playing with filters

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//affiliate links are used //

sweaterdress, from last season, ASOS
tan leggings, F21, exact ones
Ugg mini bailey
LV crossbody

hiding in tunics

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shop the look using affiliate links ~ click image

// Affiliate links are used //
tunics, similar here and here
leggings ~ holiday leggings, geo pattern here, star prints here
Sofft booties ~ similar

same outfit but minus the belly

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affiliate links are used

Top JCP, similar also from JCP
skirt, exact one also JCP
Chanel jumbo, preloved
pumps, old Franco Sarto, similar
lipstick, MAC

black is forgiving + postpartum thoughts {sqt}

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Posting my seven quick takes early this week. Make sure to come back  here on Friday and see why I moved SQT midweek.

// affiliate links are used //

sandals
capri leggings via nordstrom rack, exact one
old Burberry bowler bag
top, old from Urban Outfitters
sunglasses

1. Black is forgiving. Here I was in the middle of the summer still sporting athleisure like none other because nothing fit post baby. Black capris and a flowy white top to the rescue.

How I will miss summer ~ when I can wear short sleeves or sleeveless tops.
I am not quite ready to layer yet.



2. Getting chillier here specially in the mornings. Soccer games are in full motion.  Thanks to auntie Feli, Uncle D and Auntie Cora for getting the boys their shin guards and new cleats!
We still need to get a goal net for the boys. what do you all think of this one vs this one?  We will put the gc to good use!

get active with aaptiv

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//cute kicks to motivate you//

top, Old Navy, old, similar for only $7

capri lace up leggings, Bally's via hautelook

stroller and carseat

adidas athletic shoes

what's up, sugar?

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mirrored sunglasses, similar

dress, Old Navy, exact one

lace up sandals, Marc Fisher

Chloe bag in small

Postpartum update

My sweet tooth is back. I could not handle anything sweet (chocolate, shakes, cakes) during pregnancy with Lucas. Baby is out and sadly, I may gain more weight, rather than loose the pregnancy weight.

It's the WORST craving too. During the happy hours of 2-5p, you will find me and my crew at the drive-thru of S&S.

postpartum blues

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those postpartum blues are real.


i feel sad... why do I feel sad? i smell my baby's head. I see my children run and play. Yet I feel sad.

My husband asks me a question.  I did not want to answer. I did not want to converse at all. Like there is no reason to talk so why answer.  I know it's rude. But why am I mean to him? He did not do anything wrong.


It's 11:45pm. Instead of sleeping when my baby sleeps, I am here sitting at the loveseat, staring at the moonless, cloudy night. I did not do this before. I was either knocked out because I need sleep or busy, busy, busy doing something and checking off my to-do list. Yet I am sitting here, about to cry.

Cry... Those postpartum blues are real. Why am I suddenly crying for no reason?
I am sleep-deprived. I am tired. I am adjusting. I am constantly counting how many children are in my field of vision. If not all 5 are  accounted for, I go through my head where one (or two or more!) child(ren) is/are located.

Thoughts of failure and defeat enter my mind. I try to push them away. But they keep coming back. I just cry. Cry... then hopefully afterwards I will feel so much better. lighter.

That's the hope, at least.



Photo taken by hubs. Postpartum blues has not hit me yet. Just the tired face of a mama who went through an unmedicated birth. 

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likes + shares + outfit post this first week postpartum {seven quick takes}

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1. Happy one week old, baby Lucas! I am still typing his birth story. It will be published soon.  We are all adjusting being a family of seven.  Lucy is having the hardest time. She is loving on the baby but wants to cuddle and be held when we are holding Lucas. I am not surprised with her actions. She's still a  baby and the transition is going to be a process.



2.  To hide those dark circles: wear mirrored sunglasses. These are the ones I am wearing (sold out, but found on eBay). I got a new pair, much cheaper {only $12!} and will be featured here on another blog post. New pair comes in 2 colors, metallic and burgundy. I got the metallic which is more rose gold.













3. For my pregnant mamas out there...
This is for your postpartum bottom ~ so refreshing and cooling. GET ONE NOW. you will thank me.


4. My feet and fingers are more swollen a week postpartum compared to the last days of pregnancy. I did not want to deal looking for sandals that would be comfortable right now. so flipflops it is.
These ones I am wearing here are nearing the end of life. I got this pair and this pair. I am definitely a REEF-fan.

progress is slow and other victories {wiws}

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On me:

top, BR, exact one

skirt, BR

Flats, TB   

I am selling mine, if interested, email or comment below.

Shoulder Bag, Gucci

lipstick

on Lucy:

dress via hautelook

 

on Bastian:
Pique polo shirt, Gap
Shorts, Carter's
Saltwater Sandals

on Isabel:
dress c/o
sandals c/o lolo and lola
band aids x 3

 

This skirt finally fits me. YAAASSSS!!!

I got this skirt with my BR $15 off birthday coupon last year. I was 8.5 mos pregnant with Lucy. I was tired of buying loose clothes. I saw this lovely  white highwaist pencil skirt. With the40% off sale and my birthday coupon, I could not pass it up. Even though it was not even going past my big hips. 

By the time my uterus shrunk to its prenatal size (notice, I said uterus... not my actual stomach or mommy pooch), it was already September and the skirt still won't zip! October, November, December came. I placed the skirt in my summer pile. Who wants to wear white when it's dark and gloomy and snowing?

jumpstarting my workouts {21 day fix review}

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Don't worry my dears. I will spare you with my before and after pictures.
You won't see those here.

plus there's really not much of a difference externally. so no bathing suit pictures here of me frowning on the left and smiling on the right side.

full disclosure: this post is in no way a sponsored post. I just want to share  my journey so far. journey of loosing all those shakes and icecream I ate everyday during my fourth pregnancy. I shared last week that I started exercising regularly in the morning.

I have been looking for an exercise program to jumpstart my workouts. I need something to start anew. I have never been excited with a program, since 2008 when zumba became all the craze. I have been following jenna's feed and was encouraged by her experience as a beachbody coach. I decided to follow suit. I bought the 21day fix package after delivery. At 4 weeks postpartum, I chose a date to start eating mindfully and healthily. That means no ice cream everyday!

first impression: yes those containers are small. But once you start packing your veggies and fruit and meat ~ you can have an entire meal that will fill you up.

confession: I am not following the containers strictly. I am breastfeeding and per my OB and BB coach (who is Jenna) that I need to add 300-500 calories on top of the recommended calorie intake per my current weight. It's not much of a difference by adding that extra 300-500 calories. You will be surprised. It's basically just adding another green container (veggie) plus/minus another red container (proteins).

I needed the portion control aspect of the 21 day fix. I used to be a healthy and mindful eater. Then I started having babies and I reward myself with ice cream or sweet Moscato wine after a long day at home or a long day at work. That had to stop.

The diet portion also focuses on eating whole foods and whole grains. Just mentally doing a checklist helps me make the right decisions. If it's processed, stay away from it. if it's whole foods, as long as it's within my allotted container, then I can have it.

Right away, I realized I could not fit all green containers in one day. It's a lot of veggies.
So I finally asked Derrick to get me a Blendtec.
y'all, the blendtec is amazing! My sis and bff did not lie! it's an awesome product. I can make sweet smoothies using the following recipe, no sugar added! and it's yummy.

I follow the 60/40 rule. 60% fruit and 40% veggies so it won't be too bitter or awful in the morning.

3 cups of frozen mango/peach + 2 cups of kale and spinach + 2 cups of water = 32 oz or 2 servings
3 cups of frozen strawberry/banana + 2 cups of kale and spinach + 1 cup of water + 1 cup of OJ =  32 oz or 2 servings


I did not order the Shakeology sampler so i cannot make a comment about that yet. Maybe someday. Shakeology is a dense food nutrition promoted by BeachBody. But for now I am happy I am eating (or drinking) veggies in the morning!


Now the workouts: they are only 30 minutes! for busy folks, specially moms like me, this one is perfect! 30 minutes of hard work then you're done. I love that part!  That's why I have not been doing Zumba much because I really need 55-60 minutes of hard core dancing to get a good workout. Most days, I do not have an hour. So getting workouts done in 30 minutes is a BIG PLUS for me.

I did not start the workouts till I was cleared by my OB at 6 weeks. So from 4-6 weeks postpartum, I just did some light Zumba and started counting my containers.  Then 6 weeks on, i started the DVDs that came with the package. The fix program recommends working out everyday. There is a rotating schedule of cardio, upper, lower body, pilates, yoga, plyo in there so it's not too repetitive.

as I have mentioned last week, I get up early in the morning before kids wake up and work out. Derrick has been working out with me. Having a workout partner really helps. I was not alone in the dark doing squat jumps for 60 seconds and dying. Somebody else is feeling the burn with me!



So for the results: these are my results, yours may vary specially if you follow the diet strictly. I did not.

the first 2 weeks of following the diet loosely - i lost 2 lbs. I chucked it off to water weight shedding off. But internally, if I eat half a slice of cheesecake or ask for ice cream (yes, I did have ice cream...) then I do not feel so good with the sudden rush of sugar.

week 1-1.5 of loosely following diet + working out with the DVDs: total weight loss of 5 lbs. It was a miniscule number compared to what I have yet to loose but when my mom and sis asked me about my progress, they were so impressed that I already lost 5 lbs! I guess I should not be too hard on myself.


week 2: total weight loss of 6 lbs.
internally, i can feel I am getting stronger and able to do more reps during the weight lifting or HIIT workouts. I sleep better. I don't tire easily. I was able to fit into my BIG jeans.  I own a couple types of jeans: my pre-pregnancy jeans -- which are my goal jeans and my BIG jeans, bought 1-2 sizes up. I still have a long ways to go.


week 3: total weight loss of 7 lbs
Am I plateuing? I know why. We still go out and I still give in to those ice cream, pasta and soups which we know are laden with salt and fats.


week 4: total weight loss of 8 lbs. That's where I am right now... I am still going strong with the workouts and meal prepping. We order take out less. We eat out less. I cannot give up date night though. Friday night is something I look forward to because I get to dress up for hubs and we go out. I just have to make better choices when out... which is tough. (the cheesecake is calling... that yummy creamy pasta is calling).



My recommendations:
Two thumbs up for this program. 

The best thing I am taking away from it is changing bad habits and replacing them with  good ones. When the food I eat at restaurants is too salty or too greasy, I do not feel good afterwards. Hence, I stay away from them or eat less when we are out.

I like that I can work out and see results in 30 minutes per day. It's doable!

The circuits are not too repetitive. The modifiers are doable. Whether you are a beginner or an intermediate or even advanced fitness addict looking for a change of workouts, this program will work for you.

Someday, I will follow the diet strictly. But for my sanity/mental well being, I cannot just cut out all the stuff I like. Having an ice cream scoop once a week won't mess up my diet. What messes up my healthy  eating is ice cream everyday + greasy fries for lunch + chicken nuggets + tons of carbs + smoothies when out and 1 cup of veggies per day. Only one cup. yikes... That was my diet before.... so embarrassing!


If you end up committing to the 21 day fix, please share your results! I would love to follow your progress and meal prep tips.

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state of the household address

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aka postpartum + rest of the house update

aka how are we adjusting

Betsey johnson sunnies // earrings from the Philippines // 

Anthropologie top // bracelet from my mom

Motherhood Maternity skirt //  Louis Vuitton Damier clutch //

Banana Republic flipflops in gold, old ~ few cute ones here or here //

 oversized MK watch

Here are a few outtakes taken by my photographer. I love looking at these...

^^ Don't you just adore that red interior lining of the LV clutch???

I am 6 weeks postpartum and as I reflect on the past few weeks, I am a mixed bag of emotions.
-- I may have given some people the wrong impression when i was already posting outfits at one week or 2 weeks postpartum. I did not wake up like that. In fact, those few hours dressing up and taking photos and going to the doctor are only FEW hours compared to the rest of the time (which is majority of the time) that I was on my pjs.

-- I saw this outfit photo and just cracked up. I could not find a skirt for this black top so I squeezed into a maternity skirt and still looked hilarious. (it's the same skirt above)

-- I counted my outfit posts for July. I had 4 what I wore sunday (to mass) posts and 4 random outfit posts. (I have two more posted late in August). I assure you that's the total number of times, I put on something fancy, put on lipgloss and asked hubs to take a photo of me. The rest of those days in July, you would have found me in my gym shorts and tank or pjs with unbrushed hair. But who would want to see a blog post about that...

-- I may have looked that i was trying too hard on this post but that was not my intention. I wore the dress to praise the postpartum bump. It only took me 4 babies to accept the poochy belly right after delivery. I am THAT slow. I was all about hiding the belly after my first 3 kids. Then I saw this dress after Lucy was born and I was brave enough to wear it.

--the adjustment period for everybody,  I really mean everybody, is rough. I love it that my FIL and Mom help out and take the older children for me so I can focus on healing and focus on Lucy. But when I have all 4 with me, i am very much a newbie.

-- I might have figured out why I love the newborn period. Because I have sort of a handle on it. I feed the baby, I change diapers, I rock the baby to sleep. I know what to do. But with my older children, it's always new territory. Argumentative 6 year old, tantrumming (is this a word?) 2 year old... And they know just the right moment to hit the spot. Just when I am nursing the baby and cannot get up, or when i am carrying a 23lb Bastian, that's when chaos for the other kids happen.

-- we are still not sleeping well. This by itself will already cause emotional rollercoasters around the house.

--school starts tomorrow for the older children. our routine is out of the window and we are slowly easing back to normalcy (whatever that is)

-- I haven't started pumping yet...which means Lucy has not practiced the bottle yet. it's part of my goals this week.

-- I was cleared by my OB to workout but was advised to take it easy. No kidding! I will start at the low-impact level. Thankfully, there's minimal diastasis recti. So if I want to do those ab workouts, i can too... Will you work out with me?

--The children are IN LOVE with their baby Lucy. They all ask to hold her. They kiss her head and rub her little feet. {I still stand by my word: the best gift you could give your son/daughter is a sibling}

-- The father of the house is still the fun parent. He will always be the fun parent.

--where did summer go? really?

I guess that's enough ramblings.

For now.


//SHOP THE LOOK//

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stripes and stripes

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J. Crew striped tee // J. Crew Factory skater skirt, similar // Naturalizer sandals

 // J. Crew striped tee // 

// J. Crew Factory skater skirt, similar // 

// Naturalizer sandals//

J. Crew loves its Stripes and Pink. Agree?

I have worn this skater skirt just a few times. I like the stripes but NOT the length... NOT even the style aka skater skirt. It looked cute on those models but the first time I wore it last year -- I was underwhelmed... It was even shorter this time around because it won't zip where it should sit (my belly did not make that happen). So I had to let it sit at the narrowest part of my torso, which is 2-3 inches above my belly button. So there you go, pink skater skirt became super scandalous pink micro-mini skater skirt. Don't worry I wore shorts underneath.

Also did you notice that I mixed two different jewel tones! oh my, let's call the fashion police and report me. I wore silver-toned accessories plus my LV clutch with gold-hardware. it's not that noticeable... and I read somewhere that nowadays, mixing jewel tones is acceptable. (what do you think? did I just make a fashion faux pas?)

I think I am halfway through my maternity leave... Can you believe that?  I have a post cooking about postpartum update... and how the rest of the house is adjusting with our life as family of 6. (preview: it ain't easy!)  I should also be cleared by my OB soon to start working out. I have gone out for walks... Even did a little bit of low impact Zumba.

it's the last 24 hours to enter the BIC giveaway! Don't miss it,f riends.


Linking up with Sarah, Doranda, Elena, Grace and Morgan. Have a happy day!

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this week's posts and more

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Hello Friday-eve!

I am joining the SQT crowd for my own quick takes a day early... 

1. This week is definitely family-week. My son celebrated his 6th birthday and lost two teeth in 4 days! My sister is still here for their summer vacation, and so is my grandma. My dad drove 13 hours to spend a week with us too. We travel in big groups now-a-days!

2. I am posting this early because tomorrow is a special day. Part II of the how-we-met story will be published! Right behind birth stories for my fave reads are How-We-Met novellas. I just read Kathryn's and I love it! I cannot wait till she posts the entire series. (disis how-we-met part I here)

3. So this has been circulating all over FB. My sis shared it so I finally read it. It goes through what doctors (even I) experience at work. I do not like it when I am behind. So I thank all my patients for their patience. I do take my time and make sure I do my best with their management. But I agree with the post, if there's a complaint, I would like to hear it... I am sure my staff/clinic will welcome constructive comments too. 

4. To answer your question: are you getting sleep?

yes and no. I have shifted my waking times bec of Lucy. Thank you, thank you, thank you to my FIL for taking the older 3 for a couple of days. TY also to my dad for watching them from7-9a while i rested with Lucy. My favorite time to watch her sleep is 7-9a. i just lay in bed, maybe doze off for a few mins, maybe read a little and then glance at her sweet face. I am in love. I forget that she is awake from 10p-1:30a. Like clockwork, she does not fail. 

She is 4 weeks old tomorrow. whaaa? so hard to believe. Didn't i just push her out?

5. Our friends are the best. They organized a care calendar to make sure our family is fed!

Here are a few recipes worth sharing:

• Baked orzo with fontina and peas - my friend added roasted chicken. it's soooo good! 
• Marinaded pork with mango salsa - recipe soon, I still haven't asked my friend for it.
• Oatmeal cookies with dark chocolate and cherries - I probably linked the correct recipe, again I have to confirm with her. These are not too sweet which I like. And isn't oatmeal supposed to be good for nursing?
• My mom and grandma have been so generous giving us Filipino food. We have enjoyed Beef Nilaga, Sopas, and Kare-Kare (you don't have to make this one with ox-tail. I make mine with regular beef meat). 
• Since we have all those meals, I had a chance to bake these banana crumb muffins. SJ loves these muffins!

6. My blogger friend Christy and I are hosting the first physician moms blog hop on August 5th. I wrote a preview post this week. For my physician mom readers, make sure you join us and link your posts. it's all about introducing yourselves to the group for the month of August. If you know of any other physician mom bloggers, spread the word!

7. Photos I am sharing:
Other sources of joy outside my house...

Ha. A blog post sans children's photo or OOTD photo. Is this a first?
Happy Thursday, friends!

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