I’m not working today but that doesn’t mean I don’t have work. On the other hand, I have tons of work to do. One drawback in being a work-at-home mom is there is even work during the weekends. In fact, I spend more time working now than when I was an employee. I work first thing in the morning and right before I go to sleep. I work even on Saturdays. Except on Sundays. Even if I’m buried with work I stop working on Sundays so we can go to church and spend some family time together. It’s the only day in the week that we get go out of the house and eat out. It’s the day of the week that we visit our relatives and love ones.

with Z at Fun Ranch

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Pehpot is her name and reviewing is her game. While most of us have a hard time making reviews she has decided to make reviewing her hobby by putting up Reviews, Inc.. From reviewing the latest movies to reviewing different blogs she would be depended upon to give well-researched reviews. You can be guaranteed that the movies she reviewed she has watched herself, the products she have tried herself, and the blogs she have read herself.

As usual, I like the header which depicts a woman with glasses and laptop. I think it looks a lot like her although her hair in real life is shorter. The girl at the header is also thinking which resembles Pehpot who is thinking of ideas all the time and cooking up the latest “pakulo” for her blogs.

Her sidebar is neatly organized and easy to navigate. I also like it’s color, pink never ceases to please me so I give her color of choice a thumbs up.

One thing I like is her post about the list of blockbuster movies. Although it’s not a review it’s very informative for me. I need this because I’m a movie buff and sometimes I run out of movies to watch. When that comes in the future when I can’t think of a movie worthwhile to watch I would use her post on this as a reference.

When I first looked at WAHMaholic I was overwhelmed with the header. It was the first time I saw a header so big it fit my whole screen! Nonetheless, the header is so artistically designed that no one can fault Kaye, WAHMaholic herself, for letting go of convention going ahead with her header.
Kaye, like her header, is a woman of big ideas. I previously described her as a genius in html and blog design just look at her portfolio. Being a woman herself, she knows how to please a woman when it comes to her designs. I have never seen one template she made I disapprove of.

If WAHMaholic’s header is big and grand, the rest is simple but chic. She knows how to balance everything. I’m encouraged to read more and more just because her layout is so clean and feminine. Not that the content is anything less. She recently featured the BC Blogger’s Secret button which I commissioned her to do and I would like to thank her for doing such a good job. A lot of people have already commented that they like the new one so much better.

For me, WAHMaholic is a blog that features Kaye’s talent. It chronicles all the amazing work that she does. I’m sure pretty soon she’ll be famous in the blogosphere. She’s the blogger to watch for when it comes to blog designs.

Seiko’s Diary is a blog that really interests me. She’s a Filipina mom living in Japan, successfully raising three lovely daughters, making her husband happy, and making a career for herself – a dual career at that.

Just reading her blog it’s obvious that she’s passionate about her three daughters. They are the apple of her eyes, the love of her life. I always read her Mommy Moments entries which always has interesting stories about her daughters, her views on parenting, and how much she loves them.

Aside from her daughters, she’s also passionate about her cooking. How else can she cook delicious looking food like Relyenong Manok with Cheese.

Finally, Seiko talks about her 20+ years of marriage with her beloved Japanese husband. I secretly admire how they’ve kept their marriage strong despite coming from so different backgrounds.

Seiko’s Diary is testament of a mother’s undying love and devotion to her family and also a love story that crosses all borders. I will recommend it to young moms like me. They would surely get some valuable tips peppered around her in posts.

Judging by the title it wouldn’t take you more than a minute to guess that the author of I am Buraot and Anak Ni Kulapo are the same. I don’t blame him for having blogs in both Filipino and English – he can write so well in both languages! The posts I read were such a treat that I have one message to Buraot. Buraot, if you have a blog in German just tell me and I would study that language just to be able to read your posts. hehehe

A warning though because this blog is not for the kids. If you have kids in your house don’t forget to lock your PC during bathroom breaks while you’re having Anak ng Kulapo post reading marathon. Take for example, his Valentine’s post. While everyone is posting Happy Valentine’s glittery messages he wrote I Like Da Way You Think. It might not be kid-friendly but it’s definitely husband and wife friendly. hehe

Anak ni Kulapo is really worth reading. He’s the only one who can get away with posts like Heto Ang Sayo. He had such a unique way of giving out links that I laughed so hard. My stomach is still aching until now.

Yes, I’m going to attempt to review I am Buraot. One of the most popular Filipino blogs in the blogosphere.  He is after all the one who developed the popular, Entredropper, which I remember using at one point. He has now trimmed down his list, by the way, and is adding new blogs who wants to join the list. (This reminds me that I need to add all my blogs again once I get about putting the codes.) I feel so proud that a fellow Filipino has developed the Entredropper. It really helped a lot of bloggers in marketing their blogs.
So what does Buraot means? I didn’t know it at first but soon found out it means being impatient. His tagline is also an eye-grabber, “A Day in the Life of an Antisocial.” Although both the title and the tagline seem negative, I think he’s only being humble. I feel that he is actually a nice person judging by the people who are fans of his blog. If he claims he is an antisocial, his blog certainly doesn’t reflect it.
The more I read the more I realized what a sensitive soul the author of I am Buraot is. You should really check out his popular posts. His My Girl post brought tears to my eyes because I certainly can relate. I was a young girl once separated from her father. I’m all grown up now but I wish my father is as eloquent as he was in writing down his feelings. I’m sure when his little girl grows up and read this post tears would be rolling down her eyes.

Work-at-Home Mom in the Philippines. That’s what “WAHM sa Pinas” means. I’m so happy being able to work at home and earn while watching my son grow up so that’s why I decided to put up this blog.

Being a Work-at-Home Mom in the Philippines is definitely not easy. Finding work can be difficult because unlike in the US where telecommuting is already quite a norm, in our country there are only a handful of companies that offer telecommuting jobs. Although it’s not a slice of cake finding homebased jobs from Philippine-based companies we are still fortunate because the internet allowed us to seek for work opportunities from other countries.

I have not always been a Work-at-Home Mom. I was a call center agent three years ago but I quit because I felt it was not right for a mother to leave his son with the care of someone else. That has been always my opinion since the beginning that’s why I resigned from work when I was about to give birth to my son. I took care of him from birth but when he was 10 months old I was forced to go back to work because of financial constraints. Working away from home was not easy and I was constantly racked with guilt every time he cries when I’m about to go to work. I blamed myself for being weak and not being able to balance my work and my family just like every mother I know so I refused to  give up my work.

Then something happened that made me realize my son needed me and me alone and not a yaya to raise him. A year after I started working again he got hospitalized for pneumonia. He has never been sickly and never got sick the entire time I was taking care of him. He was confined for a week while I still continued working. Then a month later we went back to the doctor and was told that he was in the danger of getting hospitalized again. That was when I decided to give up my work once and for all.

Working-at-home became a dream a year after being a stay-at-home mom. I was happy being with my son all the time but my mind crave for mental stimulation. Of course, we also could use the extra money to spend at home. I wanted to find work through the internet but I personally didn’t know anyone back then actually working at home and earning a decent income. Then last March 2008 with the blessing of my husband we had internet installed in our home and I started looking for an online job.

I thank God for that day because now I’m a happy WAHM! I get to experience the best of both worlds – earning while staying at home and being there whenever my husband or my son needed me. Life is not perfect as there is still the constant balancing act that I need to do every day but it can never dampen the fact that I was able to achieve my dream. Yes, being a WAHM is my dream job and as long as there are opportunities for mothers like me I would forever be this way.