Unlocked in lockdown: Skills and hobbies that bring joy to mommies

Tags: cooking handmade Hobbies Home Cooking Ina Arabia-Garcia INAtriestoCOOK Lockdown Meg Hernandez Meghann Hernandez Pandemic peg dolls Skills Tina Geronimo-Fernandez watercolor painting Working Moms

Here’s how working moms Ina Arabia-Garcia and Tina Geronimo-Fernandez discovered calm and purpose by dabbling in cooking and painting.

Our generation, or maybe even our parents’ and grandparents’, has never seen a time like this. 

We are thrusted into an extended period of confinement at home, for our own safety, as the world comes to grips with the pandemic. Restricted in social activities, many have resorted to different ways to keep boredom or anxiety at bay or to cope with the demands and challenges of the new normal and the imaginable future.

This Unlocked in Lockdown series on the blog gives you a glimpse of how moms found joy in old and new hobbies and interests—investing their time purposely to better themselves and appreciate life around us.

Ina Arabia-Garcia: Cooking

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When the first Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) was implemented in Metro Manila, only a few food outlets remained in operation. With limited options and food choices available for pick-up and delivery, families became more creative in the kitchen—cooking up a storm and learning culinary hacks and recipes.

Ina Arabia-Garcia, a marketing strategist and mom of three, claims she has never cooked anything for over two decades until lockdown happened. “I used to bake and sell crinkles and lengua when I was young. One time while I was baking, the oven exploded and it traumatized me. I didn’t step foot in the kitchen again until I made a waffle cake for my husband last year.”

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This unexpected kitchen comeback saw Ina experimenting with easy recipes, which inspired her to create a cooking series on Instagram, aptly called #INAtriestoCOOK. “My second recipe was carbonara which I made with a packed sauce. That was already a huge achievement for me. Next, I made a torta and it turned out a fail because it fell apart. However, the experience made me realize how fun it is to learn and try simple recipes.”

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“Cooking gave me a sense of purpose while working from home. I was never the domesticated type. Serving the family good food helped them cope as well, given we really couldn’t eat out nor easily have food delivered. The kids gained a healthy weight because they loved all the food we served at home.”

Recipe for success

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When her office re-opened, Ina continued to cook on weekends. “I always try to create something new, and there are times when the kids request their favorite dishes, too. They look forward to weekends because I can cook and stay home all day with them. I plan in advance by looking up recipes online.”

To date, this working mama has done more than seventy recipes and has partnered with food brands for special campaigns and creative collaborations. “My kitchen adventures made me realize there’s always room to learn and grow, no matter how old you are.”

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For those who are thinking of exploring home cooking, Ina suggests, “Start with simple recipes that require a few ingredients and minimal prep time. Eventually, you’ll get the hang of it, and you can move on to more challenging recipes. Feel free to tweak the recipes, especially if you don’t have all the ingredients on hand. Don’t get easily discouraged if the dish doesn’t come out the way it should, because the fact that you’re trying in the kitchen is already an achievement.”

Follow @inaday.ph and check #INAtriestoCOOK on IGTV to find dishes and desserts you can create with ingredients you have in your pantry.

Tina Geronimo-Fernandez: Watercolor Painting

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Passions and ambitions are born from childhood. As we grow up and discover different paths and interests, there is a chance new routines will keep us too occupied that we lose track of what was once dear to us.

One of the silver linings of staying home is having the time to revive forgotten hobbies. For Tina Geronimo-Fernandez, a licensed real estate broker and mom of two, the extra time on hand allowed her to brush up on her artistic skills.

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Tina has always been drawn to arts and crafts, particularly decorative lettering and illustrations, since she was a child. “I started with sketching and calligraphy when it was taught in elementary. Some of the notebooks with my sketches from years ago are still with me.”

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“This crisis brought out my love for watercolor. I had anxiety attacks when the lockdown began in March 2020, and I found a way to fight it out through watercolor painting. Instead of obsessing about things that I have no control over, especially my fears about the effects of lockdown on my kids, I started watching online tutorials on Skillshare and YouTube. I found it therapeutic to learn about the different types of paper, paint brushes, colors, hues, and tones.”

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Tina created an Instagram account @tgf_creates to showcase some of her works. “I post these paintings online to share positive vibes to anyone struggling with anxiety, especially during the pandemic.”

From hobby to business

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What started as a pastime turned into a sideline, as friends commissioned her to paint portraits of their pets, family, and a couple of landscapes and abstracts. “Painting is a way of life for me now. Art heals and inspires. If the paintings I share on social media touch someone’s heart or bring happiness to their face, that’s already an achievement for me. It is just a bonus that I sometimes get paid for it—because the funds help me replenish art supplies.”

Aside from painting on canvas, Tina also took on a supporting role as her eldest, 13-year-old Gianna or Nana, started a creative business of her own. “She is innately creative and has always preferred crayons, colored pens, and pencils over dolls. Her room is full of art materials, and she loves acrylic painting.”

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“Last Christmas, we thought of gifting our family and friends with something unique and personalized. Together with my eldest, we created a collection of hand-painted wooden peg dolls, which everyone loved. Eventually, orders poured in, and we started selling to friends and family. We already have regular clients who order on almost a monthly basis. Branded as ‘Pegs of Nana,’ this business gave me more opportunities to bond with my daughter at home.”