December: Things I am letting go off.

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This is about the Instagram post I saw from self-care spotlight. Just jotting down some of my current thoughts and what I want to fully let go off hopefully this year (but still giving myself a few more months. Ha-ha!)

I know 2020 has been a year of realization for most of us. We realized how short life is, to live in the present but still always look at the future with uncertainty and that we need to be ready all the time may it be financially, mentally and physically.

For me aside from these, one of my realizations is that there are a lot of things that I need to slowly let go off before we officially let go of 2020 as well..

The need for control: Its hard. It is honestly hard because I was born to be always in control. I think I got this from my mom (who is born a leader and a people person) But having kids and living with someone totally different from you can be quite hard to be in full charge. But I learned that sometimes you must compromise, and you must think that it is not for you. It is for them and I must listen and give them opportunity to decide and grow on their own.

My comfort Zone: Another difficult thing it to do not just for me (well I think for everyone too) is letting go of your comfort zone and getting out of your box. I have been thinking really hard of what are the ways that I can somehow escape my bubble and I realized that there are many simple things in which you can go out of your way from your comfort zone, like a simple communication with your neighbors (take note I don’t even talk to neighbors hehe) can be helpful in knowing and finding something new that can be useful someday.

Overscheduling life: I realized that I should take things slow and that I need to focus and stop putting too much energy into something at once. It is important to have a to do list or your plan of the day. One of the things that I learned from raising a son is that I must schedule our day this helps me to do what is expected and never feeling like I never did enough.

Unhealthy relationships: Social media, this what I first thought about unhealthy relationships. I have this really unhealthy way of using the social media before, on Facebook I used to post and say too much but I realized that not all people on Facebook should know everything. So its okay to let go (well maybe not totally letting go but decreasing usage is one thing that I can do)

Fear and guilt: As a mother we all feel a lot of fear and guilt and sometimes I even cry my self to sleep just thinking about it. I have learned that I need to sometimes let my self take it all in but at the end of the day find some rationale on what happened and why I feel that fear and guilt. It is good to acknowledge it first and then move on and find any solution (for any fear) and let go of the guilt.

Comparing myself to Other and insecurities: Another difficult thing to do especially when you are a Taurus. Just kidding! (its actually scorpio haha!) Anyway, what I liked about my partner is that he never compares himself to others (well maybe in terms of physique lol) but in status, career etc. He is never liked that. He scrolls facebook all day but he never felt that and I adore this attitude of him so much that I wish I can also do this. We always say to never compare and be insecured but it is easier said than done and I am sure it will be a forever battle as long as you are never content with what you have.

Clutter: When we moved here in our simple abode (a 2-bedroom unit) everything went by so fast. We had to renovate it as soon as possible that we didn’t have time to really think of the design and what we wanted to do or have in the house. We are in such a hurry that when we finally moved, life was so fast next thing we know we have so much stuff in the house that we never really needed, we have no organization, everything is cramped up and all over the place. We realized that we needed to let go and one thing that I requested to my partner (when he started wood working during this pandemic) is to make more cabinets and storage areas. I am also slowly donating and letting go a lot of my things and clothes (yey to more handmade things 😊 )

What are you letting go off this year?

More than just a hobby?

Let’s make it clear

I came across a few posts from the sewing community (on instagram) about being disappointed on some comments about making a living thru sewing and that people keep asking them  to sell this, sell that and make a company out of it etc. Like really, why do people always think that you have to make money when you know how to do this or that? No offense, my mom made a living by sewing before she became a public servant and still accepts customers every now and then. Sewing is a huge part of where I am today.

But, I honestly have the same sentiments, Yes, it can be very encouraging to sew more because people are noticing your skills, and I am sure they do not have any bad intentions in saying this and is just probably in awe and amazed at what you can do. I also receive a lot of comments like this and I know this will happen and I am thankful for these comments btw.

I love sewing and I probably will sew for a long time (of course, cause I am just starting) But I honestly feel a bit of a pressure when people say that I should start selling my makes (btw selling is not my forte). Sewing definitely is my current outlet from all this boredom and stress that I feel from just staying at home and having nothing to go and unwind. I think that having a hobby is really important for everyone during this pandemic, may it be cooking, baking, sports, arts and crafts, collecting or even writing it helps someone to put his or her mind out of stressors. And completing every project gives a huge feeling of satisfaction. Also who wouldn’t want to save money (like really, I am seeing a lot of branded clothes being sold at a higher price and I can do the same style just by buying the price of the fabric!)

I remember I made something for my sister’s shop I was ecstatic at first, the fabrics were so cute. First time i was enjoying it but as I make more with the same pattern I got really tired, doing it doesn’t even feel like a hobby anymore. I just wanted to finish them as soon as possible(good thing though is i am not in a rush, I dont need to chase any timeline so no pressure). Doing the same style multiple times can be a bit frustrating and boring, because you already know the result and it doesn’t even make you feel excited anymore. And it can be scary because you might feel so over with your hobby and a time can come that you don’t even want to do it anymore.

I have nothing Bad about those who make money out of their hobbies, good for them (best of both worlds!) but I think it is not just for everybody.  Although I am not closing my doors into selling some of it someday or really focusing on sewing and making a brand out of it but if that day comes, I think I would really need extra hands to do most of the clothes because I honestly just can’t do all of it (making patterns is one of them haha!) And also selling, marketing them is another story (which I think is the most important thing here!)

Definitely not closing my doors to my friends who would want me to do their clothes on special requests but doing the same clothes for different orders, definitely not now. I am just so happy right now to be learning more about sewing, sharing my makes really makes me satisfied and occupied and I would want to inspire others too(especially those who dreams of also making their own clothes or want to learn sewing).

Let’s see where my sewing will lead me. I am just enjoying everything right now and currently, my mind is on the day where I can finally wear all my me-made clothes outside.

Our Financial Goals and Management

One of the things that we realized during this Pandemic is how important it is to have an emergency fund and savings.

I mean this pandemic is no joke, I have read news of company layoffs and I know some people who lost their Jobs and had to find a new way to earn in the midst of this global pandemic. It’s hard most especially for those without any savings or emergency funds, and thankfully we are lucky enough to be able to still work and pay for our monthly bills.

Growing up, my parents are mostly self-employed. Although they are earning well, they really did not prepare for their retirement. No SSS, No Pag ibig Fund and other types of Savings and Investments. They are not knowledgeable in terms of Financial planning and having Financial Goals. Hence, No one taught me how to save, what to do and what financial management is. I have to learn everything on my own.

Looking back, I wish I had learned sooner, but one thing I know is that you really have to surround yourself with People who will introduce you to these information and learn from them. When I started working, what I only knew is that I need to put my money in the bank and that’s it. I changed my career and earned a little more but my ways are still the same and I also increased my expenses, I acquired my first Credit Card and next thing I know I was in debt.

I think, it all started when one of my workmates introduced me to Life and VUL insurance. I felt ecstatic during that time, that  finally I have something to start with and that I am starting to prepare for my future. Then, I met some of my Highschool friends (mostly are accountants) and they talked about Stocks, I was a bit out of the conversation because it is the first time that I am hearing those information. When I got home, I started searching about it but forgot about it after a few days (I found the process of opening an account a bit of a hassle). Then I found this book “A women’s guide to successful investing” during one of my bookstore run. There I learned about Assets, Liabilities and your Net worth. Funny enough, I used the formula and I learned that  I AM BROKE. LOL

But Good thing about it is that I started to find ways to earn, to invest and to be smart enough to where I should put my money. Increasing your assets is always a good option but I am not the kind of person who likes to sell things (It may seem otherwise but really, I get easily stressed during shipping and other conversations that I have to make just to sell items)

So, I think, investing and having my money earn while I do nothing is the next option for me. LOL.

 I started my Easy Investment plans in one of my bank accounts (high yields), Opened my Stocks account (although I am not as active here but I think as a long term investment this can help), added another Insurance and one of my workmates introduced me to MP2 (see? I told you, it is important to surround yourself with people who will teach you these kinds of things). Not much yet since I am just starting but I think, having to have your first step and having these financial goals is really important. It’s always good to start somewhere and be consistent with it.

When my partner and I started living together, I was really devastated that he does not have any savings at all. He does not know how to invest, manage his own finance, no financial goals (talk about men being immature lol) but yes, it took me 3 years of persuasion for him to realize that he needs to do this, he needs to have a goal and he needs to invest and save. And look at him now, wah I am so proud. And more than ever, under this Pandemic, he realized that it is really a good thing that he finally started saving and slowly building up his emergency fund.

Right now, we are still finding other investments (Maybe real estate and retirement plans) that we can build to be prepared and be financially free someday.

What’s you Financial Goals? Any investment options that you can share?

Quick post: The ‘ber’ months

Yep its here. We are here. Hello to the first day of September. Did you feel any difference at all? 😂

Who would have thought that we’ll be welcoming the much awaited ‘ber’ months while on quarantine? During this time of the year, I would usually scroll and look at my calendar trying to fit every reunion, out of town celebrations, parties and events with what’s left on my vacation leaves. But this year, my leaves are just sitting, waiting to be used and would probably be carried on for next year.

There are really things that we cannot control like this (this whole pandemic actually). And as someone with anxiety, cancelled plans makes me really stressed. So with the coming ‘ber’ months, I decided to make and create some of the things I am looking forward to. Atleast this gives me something to be excited about, something to motivate me and have something I can control.

Also, writing all these stuff up so that i’ll remember what I did during the pandemic 😅

Off from Facebook

It has been 2 months since I decided to deactivate and uninstall my Facebook account.

Nowadays, Social Media has been a huge part of our Lives and most people are on Facebook. I think that there’s a saying “if its not on Facebook, it didn’t happen” or “You do not exist if you are not on Facebook”. And for the past 2 months of being away from facebook, I realized that it didn’t really matter. I am fine with just using Instagram and I am happy that most of my close friends also use Instagram instead of Facebook which makes me feel that somehow I am still connected to my friends through these social media accounts. Twitter is also a big help, this is Where I usually Rant and Vent out.

These are what I have noticed, All kinds of people are on Facebook. It’s hard to filter which Items or types of people you just want to see. It’s also easy to put yourself out there when you are on facebook. The Share option can really go miles. Believe me I tried to delete/Unfriend those facebook friends that I really don’t know, posts too much nonsense and are always ranting on facebook but I guess I got tired and just decided that , you know what? I can just deactivate and uninstall, which I did. One of my bestfriends also deactivated her FB so might as well follow her. Haha!

On Instagram, I noticed that there are cliques (btw since I am using more instagram nowadays, this is what I have observed) When I say cliques, there are groups of people with same interest and once you followed this certain group of people, you will see more of these kinds of people and posts, they will also start following you or you attract these people with similar passion (which is good btw) In my personal account, my partner and I really love eating out, we are foodie buddies even during our dating days, when we started to live together, our love for food grew, the eat outs became more frequent, cooking is something we look forward to and eating will always be our bonding. Hence, the reason why I post mostly about food, restaurants and recipes, I think these food also show why and how we grew together.Recently, I use Instagram to find similar food interest and found that there are really particular groups on Instagram. You will notice these people follow each other and connect through photos and videos of similar interest. I honestly think this is good because as I see it they support each other even though they don’t know each other. Nice no?

When I created Thisissewnaiz, I decided that this account will really focus on handmade ideas, crafts, sewing and finding girls with similar interest of sewing as I am (Honestly it is a bit hard because most sewing enthusiast that I see are from different countries but I am loving all these Ideas that I am learning and seeing from them. I honestly like Instagram because there will be limited comments from each other as long as you are following only those that you like then you’ll be safe from any negative feedback. Ohh and don’t forget Pinterest too! But most pinterest photos are from instagram too so you can use both platforms whichever you prefer.

While on Twitter, what I love about it is you can mute any word that you don’t want to see. You can set your account on private that even if you react, the person will not see it unless he or she follows you back. Haha tricky. But overall, ranting, venting and even any of your interest you can follow on your twitter. On Twitter, I follow mostly about KPOP hahaha, this is where I keep myself update on what’s new about my favorite KPOP groups. Similar to Instagram if you keep on following certain users, Twitter will also suggest similar users that you may have interest in.

As my anxiety grew because of this Pandemic, I realized that I don’t really need these kinds of negative environment and one of this is Facebook. I tried to limit my News information and I also just focus on what inspires me as of the moment which truly helped me for the past few months. I guess, it helps to have the right platform to use if you still want to be connected thru social media.

This is Sew Naiz

So lately I have decided to pursue my passion for sewing. I also finally started to create some items for my sister’s online shop and I honestly feel so pleased with how things are turning out. There are a lot of sellers and online businesses nowadays and I must say that the hardwork that these bakers, cook, craftsmen etc., put into creating their product is no Joke. The incredible feeling of showing and selling your own handmade products really brings out a sense of accomplishment.

 

I loveee creating and making things. The end result always makes my heart flutter with excitement. Now I know what it feels to sell or to give something that you worked hard for. The most amazing thing here is that I enjoyed doing it. More on this, Sewing somehow helped me to distract my thoughts from the pressing issues that we see on social media nowadays. It makes me think of what style, design or what to cut and how to cut the fabrics instead of dwelling and making myself anxious over things that I cannot really control. And this is exactly what I need now. No pressure Just doing something that you like.

 

I also share these creations on my Instagram and Facebook and the amount of chats from friends that I received saying that they also what to learn how to sew is really surprising. Some even bought their own sewing machines and I feel so proud that somehow I get to influence my friends into doing and learning something new and unlocking those skills that they have. When I created my @thisissewnaiz instagram account, I find it a struggle to see girls/women who enjoy creating and sewing like me but as I continue, I am slowly seeing that Sewing is not that underrated.

 

I still have a long way to go before I become someone as experienced as my Mom but this pandemic is a devastating hole that we all experience now and somehow sewing is one of the things that keeps me out of that hole. This pandemic is really taking its toll with our mental health and any kind of productivity can help but you don’t need to feel any pressure, just do what you feel like doing on your own time.

Anyway, What have you unlocked this Pandemic? Is there something you want to learn and do?

Our “New Normal”

Oh wow its August. Just like that and we are now on our 5th month working from home. Funny how I used to wish for me to have a job where I can work from home and take care of Mason. And look! I am now working from home!! Honestly not the best time for this to happen but this is the new norm now ( I somehow miss our office)

Our new Normal consists of waking up, cooking lunch, watching tv, playing with Mason, Mason’s naptime while I work ( all of these while Bryan is sleeping) late in the afternoon, I’ll have to wake them up and it’s his time to look after Mason while I work. This routine is our weekday schedule but weekend schedule is almost the same except that I dont have any work and I get to sew when Mason is asleep. Everything is repetitive now that I dont really look forward to anything anymore.

There’s too much that is going on outside but we can’t really do anything because of pandemic quarantine guidelines. Everyday that I open my social media accounts, I get devastated with news and this new norm just adds up the tension that I feel. I am sure its just not me who’s getting mentally challenged by this new norm.

Well, I guess I just miss the Old normal when we get excited to go out every weekend, when we can still wear our favorite clothes and socialize with friends and family, when we can eat outside and enjoy the view, when we can still stay out late and not wear any masks or face shields.

Not sure when we’ll have answers to this pandemic but we just have to stick to our new normal now and just hope that at the end of this pandemic we’ll come out stronger both mentally and physically and we’ll never take anything for granted again. 😩

I am sewing again!!

Ever since we moved and started life with our new family, my partner and I have been trying to explore new hobbies that captures our interests. He started on his wood works and cooking while I explored on baking, make-up and cooking. I just can’t believe the amount spent on the baking materials that I bought but ended up not being used at all. Who else? lol.

Since last year my sister has been encouraging me to pursue baking or sewing (so I can sell on her online shop) but I just had no time and I really think baking is not for me! All the measuring that does not seem to match at all and dishes to clean after messing up the kitchen does not make me satisfied. Sorry!

When The pandemic and work from home started, I was occupied for the first 2 months with cooking different dishes, I tried to somehow make myself feel like I’m in a restaurant (except there’s no rest part here haha!). Before the pandemic we used to go out every weekend but now there’s really no place to go. Cooking has become a part of my daily task that does not make me look forward to it anymore. I remembered I started making masks (the current trend due to the pandemic) then next thing I know I was scrolling the internet and found this cute cami top with tie straps. I thought it would be easy to do then I researched her Instagram and found the essentials club! I just love her works and DIYs then boom, I bought all fabrics that I found on Instagram. LOL

I started first week of June and I got obsessed and started creating and making more. I know I needed more practice but my creations are not bad that either (maybe for a beginner?) Even made an instagram account all for my sewing photo drop (@thisissewnaiz). Although this is not something that can be source of my income (for now? Hopefully when I’m good at it then this can be a source of income) I guess this skill will do come in handy when the time comes.

Nevertheless, I am just so stoked that I was able to finally start my sewing journey and eventually clean up my closet and have an all personally sewn wardrobe. Who would have thought that I will be able to relive my forgotten love for sewing? I guess it is never too late to always start a new hobby or unlock a long awaited skill.

What have you been up to lately? Is there any new skills or hobby that you have learned during this pandemic?

Vlogging, Blogging and Social Media Influencers

What are your thoughts about these?

I am honestly tempted to be one and to do it. I used to be on tumblr blogging, re-blogging and doing other girls the same age as me were doing. But we all know, vlogging is the new thing here (aside from the fame, it becomes a source of income for some) I mean who wouldn’t want to get attention and earning at the side? There is always a feeling that I want to.. but I am shy and not as confident like other girls and moms. Sometimes I get the urge to really push what I would want to show people but at times I get really really sheepish. I feel like my emotional side will not be able to handle if I will hear some negative criticisms about what I do.

I have a lot of friends who entered these social media platforms and I truly in awe of how they were able to pursue and succeed on it. I guess, passion will also have to be a part of it. I envy some of them but I feel like vlogging is not for everyone including me. Meanwhile Blogging silently and writing here on my blog gives me a room to vent things out that I can not do on my other social media accounts.. Definitely my online diary that I do not intend to really expose to everyone that I know. Also, I feel like not everyone will like my stories, really. lol.

Recently I have been using Instagram a lot. I think Facebook and Instagram stories gives way for most people to interact with friends and show what their current interests are. For me it serves as memories as well that I would want to look back when I get like really old you know. I like the attention but I doubt if there’s too much attention. For now, I am contented with what makes me happy and that’s just posting what I like.

 

 

Working from Home

Its been 2 months and we are still on quarantine. I honestly lost track of time and I usually count the months and not the days anymore. I spent my birthday at home with my two lovies and it was just so intimate. Not as what I have planned in mind but you just got to do what you can during this time.

Anyway, two months passed and I am still working from home. I think that its both a curse and a gift at the same time. A gift because I get to work at the comfort of our home, no need to take risks and commute just to go to the office. I feel so relieved and blessed that I am working in a company that is concerned about its employees. I am so very happy and thankful that atleast, i get to keep my work during this difficult time in the midst of the pandemic. I know not everyone is given this kind of chance (I know there has been massive lay offs globally and I am one of the few lucky ones to still be able to work and save money)

Well the curse part is my “momma heart” . Everytime I need to work, I feel a bit of a tinged whenever my son asks to play but I can’t. It also breaks me when I have a meeting and I can’t attend to his needs. At night he always asks if I am done with my work and he likes it when I get to just sit down with him even for a few minutes before I get back to work. I always have this guilt feeling that I am not doing more for him when its my work time. I also feel sorry for my partner (who is also working from home on a graveyard shift) that he needs to wake up at a very awkward time just to look after our son while I work.

I guess your can never really have it all. There will always be pros and cons in anything. My partner keeps me encouraged and tells me to never feel any guilt because this is all just temporary (atleast just until we get back to our “new” normal lives)

What’s your WFH schedule? Do you find it easy to work at home or not?