[Editor’s Note: The Get Ready with Me (GRWM) article series features the morning routines of people from different walks of life, from their first grabs to the way they get ready for work, and to the items they can’t live without.

Got someone you want GRWM to feature? Just email us at stories@rappler.com with the subject line “GRWM” followed by the name and designation of the person.]

Moms have always been doing it all. They parent, they nurture, and they handle home life. These days, they do even more than that.

Pat Carranza is a writer, a musician, an educator, a student (I would never be able to handle doing my thesis for the second time around), an active babywearing advocate, and she’s a mom of two kids! These days, she vlogs too. 

Honestly, I think she has more than 24 hours in a day, so I tried asking her how she gets ready for it. (Spoiler alert: she didn’t give away her secrets to bending the time-space continuum.)

First Grab. I check my phone/tablet for the time. I think it was around the 3rd week of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) when I decided to turn off all my alarms – set at 4:30 am – but I still wake up 7 am at the latest. Of course, I also check on my children – if they transferred to our bed, if their backs are wet with sweat, or if somebody had a pee accident overnight.

Skincare Essentials. I really don’t have a skincare routine because I guess I was just blessed with good skin. (Author’s note: Ano kayang feeling?)

Now, because we often turn on the air conditioner, I noticed that I wake up with dry eyes and lips, so does my husband. We just put lip balm.

Perfect work from home look. Since I work at the University of the Philippines (UP), wala naman talagang dress code, so I don’t really dress up that much. Mukha namang presentable ‘yung pambahay ko, I guess? 

For extra serious video call meetings, I need to be in the mood so I wear my work pants – never forget pants in video calls – and put on some kilay.

Before I Start. I get my phone, tablet, keyboard, mouse, and earphones ready for Zoom meetings. I need to be in a separate room kasi the kids will climb all over me. Kung ‘di kaya – like my youngest insists to cuddle up and be breastfed – I babywear her, just like when I usually teach in the university.

Routine Reminders. As for my routine, parang parehas pa rin, only now I have an extra set of hands kasi work-from-home na rin si husband. Dati kasi, when I take my work home, ako lahat – kitchen, kids, clothes, my thesis, and my work. Hay. 

Now, we take turns with the chores and consciously ask and let each other know when our meetings are scheduled. – Rappler.com