Brought to you by a little bottle of nail polish and quick-dry top coat

Happy second half of the year! :)

We are currently on staycation in - where else - Solaire. We checked in last night and we are checking out tomorrow. Whoopedo to two nights of r&r! The little boy is overjoyed, this is his constant wish after all. ;)

Aannd we're here again! Ha ha.

I am trying to blog in my iPad for the first time, while in bed as the little guy takes his afternoon nap beside me. Ohhh, the things that mommas can do while little ones sleep soundly! LOL.

Good thing I brought my entire kikay arsenal with me. I did my nails and donned my favorite nude polish, in 30 minutes tops, with no downtime at all, care of my super awesome hypercharged ultra quick-dry top coat. Those awesome little things! You mommas out there know it's nearly impossible to put on nail lacquer with their little ones around, albeit sleeping.

I remember, someone from a local online publication down South tried to make a ripple in the social media last year. Well at least, a bad ripple. She wanted to further the mommy wars by writing a dirty, twisted notorious piece that accused moms who are able to comb their hair, take a bath daily, put on the lightest of make up aka kahit powder lang, put together pleasing, decent outfits, and enjoy quiet dinner with their husbands are ALL BAD mothers. Yes, all of them, no excuses, no buts and ifs. And her biggest beef? Moms who wear nail polish. In her books, it is a crime to have well maintained and coloured tips and toes. Moms who do are the ones who totally neglect their children and are too self-absorbed to be worthy of being called a mom.

What momma was up to while the little one was sleeping. Credits to my super awesome hypercharged ultra quick-dry top coat. No down time at all! ;) Ermm, it looks unsightly, but trust me, it looks decent enough for office after washing off the smudges hehe.

My thought earlier, other than "wow, so judgmental, eh? does this even pass the laugh test and ampalaya test?" was -- ever heard of a quick dry polish or top coat, woman?! You should seriously try it. It works like magic, drying your polish in a minute so you don't have to "neglect" your kid for a single minute. Hee hee.

Not to say that her post credits some mulling over. It was a total vitriol, full of hatred and judgment, and too myopic to deserve an open and mature discussion. My point, other than quick dry top coat as the next best thing to cheesecake, is that mothers (and fathers too!) cannot give something they do not have.

Mothers cannot love and nourish another person if they don't feel loved and when their love tanks are empty. To nourish another soul, a mom must be nourished from the inside out. A mom cannot make her husband and children feel good if she does not feel good inside nor about herself. A mom has no business enforcing personal grooming and hygiene pointers if she herself has reckless disregard for those. A mom cannot take care of others if she can't even take care of herself. A woman cannot radiate infectious joy and vibrance (and be "ilaw ng tahanan") if she's so gloomy on the inside.

So much love and joy to give and receive :)

Friends who are close to me know I tend to be guilty about a lot of stuff when it comes to motherhood. I get guilty when I go to the salon or spend too much time on work. I get guilty when it's late and I'm still out, when it's supposed to be time spent with my little one. And hah! By late I meant 8:30ish.

But motherhood is an awesome journey and one learns the more valuable lessons along the way. I tend to loosen up and forgive myself more these days. In as much as I want to spend every single second with this little guy, I know that for my cup to overflow with love and joy, it must be a balanced concoction of: quality time with the little one; quality time with the husband; quality time with the little one and the husband, as a family; quality time with beloved family and friends; some me time; and various other meaningful pursuits such as challenging tasks and rewarding jobs, further education, travel, sports, and art (art?! pwedeng fashion and make up? hahaha).

Whatever floats your boat (those are some of what floats mine). But the bottom line is -- I advocate moms pursuing things that make them whole and taking care of themselves as best as they could. Balance is always the key to everything. :)

Ciao, going back to my sleeping baby. He keeps on stirring in his sleep. My nails are all dried by now, so no worries at all, even if he wakes up at this very moment. Hooray to my super awesome hypercharged ultra quick-dry top coat! Gosh, I can't stop gushing about it. Happy weekend, folks! :D