Cure for Mondays: shoes

My ZALORA Wishlist

Cure for Mondays

I have always shied away from online shopping as I find the methods of payment intimidating, and the shipment costs too pricey. There is an aspect of my life where I admit being buttoned-down still … and yes, that’s shopping. I like to pay for the stuff I buy with ~~my husband’s hard-earned~~ cash because I deem it responsible to spend only for what I can afford. The only way to do that is by staying away from credit cards.

My discovery of ZALORA sent me soaring towards happy land. ZALORA is a one-stop online shop that carries a good number of local and international brands. They accept COD, so you can just imagine the thrill of this stubborn mother who stands pat on her shopping style.

Looking at their comprehensive, yet exciting online product catalogue, I was able to pick out five that top my ZALORA wishlist.

# 1 Scottie-printed rain boots by Plueys

After putting off a masters degree for years to prioritize mommy duties, it’s finally going to happen for me this year. No rain is going to stop me from attending my classes, so these adorable puddle steppers are a must-have. I’ll give the rainy season a welcome kiss especially that I don’t have to cover my feet with hideous firemen boots during bad weather.

# 2 The Amara Shopper Bag by Sometime

I see red, and I’m drunk with joy. What mother-slash-student of the universe-slash-grocery runner does not need a functional yet stylish bag like this? It’s something I’d be comfortable carrying around whether I’m clad in jeans and boots or when I’m in that mood when I’d actually wear a sun dress to impress. It also comes in red, my certified mood brightener. I must have this first for function, second for style.

# 3 Lace-up brogue by Anacapri

I’ve always thought brogues are one of the most versatile shoes because you can wear them with folded pants or with short skirts. As a matter of fact, I’ll wear them with anything as long as my mood permits it. I loved wearing boys’ shoes when I was a kid, and these earth-toned prettified brogues are a must-have for all the reasons I can (and can’t) think of.

# 4 Fab Manila's Travel Envelope

My three-fold silver lovey is ready to retire and I have my eyes set on this modish travel envelope. What I really like about it is it’s nothing loud and it has all the compartments I could ever dream of in a wallet. I can slip in my little notes of things to buy, stuff to do, and dreams to make come true.

# 5 Halter Bikini by Cocotini

Even the busiest moms must have time to play, and what’s a better way than to kiss the sun in this gorgeous, earth-toned bikini? My little girl is now nine-months old and my mommy bumps and I remain inseparable (though I hope not for a very long time). But instead of hiding in the dark, I believe the right kind of swimwear will give me the right to go out there and have fun. I must have this because like they say, a happy mommy is a happy life for everybody!

Your turn! Tell me, what’s on your ZALORA wishlist?

CURE FOR MONDAYS IS A WOMEN'S BLOG, BEST HOMESCHOOL WEBSITE, FAMILY ISSUES BLOG, HOMESCHOOL PROBLEMS, SOCIALIZATION, INSPIRATION, MANILA MOMMY BLOGGER, SAHM, ASIAN HOMESCHOOLER, ZALORA, BACKPACKS, TRENDY BAGS, ONLINE SHOPPING, zalora wishlist, halter bikini, fashionable shoes

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, by Frances Beldia

brother

Big brother shopping

Cole shops for Attika

We knew he was saving for an additional video game but he unselfishly offered his own savings for his sister even if it meant he might need to start with a zero balance all over again.

We dropped by the baby store after we had lunch at Sushi King last Saturday because the little lady of the house needed a few things. The short list included shoes. Time went by so quickly—it literally zipped and zapped right before my eyes, and those lovely feet significantly grew bigger without me noticing. I get kicked here and there, alright, but until I tried to put on her Carter’s canvass skimmer pre-walkers, they looked the same to me.

So the pairs she had on her shoe shelf suddenly became yesterday’s fashion. I had to hold myself while looking for a good pair of shoes because those tiny little things make me go crazy and I’d want to buy all the cute ones I’d see on the shelves. But a budget is a budget is a budget is a budget… That has become my mantra since I became a mother, which is why we try to stick to what is essential, if we can help it. We’re not big spenders; we just think a lot of things are important. Ha-ha, ten fingers pointing back at me — silly me. And well, hubby.

Sole search
We let Attika try on a few pairs. The doting dad wanted to get all the pinks and I wanted to get her boys’ shoes so we had to ask Attika which ones she liked. She responds by pointing when she’s asked to make choices. It’s an exercise Cole taught her. You hold two things up to her then she’ll point or touch the one she likes.

Turns out Her Majesty fell for a pair of pre-walker Mary Janes and a cute pair of sandals. The two pairs were thrown into the shopping basket along with baby wipes and a trainer cup. With the sippy cup, Cole made her choose between the elephant and the giraffe. She looked back and forth between the two for about a minute until she decided the giraffe was more like her style.

Values for money
When it was time to pay, Cole suddenly got the shopping cradle from me. It’s really like him to be helpful so I gladly gave it to him, but then he suddenly set it down on the floor, knelt down beside it and got something out of his pocket. He took out his money (which I did not know he had) and started counting. When he finished he got up and said, “I’m paying.”

That very moment I was almost moved to tears because any other 10-year old would rather buy stuff for himself. We knew he was saving for an additional video game but he unselfishly offered his own savings for his sister even if it meant he might need to start with a zero balance all over again. Honestly, I don’t know how much money he’s keeping. All I know is that he knows how to save money and he does it well.

Attika went home with her new shoes; my husband and I went home with newfound pride. Kids do listen. That’s one thing we learned from our son—the ever loving brother.

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, by Frances Beldia

Abracadabra

Bookay-Ukay

There is something about getting all the dust on your hands that makes book hunting more exalting.

I was looking into my old stuff and found an old article I wrote about Bookay-Ukay. Incidentally, my husband and I were checking their latest offerings on Facebook today, something that we don’t really do together because we’ve been robbed of our coffee time since he got so busy with work this year. So every chance we get we spend it having coffee, and me telling him stories about the kids.

It’s wonderful that the internet makes the distance from where we are to the Bookay-Ukay store negligible, but there is something about getting all the dust on your hands that makes book hunting more exalting than searching time-aged books with the help of an uncomplaining mouse.

“Ukay-ukay” is a celebrated word in the Filipino language that literally means “to dig through”, but is mostly used in the language of fashion when people find branded/unique clothing apparel and are able to buy them for a song. Twitch this a bit and use it on books and you’ll end up with a large-scale fandom.

Here and now, I want to share my Blessed Bookay-Ukay Day which happened three years ago.

Karim and I are slowly rebuilding the library we lost during our exodus to Manila. It was nothing grand and definitely far from the order that my virtual bookshelf has. We had piles of books in one area and a lot more scattered in different parts of our then tiny house. So recently, we have been frequenting bookstores to re-collect the stuff we had and to find new ones that never became part of our collection.

When we were packing, it initially became a choice between my shoe collection and our son’s toys. I didn’t want him suffering from psychosis in the latter years of his life just because I was the mom who brought everything else but the toys. So 60 pairs of shoes, a big box of books and some toys were left orphaned. The skateboard, the scooter, the bike, he had to let go also. I was not going to be impelled into bringing stuff that I had to skate, balance, and pedal all the way here. Lugging along two large boxes of toys and three huge suitcases of clothes, plus a son who would never stop talking, was more than enough for a grand move to the metropolis.

Last Sunday, the boys and I had to crawl our way to Box O’ Rice for lunch. No time, no energy, no desire to cook on a steamy midday Sunday. For anyone who has not entered into the realm of eating street side seafood in a box, please know that BOR is the Oprah Winfrey among fast foods. The food is entertaining; a bit pricey but won’t really bore a hole in your pocket. The packaging, too, is quite engaging.

Anywhere we go, the unwritten rule is “mommy always gets the best seat”. That is according to Karim’s day-to-day guide made for Cole on becoming a gentleman. I opined that in a small square table, the one facing the street was the dream seat of the day. Indeed, it was. Something from across the street was screaming at me, hauling me to go over to the other side and find a piece of heaven.

The three of us marched to Bookay-Ukay after lunch and got lost in their compelling collection. We spent the next three hours picking out books, and then eventually spending a fortune on good finds. Cole was so delighted he found a series he instantly fell in love with. He could only find books one and two of Scholastic’s Abracadabra series, so he got hold of those two plus some other books. Finding Bookay-Ukay was wonderful especially since we’re starting Cole out on short story reading.

Karim was ecstatic and suddenly looked like he was reunited with a long lost love. I threatened him with a look of jealousy until he held it up to my face: Alvin Toffler’s Future Shock. A long lost love indeed.

Months ago, I was approached to do a book review on Henry James’ Turn of the Screw. I went on a long desperate search among the big bookstores but I was always met with: “It’s out of stock.” Out of stock? Who’s hoarding all the James books? I didn’t know Henry James had a lot of fans around here. Needless to say, I begged off from the book review.

Bookay-Ukay had it for me and it’s mine, mine, mine.

Blessed Bookay-Ukay day is next payday … and God help me with this addiction. I’ll be more broke than I already am before I turn 33.