Staying home to stay safe
Seven months into lockdown and Gladys Reyes said that the situation has a positive effect on her family.
“I guess we are slowly adapting to the new normal,” revealed Gladys during a recent Zoom interview as the first endorser for a line of beauty products by Skin Bureau Essentials. “We explained to our kids why we have to stay home to stay safe. But I am happy that we became closer as a family.”
“We” refers to her and husband Christopher Roxas (real surname: Sommereux) and their children Gian Christophe, Gianna Aquisha, Grant Carlin and Gavin Cape.
The family follows this daily routine: kids are now starting their online class, Chris and Gladys work from home and spare time is devoted to playtime.
“We are teaching the smaller kids games that my siblings and I have grown up with such as hide-and-seek, patintero and others na hindi na uso sa mga kids today kasi focused na sila sa video games,” explained Gladys. “Back to basics kumbaga, revisiting the past. Chris works out with Christophe.”
What also keeps Gladys busy is her long-running Net25 show Moments (shot virtually), her Moment Ko ‘To Online Acting Class (now on fourth batch of participants) and her online show Peliwentuhan.
“Si Chris naman is in charge of the production of our new meat business named That’s EntertainMeat with a tagline ‘Malasa, Malinis, ang Karneng Walang Germs’. It was my sister Janice who thought of it. It is also open for resellership and distributorship to help those who would like to earn extra income at this time. Chris also manages Anteros by Estela, our food business in Laguna and Sommereux(So-Me-Ru) catering. Our Estela resto is temporarily not accepting dine-in customers until the situation becomes stable.”
They are members of Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) and they have a daily prayer every 11 a.m. which they call panata.
“We are praying for good health, praying not just for our family and loved ones but also friends, that we’ll be able to overcome this pandemic. Since the pandemic, we have been attending the service at home lang.”
Gladys admitted that it was hard at first dealing with the online classes of the kids.
“I was the one assisting Grant, no problem for Christophe and Aquisha because they can manage already. But eventually, Grant learned so fast that he can now do it alone without my assistance. I think this system of learning is difficult for small children since they have a short attention span and they can easily get bored. For now, we have no choice because this is for the children’s safety.”
What Gladys misses most is going to tapings, bonding with co-actors, and acting and portraying a role, in general.
The couple continues to invest in more businesses and in real estate.
Shared Gladys, “Chris and my sister-in-law Claire have just bought a lot in Anilao, Batangas, overlooking the beach and with a mountain view. When times are safer, we will bring our kids there. Also, once it is safe to travel, hopefully we can already fly out of the country for a vacation.”
She added, “God is indeed good because in this time of pandemic, He showed us opportunities to inspire others. I’m grateful to The Skin Bureau family for welcoming me with open arms. Even before, I have already been using their products. Now, I am happy that I get to endorse The Skin Bureau Essentials fit for the whole family.”
(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)
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