Frannywanny

I've never been a big shopper all my life. In fact, I like keeping the number of clothes on my closet and shoes on my rack at a very minimal number. Paul would often tease me that he actually has more clothes and shoes than I do. That's just me. I never liked shopping and I only do so if I need to. However, things have changed since I had my twins. I've lost count on the number of times I went to the mall and every single visit, I always end up with a bag or several bags of clothes, bottles, toys for them. In fact, I do enjoy shopping for my babies more so when I get to avail of a good deal. So, when SM Store launched their October Baby & Kids Fest , I dragged Paul all the way to SM Aura to do a little shopping. It was also perfect timing as we really do had to prepare for our upcoming family trip so I stocked up on diapers, travel essentials and even more eating utensils. We got a box of Pigeon Magmag set which I thought was a good find as L is starting to learn ...

My dearest J & L, You're both a year old today! Wow, I can't believe it has been a year since you both came out from Mommy's tummy and that officially was the start of a brand new (and exciting) chapter in my life. It still feels like yesterday when I was wheeled into the delivery room with my blood pressure going haywire and at exactly 6:36AM, I first heard the best sound in the world -- my little J's first cry. This was followed a minute after with L's slightly delayed but equally powerful cry. Since then, we've been celebrating a lot of firsts. Your first smile, your first babble, your first clap, your first solids, the first time you clearly said "Mama" then "Papa" and a lot more words following that. Perhaps right now, you're still fully dependent on Mommy and Daddy but let me tell you one thing. I am really grateful to be your Mommy. Looking back at the past 12 months, you have thought me a lot of things and I'd lik...

When I got married 8 years ago, I was one of the lucky few who didn't had to worry much about running my own household. It's because I was first asked to move in with my in laws for the first 5 months of our married life and there it was easy breezy for me. I literally would wake up in the morning with a wide breakfast spread lovingly made by Manang on the table, I'd go to work while being driven by Kuya M and after a long busy day at work, I'd go back to my in laws' house with dinner waiting for me. The only thing that Paul and I had to worry then were our basic toiletries. After 5 months, we gave in to my mom's request and moved in to my family. It was even much more easier for me as I didn't had to adjust at all. It was simply going back to the house where I grew up in before I became Mrs. Ang. Likewise, Mommy and Papa had everything ready where we had our reliable helpers to do our laundry, cook our meals and so on. The harsh realities of being marrie...

I never knew that the time could come that I'd actually find online shopping to not only be therapeutic but totally convenient too. Back then, people who online shop would just end up with clothes, shoes, accessories and baked goodies. Today, you can shop for anything and almost everything with just a few clicks here and there. Now I get why first time or new moms like me totally adore online shopping. With a little baby (or babies, in my case) in the house, it's pretty impossible to go out and do your errands but life at home goes on so we need to eat and restock our pantry no matter what. Luckily, I learned about Honestbee Philippines . I first heard about this when I was residing in the Lion City as I had colleagues who would buy their monthly snack stash using Honestbee's delivery service. As for me, our condo unit then was located just 2 blocks away from two major supermarkets and my office was sandwiched between 3 groceries so I never really found the need to do o...

"How do you do it?" This has been a common question that Paul and I would get whenever people learn that we got twins. Honestly...I really do not know how to properly answer this question as I feel that we are just like any other parents out there. From the day our twins were born, we just took on our roles as Mommy and Daddy in the best way we can and know how. Somehow, for me, I took cues from my own parents whom I believe have done an amazing job in raising us. During my first few months as J and L's Mommy, I would sometimes ask myself "how would Mommy have done this?" I also got to admit that I've Googled and YouTubed a lot on topics and things that I never thought I'd ever search for. Things like how to get the perfect latch, how to burp a baby, how to make a baby stop crying and more. The Internet has been my best friend and somehow answers from real parents kept me sane as I realized that we are all on the same big boat. As my twins grew bigge...

At this age, my twins are more receptive towards routine. Day in and out, we have established certain routines in order for them to have better sleep patterns. I guess, this is also one thing that we made sure to have as taking care of twins is no walk in the park if you're not organized or have not done any routine to get them accustomed to their daily schedules. Bedtime for my twins is something we have first established as soon as they were born. It begins late in the afternoon where we give them a quick warm bath. They love this so much as it makes them feel relaxed and refreshed instantly. There are days when we're out till late so to make up for this, I'd always clean them up thoroughly as my twins have someone took on my OC nature and do not like feeling sticky, warm or icky. Following this, they would brush their teeth. This is something we've recently introduced as they have lots of teeth now and are eating more solids then before. Luckily, it's not har...