cranky mess in a middle of daily nagging tasks:

1.       Always start with a “to do list”.  Never underestimate the power of writing things down. When you see your tasks listed on paper, your mind is automatically oriented to focus on these things like short term goals that you need to complete. You can list items in order of their importance. At the end of the day, it is a very rewarding feeling to be able check the last item on the list.

2.       2.Keep a planner. A planner is a very useful tool so that you are reminded of important things or events ahead. Due dates of bills, a party you need to attend to, doctor appointments and so on. You will be more relaxed knowing that everything you need to remember is listed down and all you need to do is keep your planner handy. This way, there is little risk of forgetting things and late bill payments. I use a planner with a weekly format that is always in my purse and I also have a monthly calendar planner in front of my computer. You just have to make it a habit of marking things down. It doesn’t take much effort but the reward is all worth it. I find myself more productive in doing my daily task because my mind is focused in whatever I’m doing at the present than wandering around trying to remember so many things in my head.

3.       List down all the things that worry you.  Beside each “worry item”, write a brief explanation why these things worry you.  This is a way of assessing the nature of each problem so you can classify them into three categories:

*Worries or problems you can solve.

*Problems that you can’t do nothing about at the moment and you just have to let it be and

* Things that are only products of your negative thinking.

You see, the things classified under the last category are a waste of your time and thinking. It helps a lot to release your brain of the burden of worrying about too many things. They only make you distracted during the course of your day. By listing down the things that are bothering your thoughts and concentration, you become proactive by drawing possible solutions to the ones that you can solve and clearing your thoughts of the ones you don’t have to worry about. Now that’s going to be a big relief!

4.       Have a silent time with yourself. This can be from as short as five minutes to a luxurious one hour of “alone time”. It depends on how busy you are and how much time you have in your hands. At home, you probably have your favourite corner of the house where you can just sit and relax. You can do your hobbies that are therapeutic to you such as reading, listening to music, taking a nap, chatting with a friend, writing in your journal and doing meditations. In a busy workplace, it wouldn’t hurt to spend a few minutes of little vacations right in your work station where you can rest your eyes, be still for a short moment and relax. Whatever place you choose, make it your sacred little sanctuary where you can touch base with yourself amidst your busy schedule. This is not wasted time but an important investment towards your productivity.

5.       Always breathe mindfully.  Due to experiencing severe back pain while pregnant, I was inspired to try Yoga for the first time.  We all know Yoga is very famous and a lot of people would swear by it. But for the longest time it came to the limelight, I have not tried doing it as I am more into the “working out in the gym” kind of thing as a form of my exercise.  Of course I can’t do that now that I am pregnant, so finally, I decided to give yoga a try. I bought a book called “Slim, Calm Sexy Yoga” by Tara Stiles and I do the pregnancy poses that she recommends there every day. To my surprise, my back pain has eased and eventually went away within a week of practicing yoga. I am also noticeably calmer and happier even amidst some of life’s daily hassles. Breathing mindfully is a key element in practicing yoga. Studies have shown that being aware of our breath keeps us from being distracted; it eliminates mental chatter and helps the mind to be calm and focused. Mindful breathing makes us experience the present moment rather than being taken away by unnecessary thoughts of the future or past. This has been an ancient Buddhism practice and is handed down to every generation because of its benefits.  So whenever you find yourself breathing hastily, guide your way back to breathing deep and slow.

It’s easy for me get distracted when I am faced with too many tasks but doing these things proves that there is a better way I  can deal with the daily pressures of a busy life. You may have noticed that my list mostly involves writing things down. I love writing and I love the fact that it is a very useful tool to keep me organized. I hope this list helps you too. But as we all different, you may have devised your own ways to de-clutter your mind, let us know what works for you too!

At the end of the day, what’s important is that we remain grounded by the present moment and still have ample energy left to spend quality time with the people who also deserve our conscious presence.