This is a story that makes me giddy. In early April 2020, I decided to plant again. I have a green thumb but work and travel took me away from the soil. Staying home rekindled my love for planting. I thought it’s best to grow plants that we can eat …
Antoinette wanted to have her own cooking show. But I have been very busy with full-time work in 2019 and I didn’t have much time to help her out with this project. Quitting full-time work in January and then the unexpected entry of COVID-19 got us started on “Inside Casa …
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Like many families, the Ruffolos have been relegated to the confines of our home.
We live in a 69-square-meter, two-storey home in Liloan, Cebu, Philippines. Continue reading“Quarantine Itinerary: Can-do activities with children at home “
I have long accepted that as a mother, I can be friendly to my children but I won’t always be their friend.
Otherwise, they will just see me as fun Mommy and not the Mommy who can discipline them when they’re out of bounds.Continue reading“Conversations with Nicholas Louis”
There are so many reasons why I feel that life is unfair.
I cannot list down all the details. I am not strong enough to write them down just yet. Maybe in the future, when I am stronger enough to share them.
I know I am not alone in this; we’ve all been through it. The dark days, the times when you feel betrayed, the moment when you feel that your worth is judged by your mistakes.
I was traveling around China and Hong Kong for 10 days when I felt that way.
I was not in my best mental and emotional state.
It helped that I was visiting places that were both familiar and new to me. In Shanghai, I revisited Fudan University, where I spent hours studying Chinese and learning how to live life abroad. In Zhangjiajie, I went on a nature trip and walked on a 4,700-feet high glass skywalk. In Guangzhou, I enjoyed a cup of coffee at the Garden Hotel, the very place where my twin children learned how to walk and run. In Hong Kong, I revisited the place where Jeff and I decided to commit to each other seven years ago.Continue reading“Straighten your crown”
Some mothers appear to have figured out everything.
Because social media is a curated version of every person’s life, the pages and accounts of these mothers are filled with positive, energy-boosting, utopian posts of an ideal Mom; the kind who seems to have time for every single milestone or development in her child’s life.Continue reading“Stability and variety: Why there is no such a thing as striking a balance”
I like to believe I’m a fun Mom.
I place much emphasis on play and taking my children out for outdoor fun. On August 24 to 25, we went on a camping adventure at the BSP (Boys Scouts of the Philippines) Capitol Hills South Camp in Barangay Kalunasan. Continue reading“Why take your children out for outdoor fun”
In my column over at CDN Digital, I wrote about my practice of going on four monthly dates with my children.
I wrote:
“The first date is with Nicholas; the second with Antoinette; the third with Jeff Jr.; and the fourth with all three of them.”
READ HERE: Nanay Says: Ate Kuya
The dates need not be lavish or elaborate. Sometimes it’s a trip to an animal park; other times it’s just a walk to a nearby sari-sari store to buy chocolates or lollipops. Continue reading“Why monthly dates matter to you and your children”
I am scheduled to host an online show this afternoon in relation to the upcoming May 13, 2019 elections and here I am in my home-office corner staring at the books on my shelves. 
There is a good list of titles on the second level: Milne Shepard’s Winnie-the-Pooh, Amy Chua’s Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Jack Kerouac’s Lonesome Traveler, Pearl S. Buck’s The Good Earth, Cecilia Brainard’s Magdalena and The Newspaper Widow, and some book on potty training. Continue reading“The truth about potty training”
