Rockin' my 30th Birthday!

It has been a week after my 30th birthday, and I still could not get over the fun surprises my hubby and some friends did for me. Thanks again everyone you all made me feel very special.

The blessings started pouring, Wednesday, the 28th where from masters school I decided to treat myself to my favorite burrito near, Gregory Park Serious Grub.

What took me by surprise was that the people from Gregory Park recognized me from this blog. That was sooooo cooooollll! I have never been recognized for a blogpost I did before. The best part was that they did not let me pay for my take outs! That was really something, and I was estatic. I wrote the food review just because I love their food and it was noticed. Feeling serious blogger na talaga ako. :)

29th of January.

I attended Manulife's Bundle of Joy and got Enzo free life insurance worth 100k for one year. Click here to know how you can get yours.  I also got to seen Delamar in person. #girlcrush And met new blogger friends as well. I got to meet Lhyzie Bongon who I just read online. Cool right? Visit her blog here too:

The food served was also delicious. It was from Chef Jessie who cooked for Pope Francis. It was heaven and I'd bet Pope Francis enjoyed his meals too.

Last but not the least, I won the raffle and got GCs too!:) Thanks to Manulife for the GCs I got to buy myself an induction cooker!

Raffle Prize and Giveaways

Yey for induction cooker!:)

Then in the evening I attendef my first ever Zomato foodie meet up at Wild Ginger where I met the awesome people of Zomato and other bloggers too.

Repost from Elaine at Wild Ginger

I enjoyed the food and the company as well. Will post a review soon and please get Zomato and start discovering the best places to eat out!:)

Giveaways from Zomato!

Then the 30th day came, and though I had to teach for 6hours, it was still an amazing day. I was expecting that my hubby and I with little Enzo will just have a quiet dinner but I did not know I was in for a big surprise.

Excuse the #birthdayselfie, hubby made me wait for awhile at our house so might as well prettify, right? Okay, so as soon as they arrived I was already complaining that I wanted to eat already. So hubby and I rode the orange jeep and was expecting to go to Harbour square which was near to us. But we got off at Sev's Cafe and I was told it was cinema night. I got a little hunch as it was dark and there were no people around. Then everyone came out with a cake singing happy birthday to me. My family, relatives, colleagues, and friends were there. I was the happiest, most special, beautiful lady of the night. I could not be happier.

The surprise did not stop as they played a video of my throwback pictures. The BEST surprise were Kontra Tiempo and Benny Bunny Band. Been raving about them for months now, and I could not believe my hubby convinced them to play for my birthday. What's even more amazing was they agreed to play for me for the night. It was just amazing.

Treats from Benny Bunny Band, #perksofafangirl. An important milestone in my life happened in the company of people I love and admire. I am overwhelmed by the outpour of love I was given and I am to always do the same for them. 30 is just a number and I am looking forward to more adventures, surprises, and experience with my loved ones.

The people who made my 30th Rock!:)

My First Failure as a Mom

Right from the start of my pregnancy, I wanted to be able to breastfeed. As I've said in my previous blogs, I wanted to breastfeed because of its so many advantages and benefits not only for my baby but for myself as well. I even attended a seminar on breastfeeding because that is how much I was determined to breastfeed.

But I failed.

I admit that when my son turned one month, I started giving him formula already. It was half hearted. At the back of my mind, I was hesitant to do it. I did not want to give up breastfeeding but I had to.I had no problem with milk supply, (one of the reasons why I was half hearted to stop) but was suffering from plugged ducts and blisters. It was too painful.  I was even at the point of rejecting my baby because of too much pain. They said breastfeeding did not have to be painful so I knew that something isn't right with what  me and my baby were doing. I tried, I would say I really tried. I read everything I could put my hands on about breastfeeding, tried all sorts of solutions, but nothing seem to work. The pain was getting worse and worse. 

That one morning I decided to give my son formula, is the day that I failed him. I felt guilty, knowing that he would have been better with breast milk. I was guilty because it would mean a huge part of our budget would go to buying milk. But more than guilt, I felt weak. I felt I was not strong enough to endure the pain for my child. 

I felt like a failure. It was as if I could not take the inconveniences or pain of what could have brought more benefit for my son, and that I was not worthy to be called Mom.

Then, after feeling like a big fat failure, I came across an article online (which I couldn't find now) that talked about giving up on breastfeeding and that mothers who formula feed their children are not bad parents. Whew! I knew that parents who formula fed aren't bad parents, but that was what I felt about me. The article validated my feeling of guilt but also affirmed what I have done for my kid for 1 month. What truly caught my attention in that article is that every mother who breastfed or breastfeed their children are a success. Regardless of how short or long it is as long as one breastfeeds is an achievement. It said that mothers should not be too hard on themselves, what with all the responsibilities they have. I realized its indeed true, I had my reason for giving up on breastfeeding but it does not make me a bad parent. Being a parent is more than just breastfeeding.

Though, I still feel a little disappointed for not having breastfeed my son, I promise that if blessed with another child, I would be more prepared and ready to breastfeed. 

The Last of November and First Day of December

Hello, everyone! The month's bringing in the cold weather and everywhere is starting to look like Christmas. 

BUT, I can't be fooled and I need to get serious... on my workout, that is!

So how was my last day of November? 

My family and I decided to spend a mini-vacation in Hidden Sanctuary Hotel and Resort Marilao, Bulacan. It was a spontaneous outing but was truly worth it. And because it was my last day to pig out, I literally did!

I ate a lot, a lot means for me JUNK FOODS!!! I'm not really a good eater but I like to eat chocolates, chips, soda, and everything sweet. But the challenge is still on my mind. I did some laps in the pool but found out I really need to also do some serious cardio exercise because just after one lap I was out of breath. 

I wasn't able to do my weigh in though and decided to took a picture instead yesterday. It was a struggle for me to do my first day yesterday as I was so tired from the vacation and wanted to just lay around and postponed the workout. I thought, nobody will know and I'll just cheat myself into it. Just as I was to procrastinate, motivation strikes.

Here's my motivation: 

My Little Boy, Enzo!

I want to be able to run after him when he's able to walk and play around. 

With that, I easliy finished my workout. It became a lot easier because Ethel was there to guide me thru the workout. Here's what I did yesterday:

Day 1: 

15 sit ups

10 crunches

5 leg raises

10s planks

DONE!

Today's another challenge!!!:) 

There you go, High five!!!

Well, hello there, stranger!

Yup, I finally made a new blog especially for my mommy adventures. I have been a blogger since 2007, but just recently became a Mom. While I was pregnant, I decided not to create a new blog site cause I thought I could just categorize my experiences and keep my Magicspaceship blog. But, I thought wrong. Motherhood changes you. It's an experience worth writing down and sharing. For memories sake or for some, just random reading. I am a sentimental person, and I would want my son to have something to read or look at when he's big enough. I also feel it's so important for me to shout things that make me happy, rant about things that pisses me off, and to have something I can go back to in the future. 

So, with that said, let me introduce myself and this blog. 

I am Jhoanna Tacorda. I go by the names Jho, Jing, Joey, Jojay and Jak. (I know too many nicknames, but I just couldn't help it. I am a college teacher by profession. A loving wife (ehem!). A supportive friend and sister. A stage mother and aunt. A make up enthusiast. A reader. An online seller. A hobby-blogger. And most importantly I'm a 24/7 Mom to a very handsome baby boy. 

As I mentioned earlier, I already have an existing blog. But motherhood inspired me to put up thereyouJHO and just write on all sorts of things I have experienced, is experiencing and will experience-as a mom.  So, how is it different? Well, here goes, I have divided different categories of stuff I would write about that matters to me as a Mom.

First up is, Mom's Baby Love: this would include everything about taking care of my baby. From his little achievements everyday, product reviews, and to things that worries me about my child. Worries such as when he gets sick, what food to feed him, or what or how to teach him values to help him in his life. In short, just me and my baby!:)

Secondly, Mom 'n Fab. I am a sporty person, and a figure conscious mom as well. Before I became pregnant, I was into Pilates and running. Not athlete-serious, but I make it a point that I do work out at times and to strengthen my core. Now more than ever, after giving birth, I am determined to lose the fats I gained during pregnancy and be able to wear my pants before pregnancy. This section will also include everything about make up, and my journey to doing great looks for me and others. So, I hope you'll join me in this journey to staying fit and fab even as a mom!

Third, is Mom-"me" Time. Having a "Me" time, has been very important for me even during my single days. This is something I do that makes me happy or gives me time to relax and reflect on life. This section, then will include hobbies I do, classes I take and simple joys I have to keep me sane. I wouls also write here my life realizations and reflections.

Fourth category is Mom JHO and THEL. I know its hard to get this at first, but its actually my name and my husband's name. So I wanted it to sound like Show and Tell. (I feel weird explaining my word play! Haha!) This is about me and my husband's experience on marriage. It may include problems, issues, or funny things we have as a couple. Maybe, just maybe, he can also write on this blog. (crosses fingers) It's also very insightful to know and read about what goes through our husband's minds, right? 

Last, is Mom-on-the-Job, as said earlier, I'm an online seller and a teacher. Both I do as part time.I will share different triumphs and struggles I have with both jobs. This would include online shops I like and tips on how to start an online shop. On the other side, I will also write about being a teacher. 

Another section, is Ask Jho! which would include questions and advice I've been asked for. So, if you have any questions or inquiries, feel free to ask me. :)

So, there you go, and happy reading!:) 

High Five!!!