Update on my 2013 Wishlist: I'm now a WAHM!

For those who are not familiar with the acronym, WAHM stands for Work At Home Mom. :)

My wish to become a WAHM came sooner than expected due to circumstances beyond my control.  I plunged into WAHMhood without being fully prepared but, as a mom, aren't we really built to deal with surprises all the time?! And so with this 'unpreparedness came blessings which started pouring in from Day 1 of my being a full-time mom.

To cut a long story short, I officially became a WAHM 15 days after my office resignation took effect.  Imagine, just 15 days! I haven't even had time to catch up on chores! Not that I'm complaining though.

So, I'm now currently working as a part-time Financial Analyst in Odesk. 

Having more time in my hands, I was searching for more earning opportunities when I came across Lifebushido whose motto is 'Anything is possible'.  I browsed through their site and I was impressed with their belief that Stay-at-Home-Moms "are an incredibly capable and vastly underutilized group of people for getting great work completed".  Wow! While housewives are usually looked at as JUST homemakers, this company sees them as valuable assets who can immensely contribute to their business!

What's also very unique, very interesting and very appealing about them is that you will work with them to discover and explore your unique talents to see how you will best fit in Lifebushido based on their needs and business ventures.  At least, as a WAHM, I don't have to live with boring jobs and office politics which were some of the things I escaped when I left the corporate world.

Another is their concept of Triangles where I get to be part of a team of different people from all over the world!  I'm so excited to learn from these people coming from different countries, having different cultures, having a lot more experience yet possibly having the same passion and dedication to family as I am!

Oh, and have I mentioned that I'm excited?! :)

For those who are interested, I am sharing with you this opportunity.  You may check their website at http://www.lifebushido.com/8.html or you may email them at jobs@lifebushido.com.  They are very accommodating and will be glad to help you.

I'll keep you posted as I progress in my WAHM career.  Yahoo!!

Yey! We have no househelp! :)

We have no househelp for two weeks now.

For two weeks, I have been juggling my office work and household chores.  I requested to be able to work at home in the morning while my son is in school and be allowed to bring him in the office in the afternoon.

I was also forced to leave my daughter to my parents in another town, two-hours away from our place, which means we won't get to be with her everyday.  It was a painful decision, but we had no choice.

Yet, in spite of this 'household crisis', I am very much happy and fulfilled.  Weird as it may seem but honestly, I feel a lot less stressed than when we had TWO househelp.

Okay.. so what if the room is cluttered and the kitchen is messy? So what if I haven't done my laundry nor cleaned the restroom? I haven't felt this much at-home in our own house... I have never been more at peace... Ah... can I say that 'This is the life...'

Maybe, this is a blessing in disguise...

You see, I've been a working mother ever since.  But, ever since I had my second child, there's this burning desire to be able to just stay at home and personally look after them.  As days pass, the more difficult for me to leave them in the care of a nanny.

I planned to leave the corporate world in 2 years time... but I guess it won't happen anymore... Because I will be leaving the corporate world in a few months time!!!!!!! :)

To be honest, this is also a painful decision for me... because eventhough I wanted to be with my kids the whole day, I cannot bear to be at home the whole day!  And I will definitely miss my officemates who are my friends more than colleagues... the working environment which is a home more than an office... my team who are my merienda buddies more than my staff...

But then, I have to create another chapter of my mommy life... I know it will be another fun, funny and feisty experience...

Cheers to being a full-time mommy!

I am a Billionaire.... Soon!

Hiyee! I'm excited to be posting again to update you on my 2013 Wishlist !

Nope, I have not yet enrolled in a fitness class nor have resigned from my day job (this would be better news, though.. hehe), but, I am finally using the SAM method of investing in the stock market! Yahoo!

After about 6 months of deliberation and a bit of hesitation, I finally humbled myself and admitted that I cannot go on investing in the stock market without guidance from someone who is more knowledgeable and focused on the topic.  You see, for the past year, I have been just buying and buying, regardless of whether the stock price is low, high or getting higher.. Not a bad strategy, but not the best either.  Since my primary objective is to build an educational fund for my kids, I had to make sure that I'll be able to lock-in the gains I realize from the market increases and that would mean selling my shares.  But, I cannot just sell randomly, I need to have someone tell me when it's time to sell and where to re-invest the sale proceeds.

And so, just this month, I finally joined the Truly Rich Club.

And what a great timing, after signing up, I learned that Bo already gave the go signal to sell BPI shares when it hit P91.  Wow, at that time, my BPI shares (which I started buying in June 2012) is already at P100! So, I quickly placed a sell order with Citisec hoping that it would still be sellable at this amount.  And, yes, it was sold immediately! I earned 24%! Imagine, 24% in 6 months versus 1-3% in banks for 12 months!  Woohoo!

As of this writing, I am holding shares of 7 companies, two of which I plan to hold long-term for retirement purposes.  The combined growth of these 7 companies is at 9%, with 22% as the highest and -1% the lowest.  

Whoa, I never thought stock market investing would be this exciting.  I always thought it's only for geeks and the rich.  Lesson learned, everyone can invest in the stock market.. EVERYONE!  And always,  ALWAYS,  take action before making a conclusion.  Hadn't I joined and tried the SAM method.. Had I let my fear and hesitation overcome me.. Had I believed that I can do it alone.. I wouldn't be a millionaire soon.  Oh yes, you read that right, I would soon be a millionaire (billionaire, even!).. 

Want to be my co-billionaire? Read more at Truly Rich Club.  Happy investing! :)

Frustrating Four?? Nah..

They say that after the Terrible Two comes the Terrific Three...
Is there a Frustrating Four??

Ugh.  I have been dealing lately with an almost four-year old who would keep on whining, cry loudly and answer back at me.  I have been testing, through trial and error, different approaches to discipline him but nothing have been successful so far.. But, last night, I was so surprised of how behaved he was! I am very proud that I am writing it here for everyone to see how good my boy is!

1. Took a bath without delaying tactics, alibis, coercion and power struggles.
2. Brushed his teeth on his own for the first time! He even wanted me to floss his teeth!
3. Read 3 prayers from the prayer book recently given to us as a gift.  He was repeating after me in spite of the prayers being long and the words hard to pronounce.
4. Woke up on his own the next morning and even volunteered to go downstairs to eat and dress up for school while I take a bath.  He usually would just lie in bed waiting for me to go down with him.
5. Rode the school bus in a happy mood, waving goodbye as the bus drove away.

Aaahh.. These are happy mommy moments indeed.. :)

My 2013 Wishlist

Happy New Year everyone!

I don't personally believe in New Year's resolutions because I always end up not accomplishing any of them due to the sheer pressure that go with it.  So, instead of to-do lists, I came up with a wishlist.  Maybe sub-consciously, but when I call it 'wishlist', I do not feel that I need to do these things, rather, I feel that I am rewarding myself when I accomplish any of them.  So, here goes..

This 2013, I would like to:

1. Enroll in a fitness class.  Since I became a mom, my mommy belly never disappeared. I had no problems with it though, as I have fully embraced it along with motherhood.  But, with all the parties, buffets and sweets the holiday brought, it seemed that it became flabbier and more noticeable! Pilates worked before so maybe I'll do it again.  I can also try Zumba or Body Jam, or even just buy a Dance Pad so I can groove anytime, any day at the comforts of home.

2. Explore blogging.  Here it is! My first attempt in blogging.  Actually, I have already started this even before 2012 ended, but in a different website.  The challenge would be to continue posting even after I get back to my regular work schedule.

3. Use SAM method of investing in stocks. I've been investing in the stock market for a year now.  My initial purpose was to build a retirement fund.  But now, I would like to explore the Strategic Averaging Method to lock in the profits from the increases in market price and use them to re-invest in other stocks.

4. Build my back-up/fallback should I finally decide to be a work-at-home mom.  This would include exploring work-at-home opportunities, gaining skills to be able to apply for work-at-home jobs and grooming my successors in my current job.

Four wishes for now.. I will just add to the list as 2013 goes by and I will post as I go on accomplishing them.  Let's do it! For a better me by the end of 2013! Woohoo! :)