Hi! My name is Antonette! I am 100 percent Filipino, born in Detroit and raised in the “burbs.” Named after my Father, Antonio, I am the fourth and final girl, so he needed his junior! Both of my parents came from the Philippines in the 70’s with two young babies. I am a proud Filipina Mom to be a First Generation Filipino-American who is highly active in our community because of my parents.
Thrifting is My Thing
Fashion and being creative with what I already own is my jam! I love thrifting and finding great deals and incorporating it with my current wardrobe. I am the youngest of four girls, so I used to get hand-me-downs all the time! To this day, I accept anything and everything with open arms and an open mind! Even my sister-in-law who is way younger than I am loves to share her closet!
Work, Work, Work
I am a Wayne State University Alumni with a minor in fashion. Detroit City was my hometown during my 20’s. I worked as fashion stylist for Nordstrom which was one of my favorite positions! While I was there, I styled news reporters, executives to big companies, and even my best friends. I also worked for the Fine Apparel Department at Neiman Marcus at Somerset Collection. Talk about luxury! I met so many wonderful designers, people in the fashion industry, and saw so many beautiful collections every season!
The Music is in Me
I absolutely love to dance and sing! Today, I don’t do it enough…but I know I will! My Dad is known as the Filipino Elvis in our community. I grew up with him singing at shows almost every weekend and my mom making costumes for him! I took tap, jazz, some ballet, Hawaiian, and Tahitian as a child. In high school, I was part of the show choir and dance team. In my early 20’s, I did local theatre plays like The Chorus Line and West Side Story! I love musicals! I love to incorporate dance in my workout as well, and biking to stay fit and active. Over the summer, I started to sing and volunteer for my church because this is what made me HAPPY and I absolutely love spreading happiness to others as well.
Princess Forever
I love Disney princesses! Pocahontas was one princess I played at a local show. After The Little Mermaid came out in theaters I felt a connection to every single princess from every movie. Disney World to me is the “happiest place on Earth”. I’ve had many great childhood memories there and hope to make more as a mother!
The Year of the Pandemic
I lost my job as the Assistant Manager at Sur La Table during the pandemic. As retailers closed, we also had to close permanently. At first, I was devastated. SLT was my “home away from home.” I absolutely fell in love with every single aspect of my job, from the people I worked with, to the sales, marketing, and just being me! But as soon as I found out the exact closing day of SLT, which was August 28th, 2020, and the first day of virtual schooling for my boys, which was September 1st, 2020, I saw this as a sign. A sign that it was my time to be more present with my boys.
I worked full-time for the past 12 years, so this was a huge transition. I took a deep breath and I cried my eyes out every single day, wondering what we would do! My husband took on three jobs for us to survive for the rest of the year. And by the end of December, another sign and blessing happened! My husband got the job he’s been striving for! And just like that… this past year I have been a stay-at-home-mom!
Self-Care is Important
As the saying goes, “Before you can love others, you first have to love yourself.” I MUST say being a SAHM is the hardest job I ever had! During this past year I’ve been Instablogging, taking photos of everything and anything, and planning events with family and friends! It’s such a wonderful experience to be able to be involved with family, friends, and myself. But, the hardest part of being at home is taking time for yourself. I definitely need to work more on this now that school is fully in-person. However, there are still struggles out there with COVID-19 and school procedures and policies, but I am a positive mama and I know this will get better!
The Boys in My Life
The boys and I have a hard-working husband who is always on the go! He is an awesome example of how I want my boys to be. He works in the medical field and is on the road most of the time. My oldest is taller than me and is 13 years old. He was born during the recession in New York City. I also have a seven-year-old who was born in Detroit and raised in Macomb Township. Both boys love gaming, sports, and hanging out with family and friends.
I would call myself a Pinterest/Instagram mom. I would also like to say that I’m that “fun Mom”, however boundaries are GOLDEN! My teen says SAHM for me, stands for Socially Active HOME MOM, which is so true!
Our family of four and three chihuahuas reside in Macomb Township where we live, laugh, and love, and go crazy sometimes, here in our little town! The absolutely best thing about Metro Detroit is that we can experience it all. From country to the thrill of the city, all in the matter of a 30-minute drive.
We love to cook at home a lot, especially now that I have the means to stay home. I am experiencing making more Filipino Dishes everyday. HMart in Troy is my go-to for all the ingredients I need! They also have one-of-a-kind snacks and an aisle full of ramen noodles for my teen and his buddies!
This Filipina Mom is so happy to be part of the Detroit Mom community! I am here to motivate moms, make moms laugh, and find joy in what we, as moms, already have! We all need more joy!
