The One With the Secret Storage

When Mikaela (Lagdameo-Martinez) messaged me and said that she needs help in fixing some parts of her house, I asked myself what else would a stylish super mom like Mika ever need my help in? I asked her to send me photos of the areas she needs organizing. She humbly admitted that these are really parts of the house that she tends to neglect due to busy schedules and never-ending errands. I got a bit concerned while waiting for the photos since the way she described, it felt like its a catastrophe. But to my relief, it’s actually manageable as these are spaces commonly neglected by most of us busy moms anyways – the infamous storage, and the ever so busy dining and kitchen area.

I’m so grateful that she trusted me on this one. Being part of any persons eagerness to jumpstart a change in how their surrounding feels is always something special. It feels like I am part of this personal mission. Definitely, I am not the leader for this particular mission, but being the trusted advisor makes me feel like I’m already part of its success.

Organizing is like a mission towards a healthier living… Take for example going for a healthier diet requires an external force to kickstart that sugarless dream of yours. You need that someone (or something) to inspire you (or scare you) and remind that this can actually be done… by anyone. That’s Neat Obsessions in the world of “homemaking”. I am here to work with you hand-in-hand on how to come up with a household system. I am here to help realize that things don’t have to be overwhelming.

Going back to our story with Mika, the first minute I walked into their home I already felt the warmth of this family. The Martinez-Lagdameo family immediately welcomed us into their home and began sharing stories, needs, and likes which helped me come up with an idea of how they want their household things organized. Her roles as a model, career woman, and mother already take up most of her time and us being able to help hopefully gives Mika more time to focus on what is really important – family. Here’s the before photo of Mika’s secret closet when we started… Just like Monica Geller’s secret closet which proves that all of us OC moms would sometimes need a place to just practice the art of not giving a sh**… Sometimes we are in dire need of help with fixing stuff at home but couldn’t ask for it. Why? Well, in my case, people see me as a super mom who is not capable of making any mess. Truth be told, I am a girl, a kid at heart, who sometimes just want to play and rest, then have fun again. Of course, the OCiness kicks in when I feel suffocated with all the mess, but having that secret closet gives me comfort that this side of me is not as public, but always available as a quick fix on everything cleaning related. So go ahead, mommy! Have a secret closet of your own, just make sure you don’t neglect it for too long – Quarterly closet cleaning should be good enough? right?

This closet, together with the kitchen and dining, was our project. And working on this needed further understanding of the Lagdameo-Martinez family. Mika’s husband, Chucho, is an avid golfer, to the extent that golf is somewhat a religion. Both an outlet for him to have his me time and surprisingly also an avenue for Mika and Chucho to spend time together as a couple. This is very inspiring. Knowing that a sport, usually associated with men, can actually be a couple’s therapy activity.

The three lovely kids were also a blast, Noelle, Tyler, and Maxen, all made us felt comfortable in their home. It reminds me of my full house home, with three kids too! I can just imagine the chaos that happens from time to time. In my case, all the time! Her parents happen to be there as well, Tito Butch and Tita Vicki were very nice and welcoming to us. It was a Sunday, and true to us being part of the family, we even had dinner in their lovely home. Oh, and their cookies are amazing!!! 😋 Check them out on Instagram @heysugardough

Without too much ado, here are the results of our mini project with Mika. Hope you guys like it.

A closet with more space means the family will be able to use it for more stuff, but more importantly, will be able to see what are actually there for them to use again.