Mommy Plannerista

Planning. Passions. Parenthood.

2020 Planner Flip Through (Kikki.K Personal Ring Planner)

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It’s a new year once again and you bet I have set up another planner. Of course, I also filmed a planner flip through video. It’s not a new planner though. I’m actually using a personal size Kikki.K Time Planner that I purchased last year.

I first had it set up as a homeschool planner. However, I have since switched into a customized homeschool planner from One Stop Planner Shop, which left this personal rings vacant. So, I took that opportunity to try this size for my everyday planner instead.

Aside from not spending on a new planner, I also didn’t spend a thing on decor. All the decor I have in my planner now are freebies. I’m all about simplicity in my planner this year.

All I purchased were new inserts although I also took advantage of some free ones as well.

I go into detail about how I set it up this year on this planner flip through video that I posted on my YouTube channel. Do watch!

I hope you enjoy watching the video. If you have any questions about my set up, please let me know below.

What planner are you using this year? Here’s hoping that our planners will help us be more organized this year!

RECLAIM: One Word 2020

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If you’ve been reading this blog long enough, you’d know that I’ve been doing One Word each year as a New Year’s resolution. This year is no different. What’s different is that I had trouble choosing a word this year. In fact, I ended up choosing my word only today.

I initially chose the word “Courage” because I thought that this year would be a good year to be braver in terms of going after my dreams. While that is still a goal of mine, there was still something about it that didn’t seem fit enough to describe what I really want to achieve this year.

I also thought of using the word “Hustle”. As I was reminiscing about everything that happened in my life for the past 10 years and the lessons I’ve learned along the way, I realized that there are still a lot of things that I want to achieve. I wanted to do all that I possibly can this year to achieve them and so “hustle” seemed like a good fit. However, it still didn’t seem to really capture what my heart is yearning for.

I finally came across the word “RECLAIM” today as I was getting inspiration from other people’s One Word. It immediately resonated with me. It made me remember a quote I saw a few weeks ago that goes:

Remember who you are and the game changes.

I saw that quote when I was trying to find inspirational dashboards for my planner. I loved it so much because I felt like I had forgotten or neglected some parts of myself these past few years and wanted to reclaim them. So, I was so happy to find that quote and to discover that there was a downloadable desktop and mobile phone wallpaper that had the quote on it. It’s been on my laptop and phone for more than a week now.

I just feel that in my desire to be the best mom and wife, so many other things in my life have had to take a back seat. Don’t get me wrong. This is not something I regret. Giving up some of the things in my life was just a temporary necessity given that season of my life. However, I feel that this year is finally the time to get more of ME back.

So, you see? The word RECLAIM is just perfect, don’t you think?

Now, exactly what do I plan on reclaiming in my life this year? I plan to RECLAIM my:

HEALTH – I’ve gained a lot of weight these past few years. I’ve also begun to experience some health concerns. Going back into a healthy weight would improve things a lot, which is especially important now that I’m turning 41 soon.

TIME – There’s so many things to do but so little time. Since there’s only 24 hours a day, I want to simplify a lot of the things I do so that I can spend more time on the things that matter most.

CAREER – I love working from home but I’ve had to scale back during the last few years so that I can focus on child-rearing and homeschooling. This year I think I’m ready to do more work-wise now that my youngest child is already 3 years old and we’re already on a steady groove in our homeschool.

FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE – A lot of my insecurities lately stem from the fact that I don’t earn as much as I used to anymore as a result of scaling back on work. It just makes me feel good to earn my own money.

CONFIDENCE – These past few years I’ve been second guessing myself a lot. I want to be able to remember what I’m made of and be more confident in my abilities and decisions.

PASSIONS – I’ve had to scale back on some of my hobbies too, such as reading. I really miss it, so I vow to read more this year. Similarly, I’ve scaled back on blogging as well, but this year I want to bring this blog back to a more active status again.

HEART – My heart has been bruised so many times this year by people who are closest to me. A lot of that comes from me caring so much. That’s just part of my personality. However, while I will still continue to care for the people I love, it’s also high time for me to start caring more about myself so that I can bring back the ME I used to love.

Some people would probably say that this is a bit selfish, thinking about myself. However, after years of giving so much of myself to the people I love, I think it’s more than okay for me to be a little selfish. I deserve this and will not apologize for it. I truly believe that it is in remembering and reclaiming the best parts of me that I will truly change the game this year.

Here’s to 2020!

Do you have a One Word for the year too? Please share it with me. I’d be happy to hear about it.

Highlights and Lessons: The Past 10 Years of My Life

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It’s the last day of 2019. Tomorrow will mark not just the start of a new year but also the end of a decade.

As I was thinking about what my One Word for 2020 will be, I found myself reflecting on my life not just this past year but for the past 10 years. I thought it would be nice to go down memory lane and list down the highlights I’ve had each year.

2009:
This was the year that Jon and I decided that we wanted to create a family, and so we decided to move in together with my daughthers.

I had been working part time during the last half of 2018. In the beginning of 2019, the job became a full time one. I was able to do a lot of local travel for work this year. This included my first trip to Davao and Bacolod.

This was also the year I made a major decision to let go of my legal responsibilities to my dad.

2010:
I became pregnant with Ziggy. It was a delicate pregnancy, with me having to go on bed rest twice. This prompted me to leave my job.

This was the year I started this blog, which I first named Roller Coaster Ride.

2011:
I gave birth to Ziggy in February. I attempted to go back to a full time job in November but was forced to leave it come January of the next year. It was a challenging year financially. Nevertheless, I enjoyed being a fully hands-on mom to my son, something I never got to do when my daughters were babies because I had to go back to work just a month after they were born.

2012:
I was a stay-at-home mom for the first half of the year. Thankfully, I was able to get hired for a writing gig and that kickstarted my career as a freelance writer. A few months after, I was also offered a gig as a virtual assistant working mainly on article writing and social media management.

2013:
2013 was the year that my blog really started doing well. I started being offered more campaigns and the income, although not huge, became more consistent.

This was also the year I accepted another virtual assistant job. This time, it also involved helping operate an online shop.

We took the kids to Canyon Cove during the summer. It was Ziggy’s first trip to the beach. Sadly, we haven’t been back to the beach as a family since then.

This was an especially emotionally year for our blended family. This was a year that our girls, Zoe and Ziya, decided to live with their dad for good.

2014:
This was the year my freelance writing gig was truly on a high. I had an opportunity to have two articles published on SmartParenting.com and I also worked for most of the year writing for The Asian Parent Philippines.

This was the year we also started homeschooling Ziggy independently at the age of 3.

2015:
2015 was filled with more new writing gigs. Most notable were my experiences writing for the now defunct Raket.ph and IndigoMemoirs.com. Writing for Indigo Memoirs was such a highlight because it was a London-based lifestyle online magazine.

One of the biggest highlights this year though was my discovery of the planner community worldwide. This prompted me to start a second Instagram account solely for this purpose, then called Planning for Pleasure. This eventually made its way into this blog too.

2016:
I got pregnant and gave birth to Zander. This was also the year I started working for Weddings at Work as a virtual assistant. WaW was my main client until 2017.

2016 was also the year we first enrolled Ziggy under a homeschool provider.

I started working for planner shops all over the world as part of their PR team, which helped me further my skills on content creation for Instagram.

2017:
This was the year I started becoming more active in posting videos on YouTube channel. However, it wasn’t as consistent as I wanted it to be.

My stint ended for WaW in May. I started working as a freelance writer again. I started working for a client whom I have worked for in the past. I still work for her as of this writing.

2018:
I changed this blog’s name and branding from Roller Coaster Ride to Mommy Plannerista.com. Admittedly though, this was also the year that I started becoming less active in blogging.

However, ironically, I also got my first offer to join a National Bookstore campaign that involved a video shoot. (You can see the video on the right sidebar!). I almost said no but ended up having a blast although I was SUPER anxious about it.

Zoe graduated from 10th grade this year and started Senior High!

2019:
It was our first time to use unit studies in our homeschool this year and we totally love it! We plan on doing more next school year.

I was also given more opportunities to work with some of my favorite planner shops as part of their PR Teams this year.

Ziya also graduated from 10th grade this year and started Senior High.

Needless to say, so much has happened in my life this past decade. There have been several major things that have given me a life I never expected I’d have, that of being a mom in a blended family, working from home, being a writer and content creator, homeschooling, and blogging. Those are the 5 main things that make up ME now.

These changes come with their share of lessons, of course. Here are the 10 main lessons I’ve learned:

1. I learned that I’ve amassed a lot of skills during my twenties that actually serve me well now that I’m freelancing. They are skills I acquired because of career decisions I’ve made in the past. They turned out to me smart ones. I’m learning I have good instincts and that I should trust myself more.

2. It’s a challenge parenting teenagers. Parenting from afar makes it even harder. It makes me worry all the time, but again I know I just have to have a lot of faith in HIM to be there for them when I can’t.

3. It’s a lot of work managing a blended family. However, having one now has helped me come to terms with my own experience growing up in a broken family. I now understand that everything that happened in my life had to happen to prepare me for this.

4. I’ve learned to love again and to recognize what true love is and what it is not.

5. I’ve learned that it’s okay to accept help from time to time. Not everyone who offers help has an agenda. Sometimes they just have a good heart and sometimes you need to throw pride out of the window. Kindness goes a long way.

6. I may suffer from anxiety and it may be crippling from time to time. I’ve learned though that I can power through them eventually.

7. I’ve learned who my real friends are. The past 10 years I’ve witnessed friends who have come and gone. Those who remained are the ones I know always have my back even if we rarely see each other.

8. I’ve learned that it’s easy for some people to paint a picture-perfect life. I’ve realized it’s what I hate the most. I’ve learned to stay away from people and situations that are not truly authentic.

9. I’ve learned that I’m strong enough to survive life’s challenges. I’ve learned that heartaches are painful but that I’m strong enough to be healed. I may have been broken, and will probably break again in the future, but I now know that I’m strong enough to pick up the pieces and move on.

10. I have learned that if I want to change things in my life that are no longer working out or no longer serving it’s purpose, I need to have courage to let it go. Life truly does shrink or expand in proportion to one’s courage.

On that note, I hope you’ve also learned a lot this past decade. Now that we’re about to start a new year, I leave you with this message:

You can make all the plans you want for your life but things will inevitably happen that you never planned for and that’s okay. God’s plans are always better than your plans for yourself. Prepare all you want but don’t forget to have a lot of faith in HIM. 

Christmas School: What We’re Doing This Year in Our Homeschool

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Last year, I shared how we inject Christmas in our homeschool. This year, I decided to do some things differently and so I’m sharing our Christmas School activities with you in case you’re also looking for ideas.

Several weeks ago, I was searching for Christmas crafts online when I chanced upon articles about Christmas schooling from other homeschool moms abroad. It’s basically about taking a break from your regular homeschool activities to focus on Advent and the reason for the season – Jesus.

I thought it was a great idea so I decided to do the same. I wanted to finish up with our planned homeschool lessons for December though and so we were only officially able to start Christmas schooling today. However, there were some activities we already started on the first week of December.

Here are the activities we’re doing for Christmas school this year.

Christmas Morning Basket

I have been changing out the contents of our morning basket every few weeks. For Christmas, I included Christmas books, of course, to add to our Bible. Here’s a photo.

These are not the only books we’ll be reading though. I have a few more ebooks on my Kindle. We prefer holding real books over ebooks though. Reading aloud to my kids is something I do often and both of my boys really enjoy it especially when they involve Christmas stories.

Jesse Tree

I discovered what the Jesse Tree is all about only last month just in time for us to start it in December. I found this amazing free resource from Confessions of a Homeschooler and it has everything you need.

The resource includes an explanation on what the Jesse Tree is an how to do the activity. It has a list of the daily passages you need to read and the corresponding ornaments to place on your tree. The ornaments are printable and come in both colored and black and white versions. There’s also a suggested list of addional reading from a book called The Jesse Chapter but I chose not to do that for this year because I didn’t have time anymore to look for the book.

Anyway, I chose to print the ornaments in black and white so that my son, Ziggy, can color them on his own. He enjoys doing this while I’m reading the passage for the day. Since I also had no time to buy a tree for this activity, I just chose to draw one on a board that we already had at home. Our youngest, Zander, is still too young to understand what it is because he’s only 3 years old, but he enjoys looking at the tree and pointing at the ornaments he can recognize. Overall, it’s just an amazing activity to do to teach kids about God’s love for us, about some very important people in the Bible, and most of all about Jesus.

Polar Express Unit Study

This is something I was very excited about because I truly enjoy unit studies. You can learn about so many different topics from just one central theme.

We started our Polar Express unit study today. Thankfully, there are a lot of resources available online. I just needed to buy the actual Polar Express book. Then when it’s time to watch the movie version, all we need to do is go on Netflix.

Among all the resources I found, I decided on this amazing bundle of activities I found from Mary Lou Cheney on TeachersPayTeachers.com. It has worksheets and fun activities.

We’re also using this awesome Polar Express unit study guide from Pam Cloar that I got from Homeschoolshare.com. It lists down and explains all the topics you can discuss, broken down into different subjects. For geography, we’ll be learning about the North Pole and the Arctic. For Science, we’ll be learning about biomes and arctic animals. There are also activities for language arts and math too among others. Plus, there are printables for a lapbook too! So exciting!

I super love the combination of these two resources I found.

Christmas Carols

Like last year, we’ve also been learning more Christmas songs this year. We are still using this book of Christmas carols. However, I’ve also been teaching my kids some Filipino carols too. I teach them one new song each week.

So far, we’re really enjoying Christmas school this year. I’m actually already planning on how to improve it next year. I want our Christmas school to be longer so next year I will strive to start by the first day of December.

How about you guys? Do you do Christmas schooling too? Comment below and let me know if you’re doing any Christmas activities with your kids this year.

If you’re interested to see more of what we do in our homeschool, do connect with me on my main Instagram account. I share a lot there!

4 Ways to Continue Education Outside of the Classroom

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Kids are like sponges. From preschool and beyond, they absorb an incredible amount of information that will inform the rest of their lives. They may be getting a great education in local schools like Winwood Children’s Center, but how do you help them continue their education outside of the classroom? There should be other outlets for your children, and ways for them to best grow creatively outside of a typically-structured classroom. 


Photo by Lukas from Pexels

Here are four ways to continue education outside of the classroom.

Community Service

Community service is a wonderful way for your child to engage with the outside world. It is also a great way to get them involved in their community and to develop compassion for others. Community service builds skills your child will use for the rest of their lives. Try going as a family to Feed My Starving Children and pack meals for international families. Or, if your children are a bit older, work with Habitat for Humanity and help build houses. To find local nonprofits near you, a quick Google search can lead you to a variety of opportunities to best find the perfect fit for your child. 

Educational Clubs

Look into your child’s’ school and see what educational after-school programs they offer. Oftentimes, these programs may be free, or they may also cost money. These clubs are a great way for your child to experience teachers they aren’t necessarily used to, so they grow more adaptable and malleable in their learning and brain development. This is a great way to also get your kids out of the house if you have to work. You can even look outside of your child’s school, and look at local programs that may be offered at the Boys and Girls Club or the YMCA.

Private Tutoring

If you want to help continue your child’s academic education outside of school, look towards private tutoring. Private tutoring is a fantastic way to ensure your child gets one-on-one attention. If they are struggling in a particular area of the school, hiring a tutor to help them directly address their needs is a sure solution. Reach out to local community Facebook groups, or check in with local college or high school students. College and high school students are always looking to expand their resumes and make an extra buck, so they will be extremely easy to find.

Musical Classes

Expand the kind of education your child receives with one-on-one music classes. Ask your child if a particular instrument interests them. If you’re looking to save some money on instruments, encourage them to try singing. Many local music stores offer programs and networks for teachers to best find a music teacher for your child. This is a great way for your child to learn rhythm, enhance their math skills, and develop an ear for pitch. It also helps them be less shy, so they are more comfortable talking and communicating with others. Look into music classes in your area, and find something that may interest your child! 

These are just a few ways for your child to continue education outside of the classroom. Use some of these resources, and help further your child academically, musically, and intellectually. 

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