Wifely Steps

Hi there! I’m Toni and I write Wifely Steps to share my experiences with married life and mommy life. I started Wifely Steps in 2003 as a way to help fellow newlyweds adjust. Over the years it has evolved into a food, home and living, and now, a parenting blog. Life’s great like that, isn’t it? It takes you by surprise and helps you grow, grow, grow. This blog chronicles my journey as a wife, mother, and individual. I hope that the things I learn along the way help others too.

Let’s connect through wifelysteps@gmail.com or fill up the form at the end of this page.

Awards and Recognition
Wifely Steps won Best Home & Living Blog during the first Philippine Blog Awards in 2007. In 2009, it was a finalist for Best Parenting Blog at the Nuffnang Asia Pacific Blog Awards. In early 2011, Little Steps Hong Kong chose Wifely Steps as one of Asia’s Top Mom Blogs. In June 2011, Nuffnang Philippines chose me as their Blogger of the Month. This January 2012, Little Steps Hong Kong handpicked Wifely Steps to be once again part of their list of Top Parenting Blogs in Asia. Thank you for all the support!

Blogging Around
Wifely Steps is my main blog, but I also write other blogs to capture my other interests. What’s your story? is my blog on writing prompts. Big Day Plunge is my blog on wedding tips. Macaroni and Serendipity on tumblr is my digital scrapbook. I also used to blog for Inquirer.net and Yahoo! Fit to Post. I’m currently one of the bloggers for philstar.com’s official blog section Unblogged. Yep, I love to blog.

A Little About Me
Advertising was my life for almost twelve years. When my baby turned one last year, I knew I wanted to be a stay-at-home-mom. It’s wonderful, challenging and all sorts of crazy. I do work from home. I’m an independent brand and communications strategy consultant. I’m also a freelance contributor to Wikihealth Pilipinas and The Philippine Online Chronicles. Motherhood keeps me busy, but I really enjoy features writing and strategic planning. I’m grateful that I can balance my desire to stay connected to those two interests while chasing a toddler around the house.

Writing Samples
I love to write. Here’s a peek at some of my work that have been published online recently.

Autumn in New York – Buhay Pinoy, The Philippine Online Chronicles (October 2011)
Those untranslateable Tagalog words – Buhay Pinoy, The Philippine Online Chronicles (September 2011)
Tara, kain tayo! (Overeaters anonymous or Pinoy food lover?) – Buhay Pinoy, The Philippine Online Chronicles (August 2011)
You don’t do much all day, do you? A piece on how SAHMs and WAHMs can be quite the misunderstood lot. – philstar.com (May 2011)
Not your typical chick flicks – Sosyal, The Philippine Online Chronicles (February 2011)
Are you working too much? – Wellness, The Philippine Online Chronicles (January 2011)
Christmas Gifts That Don’t Cost a Cent – Yahoo! Southeast Asia (December 2010)
Eating well as we grow older – Wellness, The Philippine Online Chronicles (July 2010)
Lunch Box Love: Easing Back-to-School Jitters – Wellness, The Philippine Online Chronicles (June 2010)
Get wed, Hollywood style! – Sosyal, The Philippine Online Chronicles (June 2010)

A Little More About Me
I’m addicted to my iPhone. I love milk tea and make mine an English Breakfast latte please. The Sims 3 relaxes me. So does the scent of vanilla. Maybe I should put on a vanilla-scented candle while playing The Sims, what do you think? If I won the lottery I’d get a personal stylist because I hate shopping for clothes. Going to the grocery is therapy. No matter what you say, ice cream trumps frozen yogurt. The movie quote that best describes my 2011 so far is from Lost in Translation — “The more you know who you are, the less you let things upset you.”

If you’d like to get in touch, please leave a comment in any of my blog entries with your contact information, e-mail me at wifelysteps@gmail.com, or fill in the contact form below. I’ll get back to you the soonest I can. Cheers!