Parenting is tough enough even if you have a husband to share the burden with. When you suddenly lose that other leg to stand on, your world is overturned – inside out, upside down. Getting through each day is like running an obstacle course in boot camp carrying a fully loaded backpack.
For mothers who are newly single or for those who have been struggling for years as a solo parent, here are some survival secrets that have helped keep my sanity over the years.

• Third of a series

Would you believe I had coffee with Vicki Belo? (Well, she had coffee and I had tea.) Yes, THE Vicki Belo, the one who can turn flabby stars curvy. And flat ones into buxomly sirens. And make aging celebrities look like they’ve been photo-shopped. The one you read about in the celebrity or showbiz section of the newspaper.

The smell of barbecue hot on the grill greets you. A mélange of fresh produce catches your eye. Succulent fruits of varied shapes, colors and sizes from as far back as the South, fresh organic vegetables from Tagaytay and Baguio, super sweet mangoes from Zambales. Then, a gaggle of voices intrude as the place starts to stir with friends and neighbors eager to sample the weekend’s offering.The place?