I have been actively blogging lately. It’s because I have coughs and colds and my two girls aren’t with me. To avoid missing them so badly, I blog.

Here’s an update of what’s inside the bag of a work-at-home mom (work from home mom). I first blogged about this topic a few months back. Read it here.

There will be lots of new things in my bag.

my 13-inch Apple MacBook Pro

I got a new Apple MacBook Pro just last Nov. 10. Thanks to the business I share with my sis. Thanks to hubby, too. We bought it at blink; a good deal, actually, so we immediately grabbed it.

This is actually my fourth laptop. My third one was Dell Express. It crashed. As soon as it’s OK, I’m going to give it to my toddler. She has this notebook, but, I guess it’s not friendly.

Here’s the cloth that I use to clean my Apple MBP.

cloth to clean my Apple MBP

This is my Ipad2. I use it when I don’t have much stuffs to do in my work. I like it because it’s handy, the battery lasts longer than my iPhone, and I can connect with my clients anytime by using my WIFI router.

iPad2

My mobile phones! (one is for my Kuwait simcard, the other one is for my Smart roaming). Did you notice the handset? My hubby teased me saying I upgraded my mobile phone to iPhone, but downgraded it to a normal/traditional phone. LOL. You see my iPhone is so busy both for personal and professional use. I need to protect myself from radiation, at least by a degree of percentage. It claims it protects by 99 percent. Sometimes, I bring it out publicly, haha, but I don’t use it that much in public.

iPhone, roaming phone, and handset

This is my Kindle, one of childbirth gifts from my hubby (during my 2nd childbirth).

Kindle

The cables/chargers for my gadgets. I love this Mili, an extra battery charger for my iPhone.

cables for my gadgets, and mili extra battery charger for my iPhone

My gold notebook — to jot down important thoughts. This is my stylus pen for my iPhone and notebook.

gold notebook and stylus pen for my iPhone/iPad and notebook

I don’t wear make up. From time to time though, I just use lip gloss (particularly during winter time) and add an eyeliner. I took a pic of this mascara even though I don’t use it that much.

my kikay side

Ooops. I had this trip to the Avenues Mall the other day, and used the voucher I got to purchase some stuffs for myself. I love the natural effect of the blush on, matte powder, and lipstick. But after using the blush on, I had this pimple on my cheek! I’m not really into beauty stuffs. LOL. Anyway, I also have this habit of putting nail polish every now and then. I don’t clean my fingernails though as I don’t generally grow them long. My fingernails are short, and somehow clean, perhaps, but when I’m in the mood, I paint with a nail polish. It perks my thoughts up. It brings out my creative juice. LOL. I also use from time to time this hand sanitizer.

new addition to my beauty stuffs: blush on, matte powder, and lipstick. I don't use them. I just put them in my bag; to be used for cases when I look sleepy or haggard. LOL

I always bring with me a bottle of green barley (for emergency cases like when I feel dizzy, vomiting, or when my energy level is low). Do read my post about how beneficial green barley is. Or here’s the Web site to visit so you’d know its amazing benefits.

As you can see though, there have been lots of changes in the content of my work from home mom’s bag than my previous WAHM’s bag. There are other stuffs in my new bag. I uploaded the pics in my flickr account but for some reason I could not see them. I will be posting the pics tomorrow; it’s already past 2a.m.

Be back.

T H E  87th L E T T E R

Dear Baby1,

How are you, my baby?

You’re two years old now! WOW. The terrible two’s, they say, but, I’d say, you’re a terrific two-year old. You’re Mommy’s look-alike now. Thank God ahihi. Daddy says that your new haircut looks good on you. It shows that we share almost the same features.

I was trembling when I cut your hair. You kept on moving around here and there. I cut your bangs first, and gotcha, they were crooked, and so short – middle of your forehead. Thank God, you have a beautiful face. No matter how the hair is messed up, it looks good on you.

A few days before you hit your 2nd birthday, I was surprised to hear from you that you understand the Dora episodes you’ve been watching — the way you tell the stories to our family friend-driver. Then, a day after that, I was surprised even more when you started to tell the conversations way ahead from the characters of DTE. Now, at two years old, it has become pronounced. You’re consistent in knowing the conversations and telling them even before we hear them from the TV. You’re so amazing, my baby.

This afternoon, you also surprised us when you asked your nanny to draw your whole body on the paper by tracing you as you lie down on the paper. I asked you not to move and you were very cooperative.

You also tend to mimic our words – a lot – including our accents and dialects. Oh no. We hope to speak more in English at home, just the way you do.

What Mommy would like you to concentrate on (no pressure) is about familiarizing yourself with the alphabet, numbers, and colors. You know the shapes now. Although you know how to sing the alphabet, you just get bored when we teach you about the alphabet. You long have wanted to read (you “read” with your eyes) — pretending though that you’re reading books. Hehe. Anyway, glad that you love to “read”, and you love to be read.

Glad, too, that you’re now eating again. I hope that you’d gain more in terms of height. Let’s concentrate on your height gain in the next few days, months, and years.

You’re still awake at 8p.m. Well, these days, you’re sleeping at 9p.m. or 10p.m. You also tend to sleep late in the afternoon at around 2p.m. or 3p.m. You find it hard to sleep with Mommy so I let your nanny lull you to sleep. With Mommy, you always think of playing or with Mommy’s Iphone, watching youtube, or book-reading so sleeping is secondary to you, unless your eyes become so droopy.

I once tried to go outside last week, I mean, to “work” away from home — at a cafe — so that Mommy could concentrate, and for you to eat well, too (there are times when Mommy’s around, you don’t eat that much). You were crying when Mommy left, and when Mommy arrived after four hours, you were already eagerly waiting for me. After that incident, I didn’t go out to “work” yet. I guess it’s much better to work at home just like what I have been doing because I can concentrate more (because of net connection and no expenses for food outside at the cafe), and I can hear and see you anytime. There are times though that you wouldn’t want to play with your yaya when Mommy’s at work-mode.

This is all for now.

iloveyou,

mommy

This is a bit private part of my life, but, I’d allow you to have a sneak preview of what’s in a WAHM’s bag.

I can't wait to use Mac. It's recently shipped to hubby via Aramex. I hope to sell my Dell XPS although I am having second thoughts because it's one of my childbirth gifts from hubby. During my delivery of our 1st baby, I received a notebook (which my 23-month old baby is using; and this Dell XPS.

This is my gold mini notebook where I write important notes, accounts. I bought this for KD 1.650 from The Sultan Center. The mini ballpen costs KD0.600. I so love these items!

Ballpen from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - a souvenir I bought during our SouthEast Asia tour in 2010

I always bring this anywhere. My family loves to eat outside home. It's a must to sanitize before we put something in our mouth!

I lurve my Iphone4!

I was planning to upload the individual photos of the contents of my WAHM bag, but, it’s kinda tasking. I have yet to prepare — hubby and I will have my SIM card converted to microsim, and buy veggies in Kuwait City. So, I am uploading here the overall picture of my WAHM bag: what’s lacking in the photo — my Iphone headset and USB cable, my comb, my lip liner. I don’t wear make up when I go out; just a shimmer of lip gloss and a little touch of eye liner.

what's lacking in the photo -- my Iphone headset and USB cable, my comb, my lip liner...

This is all for now. The content of my WAHM bag varies every now and then, depending on my mood, on what I want to read, and on what I want to bring. But basically, the stuffs above are common in my WAHM bag. Usually, I prefer to work (outside home) on malls with free WIFI since my ‘work’ is ONLINE. But, there are cases wherein no WIFI is offered. I have yet to activate the Zain USB WIFI. Photo to be added soon.

Honestly, I never imagined that I’d be working at home or from home. In the past, I was one of those who yearned for recognition/merits at the workplace. I got further studies to augment my knowledge. I was on top of the class both in my tertiary education and graduate studies. Working from home then was a farfetched idea!

When we went overseas, I worked for two years, and finally decided that having a baby and finally settling in at home was and is the best option.

I’m still a career woman, only that, working outside home is no longer my option. I’m still here overseas, and I’ve pioneered the WAHM career in Kuwait. More about this soon.

When I learned that my first baby’s a girl in 2008, and that a baby girl’s brain development happens for the first two years of her life, that’s when I told myself that working outside should not be an option. Another thing, we didn’t have a nanny then to take good care of my baby. I was afraid of bringing my baby to babysitters. I also didn’t want to be apart from my baby by bringing her to my home country. And now, my first baby is 22 months, and is way ahead in her mental development. I am also currently pregnant with my 2nd baby, and she’s a baby girl, too.

Why do moms work at home?  For me, having a WAHM career is just so timely. It gives me more freedom and a lifestyle I wouldn’t trade of. I get to see my baby 24×7, and I’m almost always there every step of her way. I also enjoy what I am doing in my WAHM career.

For other working moms (who work outside home), circumstances, sometimes, for them to quit work and their careers. Top reason is about having a househelp. Yes just like this Malaysian mom who’s thinking of quitting work because there’s a shortage in foreign domestic help. Previously, we didn’t have a househelp here overseas. When our househelp came, I was already “forced” to quit working outside. But, the result is just awesome! I’d reiterate, I’m blessed to have both – a career at home, and that of taking care of my baby, and another one on the way.

I couldn’t ask for more. As I write this post, (after doing some online work), my baby is beside me – she’s watching youtube videos of her favorite singer, Justin Bieber. She has her own laptop, by the way.

Would you like to learn on how to start your WAHM career? It’s just easy. Let’s talk.