Mommies Get Gifts Too...

Not counting the yearly tradition of gift exchange we have in the family, it’s been years since I have joined any gift exchange activities with a group. So when Mommy Bloggers Philippines came up with a gift exchange activity this year, #MBPGiftSwap, I eagerly signed up because it is the first time that I got to experience gift exchange activity without meeting the recipient of my gift. Gifts were shipped to recipients and I got to ship my gift to someone down south. I really found that cool! 🙂 Another reason why I joined? Because mommas get gifts, too, during the holidays! Right?

The theme for the exchange was to give something that will somewhat represent me and/or my blog and that my gift exchange partner would appreciate. While I have only met a handful of the mommies of #MommyBloggersPH and got to interact with the others via comment exchanges, I didn’t really know what these mommas would like. There goes my dilemma. It was somewhat a eureka moment that I was able to come up with something that quite represents me and my blog. My idea almost flopped because I had to figure out a way how to ship it and ensure that it gets delivered intact. And boy, was I glad that it arrived in one piece and that my recipient loved it! My gift swap partner was Maan Laxa of joyfulmess.com.

I also received a gift from another mommy blogger, too. 🙂 To be honest, while I love giving gifts (all wrapped by moi), I rarely receive wrapped gifts on any occasions. And those few times that I do, I really enjoy unwrapping them. I love the excitement of finding out what was underneath all the pretty wrapping. 🙂

I got to open this on a Saturday morning, while my brain was still asleep from a night of partying (it was our company’s Christmas party). So I didn’t really made any guesses as to what the gift was.

My first reaction when I got to see what was hiding inside that pretty wrapping? I laughed. I was happy I really laughed. You see, I’ve been trying to get my hands on this pretty thing eversince I have seen one but I was a bit hesitant to buy it given that I already was aiming for a different planner (I am an avid Starbucks planner collector for a long time now 🙂 ). Because, really, what would one do with multiple planners anyway? Well, there was one year when I had 3 planners! LOL!

Finally! I have one of this pretty, pretty planner! And I really love it. So, thank you so much, Mhaan Delos Santos of www.mommyrockininstyle.com. Given the chaotic schedule that I try to keep, this planner would really help me organize the things that I need to get done. I can classify my things to do – from the little boy’s doctor’s appointments, therapy sessions, my own personal appointments and all that. Oh, and I can now write down my goals and read them every now and then (not just thinking about them then forget about it).

I have met Mhaan on a few events but I never got the chance to chat with her. Her blog, www.mommyrockininstyle.com, is about her experiences as a wife, mother and of course, her love for things kikay by being a make-up artist. Cool, eh? I hope we can get together sometime, Mhaan, and maybe teach me how to wear make-up. 🙂

One thing that I love about this gift swap activity of MBP? Somehow, with all the schedules we have with our own lives, we still get this chance to connect with other mommas out there. There’s no need to leave the comforts of our homes to get to know these mommies at a time like this (hello, horrible traffic everywhere!) but at the same time, by going through each other’s blogs, we get to know another person and somehow connect in a way that would be so much different when we meet them in person. Of course, meeting these lovely mommas in person would really be great, but given all the busy schedules each one of us have, it’s not really easy organizing one. And I applaud Mommy Bloggers Philippines for coming up with ways for us moms to get to know each other even if we seldom see each other. Kudos, MBP!

Mommy Bloggers Philippines Gift Swap 2016 is brought to us by the following sponsors: