“When you look into your mother’s eyes, you know that is the purest love you can find on this earth.” —Mitch Albom

Happy Mother’s Day to all the incredibly amazing mothers out there who always flood their families with the kind of unconditional love and generous support we all need to survive this crazy world!

This may be my favorite occasion because I have realized, especially during this pandemic, that being a mother is my top priority and truly gives my life so much meaning and purpose.

Over my Easter vacation in Australia, I had time to reflect on so many aspects of my life, and I have come to the realization that we are all responsible for our own state of being. We cannot blame or accuse others for our own unhappiness, or make them the sole reason we have regret and misery in our lives.

We have to work on prioritizing the people who truly matter, and the issues that make our lives purposeful. For me, it is my kids who give my life so much meaning and purpose.

During these exciting periods of transition, we should all find time to center ourselves with spiritual clarity and peaceful balance. This could be attained with any morning routine of meditation and reflection, or even some simple breathing exercises. Waking up with a grateful heart and acknowledging all the blessings in your life are great ways to start the day.

Morning rituals

I recently listened to the podcast “Project Loving Myself” on Spotify. Each week, host Sanaiyah Gurnamal shares new ideas, informative discussions and meaningful insights through candid conversations with well-being influencers, advocates and experts.

One of her episodes, “Morning Routines with Sanaiyah Gurnamal,” shares effective and easy morning rituals to follow to have a more productive daily life.

Sanaiyah has interviewed several empowered women and spiritual healers to help listeners navigate challenges and hurdles in the family life.

Her latest episode is an interview with my sister-in-law, digital editor Ria Francisco-Prieto, as she talks about being intentional in all aspects of her life. I reconnected with Ria at the Jo Malone London event at The Atrium in SM Aura to celebrate Mother’s Day with other influencers and amazing mommies.

Stylish moms

The setup was inspired by the World of Jo Malone London and was filled with handmade giant paper flowers and moss-covered dinosaurs.

Guests discovered the most loved floral scents: Nectarine Blossom and Honey, Wild Bluebell, Peony & Blush Suede and English Pear & Freesia, the perfect scents for Mother’s Day gifting. The Jo Malone London stylists engaged the mothers present to try the different scent pairings. (Jo Malone London boutiques; Rustans.com; Lazada.)

At the event, a flower topper making station allowed guests to get creative with Moss Design House founder, Cyndi Fernandez-Beltran, who led the demonstration of beautiful floral arrangements. Cyndi, a mother of three pretty girls, is one of my fave interior designers, and I am so happy we have shared so many projects together.

New mom Kyla Olives-Laurel and Pau Guevarra were there to photograph the beautiful event, as well.

Sharyn Wong, country manager of Estée Lauder Companies, invited my daughter, Athena Valdes, and me to this affair. I bumped into so many stylish moms and I’m sure we are all happy to be attending events in person again. Coming from mask-free Australia, it was delightful to see that the Philippines is not far behind. I remain hopeful that the pandemic will soon truly be over!

Wish

If I have a Mother’s Day wish, it would be to travel again with my parents to Europe. We were there last 2016 when we all attended the wedding of my niece Alexi Prieto and her high school sweetheart Andrew Tarvis. My inaanak Alexi is now a mother of cute little 4-year-old Mave. How time flies!

I am manifesting grand traveling in the near future! It has been four years since our #GoTyaBalkan2018 group returned from our exhilarating Balkans trip, but I can still vividly remember lugging around seven bejeweled crowns, 10 hats, four wigs, six cross necklaces, and over 40 kg of costumes across Croatia, Slovenia and other places we visited. Despite the excess baggage fees, the experience of walking across the land of the Lannisters while dressed in character was one for the books.

We visited romantic Lake Bled just outside the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana. Pictures don’t do it justice, so it really is a must-see when traveling to that part of the world.

After crossing the border over to Croatia, we also explored the stunning Plitvice Lakes National Park. Because it was a “Game of Thrones”-themed vacation, of course we did not miss exploring Dubrovnik, or what GOT fans fondly refer to as King’s Landing, the fictional capital of Westeros.

The Balkans was on the rise as a premier destination, but sadly, because of the COVID pandemic, visitor arrivals have waned. Fortunately, with more and more travel protocols getting relaxed, soon people will definitely get to enjoy and be amazed at what the Balkans can offer as a destination of choice.

For everyone who wants to see and experience the old world charm of the Balkans, my travel planner of choice is Shan David (tel. 0917-8986541). Thanks to her and to her creative #CITTIexperience team, I will always have fond memories of the Balkans.

Happy Mother’s Day, Mamarixi!

In closing, I would like to wish my mom, Marixi Prieto, a wonderful Mother’s Day celebration. She is the most accomplished and successful mother I know—not only in her career, but also in all the love and support she has provided to every member of our family.

She truly embodies the perfect balance of work and play. Her patience and ever-present kind nature never fail to amaze me and those close to her. If I am proud to describe myself as a loving and generous woman, it is all because of what my mother has instilled in me from the moment I was born.Thank God for mothers like Mamarixi! The world would be a better place if we all experienced the kind of love she shares to those around her.

Follow at @seaprincess888 on Instagram.