by The Happy WAHM
It’s been a while! Life has been so blessedly busy that I haven’t had time to write anything here. Two reasons: Have not been promoting my site, and I want to have it redesigned first before I actively promote it, again.
But I’ve been missing out on a lot of things by not writing here. I love writing. I wish I can write about everything that has been happening in my life, in our homeschool, with my biz, my wonderful clients, the new things I learn from doing my tasks everyday, and how I have learned to be calm in all the chaos of my daily routine. All those things will just need to wait to be written, as I am still in the middle of re-organizing my biz. I’m expanding, or at least working towards expanding, so there are a lot of paperwork to attend to. I’m also preparing for the next WAHM Workshop which will be in January. Hence, this sudden volition to write something here, coz my first WAHM Workshop has come and gone, and I still have not updated my few followers here about what went on.
So here’s a link to a blog post that was written by Tina Santiago-Rodriguez about that workshop. Just a glimpse of what went on there. I really had a blast, so you can just imagine how excited I am with this coming workshop in January. It will be more detailed, more to the point, but my first slide may just be something from my husband, too.
Photo by TheHappyWAHM
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by The Happy WAHM
Back in 2006, when I started out in what would be my new career, there was no one to hold my hand – no one to offer words of encouragement, no one to tell me what would work and what would not, no one to tell me what pitfalls to watch out for, no one to offer suggestions on what tools to use, no one, even, to tell me that I should first find my niche before anything else. There was just me, wanting to stay at home and take care of the kids, but could not afford to lose the income I was getting from the corporate career that I was about to leave, so I was going to set up a home business that I felt I could do with a little capital and a lot of hard work. Blindly.
Oh sure, my husband was there, and he did hold my hand and offered words of encouragement, but those were out of love. My husband has always been my number one fan. He has always been confident of my capabilities. So when I told him I was leaving my corporate position so I could focus on being a mom to our three lovely treasures, he was really quite supportive. He knew that I knew that we couldn’t afford to lose my income, so it was a given that somehow, I’d find a way to replace that income.
And I did. And if I may say so, I did a hell of a good job.
But it has not been easy. Everything I had to learn, I learned the hard way. I did my research, spent hours acquiring new skills so I could compete globally. Oh yes! The competition, even back in 2006, has been pretty stiff. I joined forums so I could learn from the experts. And I experienced trashing by other VAs from the USA, Australia and Canada. We Asians are second rate to them. We deliver mediocre performance. We charge less because we are worth less. That’s what they think! So I had to speak out, and speak out, I did. Loudly. And I’m happy to say that some of them have since changed their minds about some of us Asians.
And you are thinking of becoming a WAHM yourself.
So what if there is a way to make you better prepared? What if there is a way to make life easier for you?
Yes, you.
You who are just about to have a baby and can’t imagine leaving your bundle of joy to a nanny. You who are tired of the daily traffic to and from work. You who are fed up with a domineering boss and just want to throw in the towel.
Well, this workshop is for you.
Come join us and find out if working from home is for you! Click here for more details.
by The Happy WAHM
She’s been my friend for eons, and she’s ancient. She’s 16 years my senior. But ours is a friendship that defies age and absence. In fact, if there is ever truth in the idiom that absence makes the heart grow fonder, then we are the living proofs of it.
We became friends in 1994. At that time I was just starting a career in my hometown. My hometown, her turf. See, I left the place after high school, and she chose the time I was away to establish her medical practice there. By the time I came back, she’s already the number one family doctor in the province. And I was almost a stranger.
We were introduced by a common friend, another ancient one that I may write about next time, and we hit it right off from the get-go. She was amused by the way I dressed for comfort, and in the process I created my own fashion. I would ride the bike to the office, wearing long skirts and boots. I would dress my hair with scarves, and I would wear dangling earrings made of bamboo, or shells, or horsehair. I loved the ethnic look. I still do. The same way she does.
What I really admired about her was the way she ran her household. They were a couple of doctors, but they never had a househelp. She did everything. She had help from Uncle Sam (I call him that, or Doc Sam), who was at that time the only anestheseologist within a five-hour drive radius, and the kids, of course. I saw her as superwoman. Doing laundry, cooking, keeping house, maintaining a garden, and as if housechores were not enough, she also made her own quilts, and decorated her house with her framed cross-stitch projects. She had this curtain in her clinic made of flour sacks, but you would never think of it as that, coz she had it lined with a fabric with cross stitches on it. She is just the most creative science person I’ve ever had the major luck of being friends with. And you should see her trellis.
We had fun for 3 years. Then I had to leave again. Work brought me back, and work took me away again. And then I got married, had kids, and here I am, a WAHM, in another province, and she’s still busy with her medical practice in my hometown. I see her once a year, when I have to go there and pay real property taxes. And the sweet part is that, we just always pick up where we left off. Each time we get together, our time apart just fades away. We sometimes talk on the phone, or send e-mails. I miss her. She’s been a great influence. I sew my own curtains, too. By hand.
by The Happy WAHM
Not me!
Some other blogger with a much active blog has been given the coveted storage showcase.
So, my poor self will just go ahead and continue with my organizing plans and hopefully, by year-end, I’d have thrown away or given away most of the unused stuff in our cabinets and drawers, and have saved enough to execute my renovating plans.
by The Happy WAHM
This is my official entry to the Howards Storage World + Dainty Mom Wow Your Wardrobe Contest.
Do I deserve to win Php10,000 worth of wardrobe showcase from Howards Storage World?
I think I do! But it’s not for me to decide, right? So here I am writing my pitch on why.
At this point, I really need all the help I can get. I need to get organized, from the bedrooms to the kitchen to our homeschool to my home office. The wardrobe will be a wonderful place to start, so I’m begging you! Let me get my hands on that wardrobe organizing package!
Housekeeping has never been my strongest suit. It amazes me how some people do it. I watch Martha and I am in awe of how easy she makes things look neat. And then I got to thinking… maybe it’s the tools, the gadgets, the things that are available to her that make organizing a breeze.
I have not heard of Howards before, but when I finally did, it was love at first visit. And to myself I say, so here’s how Martha does it. With things like these, I’d be organized in a heartbeat, too!
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve visited Howards Storage World from the day I came across the Dainty Mom’s contest announcement on Facebook. In fact, the site is displayed on another tab even now as I write this post. I’m literally drooling over all those wonderful must-have products, beginning with the Elfa! I’ve been dreaming of an open wardrobe for so long, I just don’t know how to get started with it. I want flexibility, I want space, I want accessibility, and all that can be realized with the Elfa shelving. I’m not sure if I can even afford it at this time, but I can plan, right?
And speaking of plans, we do have plans of doing some home improvements in the coming months. The place we call home is really rather small. No fixed cabinets in the bedrooms yet, coz as I’ve said earlier, I want flexibility. The easy-build type of shelving has been suggested by my mother before, we just never had the time to shop around for what to use. The idea that we can adjust the materials just as our need for space change holds the greatest appeal. Last June, it dawned on me that my firstborn will be a teenager soon, and I want to have the small room she shares with her little sister more organized. I want to create a space they can share but at the same time allow them to be separate and each be responsible for their respective things and stuff. I’m sure those space bags will do wonders to make their cramped space a little more roomy, while those drawer organizers will create separate big sis and little sis spaces. And because they are still growing, the lengths of their dresses are still changing. A shelving that can be easily reconfigured to suit their need for space is the best way to get started.
And so here I am writing this post, taking advantage of an opportunity to get my hands on some amazing products that can give me a jumpstart on my quest for a little home organization. And if by God’s grace I get picked, I can assure you that I will be sharing with you the good news. And not only that, I may even get you updated on my home organizing project with those flexible shelving solutions that I have set my heart on.
Stay tuned!
