Spectra M1 is Rechargeable, Portable and Silent It has a massage function which helps produce more breastmilk in each pump It also has a dual pump set Get this from babymama.ph

I've been busy with work despite staying home to work.
The only time I really went out was during church last Sunday and 2 days before that, I was always at the doctor's for routine and special tests.

After church last Sunday, we had to buy special supplements in GNC for the baby (more about that in a later post). Along the way, we saw Expo Mom and it was their last day. Luckily, I saw the Babymama.ph booth which was at the front, so I had to go in because I have been planning to get the Spectra M1 Breast Pump Set, a birthday gift from the hubby.

As a mom, you get your hands full almost everyday.
And I'm sure most moms will agree with me that kids get bored VERY easily.
I for one totally ran out of ideas last week.
Even limited credits to using gadgets didn't do the trick to keep boredom at bay.

So here's my second try at making the most out of this summer.

I'm sharing this calendar with you with the hopes that both of us will get our kids' diverted into activities that enrich their creativity and artistic side.

Feel free to download the art compilation I made for next week's art stuff. (First image on this post)
You can do two activities a week or do everything in the list, depending on what you can manage. :)

I usually leave out Sunday because we take the kids out by then.

Recycled Art is up for next week!

We've been wanting to do this and so we had to gather enough recycled materials for the past 2 weeks

*Photo and Idea credits to Google and all owners/crafters, a big thanks for sharing your talents

Cheers and Happy Crafting!

I can't imagine myself not being a mom.
At 12 I was constantly babysitting cousins, at 14 my youngest brother came into our lives and I cared for him like he was mine (till this day actually). So it was natural for me to really dream of having kids and I'm glad that dream came true.

There's a lot of will power needed to become a mom.
It's not always glamorous.
You'll find that I'm not the type of person who likes posting my own photos.
Tried blogging outfits and all once but It really didn't work out for me. It took work! So kudos to the very beautifully styled fashion bloggers, it takes hours and hours of prepping to get those gorgeous photos done.

What's thrilling for me is when I get to share the same interests as other moms, learning new things from crafting to gadgets, reading a good book and of course, seeing my kids happy and engaged in different learning activities.

I love DIY not just because it's a different feeling when you see something you've made finished and appreciated but it usually gives me an opportunity to involve my kids and they just love it when they get to help with what I'm doing.

One of my favorite bloggers and ultimate crafters is Lia Griffith.
My dream is really create designs and themes as chic and fab as hers.
I just LOVE her blog and everything she does.

The picture above was borrowed from her site.
I love it and I hope I had more time to make these sets before mother's day but I was packed with work too. Hopefully, the other projects I have in the pipeline will materialize soon (hehe, praying that time and energy permits).

I'm saying it again, I love being a mom. Though sometimes there's so much frustration that comes with it. Let's face it, we all want to be "The Best Mom Ever" but sometimes, we also run out of patience and energy. Despite those shortcomings, we find joy in the littlest things like when our kid says something funny, it totally makes our day even if other people don't understand. LOL. Those hugs and kisses, I can't get enough of those. I can't imagine the day when my kids will give me awkward faces when I hug and kiss them or when my daughter won't just lay her head on my shoulder or chest for no apparent reason, just to say I love you.

No material thing can actually replace those warm fuzzy experiences.

I won' trade this "job" for the world. Even if it gets though, the simplest rewards are the most precious.

So to all the moms out there, especially my Mom and my Nanay (Lola) as well as my Mother in Law who has always treated me like her own, my super big hug and thanks and appreciation.

With Love,

If you're new to Lazada, download their App and key in this coupon code before you do your final check-out/payment: LZDAPP250 so you can get Php250 off!

Minimum is Php1,500 purchase plus you get FREE shipping. (This is not a sponsored post. Everybody love getting a discount so might as well share this! LOL).

I'll update you on the actual trial run when we get the item.

Cheers!

I'm preparing to learn about breastfeeding before the baby comes. I want to be fully prepared this time, with the right mindset and the right attitude to really make it to at least 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding and up to 12-18 months of breastfeeding (with solids).

I'm attending the Mom 101 and Breastfeeding 101 on May 9 at the St. Luke's Medical Center in BGC where I already registered and I'm quite excited to learn new ways and more tips.

I learned from the Breastfeeding Pinays group in Facebook that in order to be successful at EBF (Exclusive Breastfeeding), you shouldn't use a bottle to feed your LO (little one) in the absence of the mother's breast.

I researched further and found out good pointers from the Australian Breastfeeding Association's Site

Here are the key points from their site:

Reasons to cup-feed

• helps to avoid ‘nipple confusion’ (where the baby needs to use different mouth actions to feed from the breast than he does for the bottle).
• encourages the baby to take an active role in feeding.
• improves the baby’s digestion of the breastmilk by involving the baby's saliva. This is not possible when the breastmilk goes straight into the baby’s stomach via a nasogastric tube.
• reduces the need for nasogastric tubes, which some babies find distressing.
• provides extra breastmilk while a baby is learning to breastfeed well.
• allows more eye contact and interaction during feeding.

• the baby and mother are not together for some reason
• a mother needs to rest painful nipples to give them time to heal
• a baby is refusing to breastfeed 
• a baby has a minor cleft of lip and/or palate.

How to cup-feed

• Make sure your baby is fully awake, calm and alert.
• Hold him in an upright position with your hand supporting his shoulders and neck.
• Gently wrap your baby around his middle to keep his hands down so that he cannot bump the cup. A bib is handy to catch any dribbles of milk.
• It is usually easier if you use a small soft cup or medicine glass.
• With the cup about half-full, hold it so that it is just touching your baby's mouth. It should reach the corners of his mouth and rest lightly on his bottom lip.
• Start by allowing him just a tiny sip to encourage him.
• DO NOT pour the milk into his mouth; tip the cup just enough so that he can lap the milk himself, bringing his tongue forward to do it.
• Keep the cup in this tilted position.
• DO NOT take the cup away when the baby pauses, unless he pulls away.
• Allow him to start again when he is ready.
• Follow your baby's cues and let him set his own pace.

So I went ahead and looked for what kind of cups you can use to do so.
I expect that there are days when I need to leave the baby at home because I don't like exposing my LOs before they turn one outside, as much as possible.

Image from http://smallnotebook.org

1. Shot Glass - Yes, an ordinary shot glass will do per the expert moms in the forum

2. Brands like Medela and Avent are known to have disposable and re-usable cups. As I'm a green advocate, I'd rather use re-usable ones



3. For older babies who are starting solids, sippy cups will also do


I'm really going to try this as I am so determined to do so.
My husband is very supportive of this as well. He really believes that the "Breast is Best for Babies" and I love him even more for that as I found out that some husbands kind of get grossed out or freak out! LOL! Funny but not really if you think about it...

I've checked-out some online shops for various breastfeeding tools as well and I'm looking to try some of their products (I'll place a separate review on them after I purchase).

I've been eyeing BABYMAMA to get my Spectra M1 Breastpump from and some other things that will help me achieve my breastfeeding goal.

They have really good breastpumps, feeding cups, lactation aids and more

Axifeed Feeding Cup Php150

Ameda Baby Cup with Cap Php180

They also have milk bands and milk storage bags like Honeysuckle (which have good reviews online)

Milk Bands - Php235

Php399 for 25 pcs

More on this soon. I hope this entry helps other expectant mothers out there to make the decision to go on EBF. :)

Cheers!



*Image from the www.the-parenting-magazine.com
*Resource: Australian Breastfeeding Association's Site

Admittedly, my husband and I are not big on big celebrations, except for our children's 1st birthdays which we feel we really want to share with lots of family and friends.

My little chicken (aka Peyton) will be turning 5 soon and he was asking me earlier what we'll be doing on his birthday. I had no idea so I asked him back (okay, it was sneaky I know) and I was surprised that he didn't also know.

For my daughter's 7th birthday, we decided to sponsor an orphanage's weekend by preparing healthy food varieties, doing an afternoon of arts and crafts and just taking time to hug and play with the kids.

We wanted my daughter to learn a lot of things from being grateful to being able to share.

Given it will be a month before I give birth, I'm not prepared to risk preparing for something that I can't accomplish (OC issues).

I'm thinking of giving him a day's worth of activities he will truly love.
I still have no concrete plan but the ones below are his all-time favorites:

- Minecraft
- Lego
- Angry Birds
- Pizza
- Ninjas
- Clay

My goal is to prepare an itinerary by end of the month because I think this will involve a lot DIY stuff and I'm don't work as fast as I used to because I'm being too careful of the baby bump. :)

Wish me luck! Will post the concrete plan soon.

Cheers!

This was her at 2 years old, whenever she'd get something new, it was like Christmas morning with the oohs and the aahs.

It's also the same when a package arrives from one of our favorite online sellers.

She's been making a lot of loomband creations and is quite good at it.
I didn't want her to easily get tired of it so we went ahead and got new crafting sets.

One of which are these food-grade plastic beads.



They are called Hama, Perler, Fuse, Ironing, dependent on the brand.

Here are some of he creations the kids accomplished within 1 1/2 day!

Finn and Peppermint Buttler of Adventure Time by Yan-yan

Minecraft Characters and Weapons by Peyton

My Little Pony by Yan-yan

A bigger and more complicated My Little Pony by Yan-yan

This activity needs adult supervision though because in order to fuse together the beads, you need to iron them underneath wax or ironing paper.

I've been blessed with two smart and sweet kids and so it came to us as both a blessing and surprise that we are having another one by July.

Though I am so excited to have a little one again, my body wasn't as prepared and strong for this pregnancy.

First, I'm in my early 30's and I've had some extreme allergy issues in the past 2 years.
Second, I've been working on erratic schedules and locations so the change to not be able to work as fast or as easy or to not be able to work at all at certain days is such a big change, it comes to a point that I get so emotional and depressed.

Depression

Not a lot of women would be proud to say that they got depressed during their pregnancy. Simply because it feels so wrong having to say that when you have such a wonderful blessing in your belly. But let's face it, depression is not just because of the emotional changes, there are a lot of raging hormones you don't have control over!

So what do I do to cope?

I accept the fact that I'm currently weak physically but I can be strong emotionally with the help of the people around me - family and friends who are very caring and supportive.

I tell my husband what I am going through and ask for his support and extra care (yes, this is the time to ask for more TLC from the husband)

I read a lot of books, forums and blogs and find out I am not alone in my experience

Blessings and Beyond

I am so very blessed too that my work allows me to do accomplish tasks at home.

I have a work partner who values family and understands what I am going through and a team at the office who are very tech savvy and creative, that we can get the job done despite the telecommute at certain times.

From time to time that I am allowed to get out of bed rest, I still drop by the office and make it a point to align with the team physically at least twice a week.

I am also very fortunate to have very professional and kind clients who I can coordinate with off-site if I can't do field visits.

I have a small home-based business too and is very fortunate to have two assistants who take care of the house and the kids and assist me as needed. I get to help them earn extra too which is such a huge plus and accomplishment for me, no matter how little or big we make out of it.

Productive Hands

I went back to blogging because I needed to share this experience again with those who may stumble upon this little blog with the hopes that someone out there finds information here useful.

I'm also working on a craft room project so my kids and I can have access to all the items we need and we can get to organize activities every week, as part of the preparation we're doing to venture into home schooling (will write about these two things soon).

It's been a huge change for me coming from corporate and a year after, it's still challenging but much more rewarding.

Financially, its risky but it comes as again, a blessing, because I did not expect my health during my pregnancy to be as challenging as this.

I believe God has a way of putting things into place, even if it doesn't look as attractive from start.

More in the coming days.

Cheers!












Image in this entry from www.mdspa.ca

This new home is a work in progress so please bear with me if you find that certain entries need adjustments. I also didn't import all of the entries from my previous blog because I want to organize them by category (oc-ness level).

I decided to move my blog to this new location because I figured it was time for a change of content and pace.

I love sharing a lot about my experiences as a mom with family and friends and over the last 2 years that I've taken a break from my old blog, I've accumulated so many stories, articles and experiences, it was such a waste not to share and document plus supportive friends were asking me to compile my usual FB posts to the blog. There were also a lot of nice questions I was able to help them with but Facebook was not an easy platform to share all the information they needed, also had to copy and paste per individual and they didn't look that great in the message application.

It's quite comforting to know that you truly have friends who will understand you, from all walks of life and that you'll never feel alone. With everyone being so busy, it's a big bonus to quickly grab your laptop or tablet and click away, hoping to find real-life answers from people you can relate to. I hope to transform this blog into something uniquely focused on the chronicles of being a mom and everything that comes with it, including weird questions and scenarios.

I'm in no way an expert at parenting, it's really a unique journey and it's one that I truly want to celebrate and share.

I have always been in search for an online site where you can find answers to questions you'd normally never think of until you are in urgent need of answers.

My love for research and sharing thus revives this blog and hopefully, I can get more insights from parents who share the same sentiments.

Gymboree with the babies

I have been so busy (and still am) that I have totally neglected this blog.

With all the things I wasn't able to document, I almost can't remember what I've been up to for the past months.

I'm trying to juggle my memory and so far, here's what I have unearthed

THE GOOD:
1. Changed my haircut and updated the color (finally!!!)
2. Went over my shopping ban time line! YEY!
3. Spent a nice Sunday with my family at Church then quality time with the kids at Gymboree
4. I have decided to live healthy, well, one step at a time and will start by running
5. I have decided to venture into something exciting and educational, I am praying to Him that it does go well and that I'm asking Him to point me further to the right direction
6. I love that I'm working with a team at the office whom I consider my work family, they are the best




THE FAT
1. I still have the post preggy tummy...go figure, I have never exercised regularly since I gave birth (1 year and 2 months...hehehe)
2. There are only 3 major gyms in the Philippines - 1 overcharged my credit card before and I am bound never to return to them again, 1 has too few outlets and is quite expensive too, the other has strategic locations but the equipment is kinda outdated
3. I am left with no choice but to look for alternative means which are:
- Running (it's free, there are thankfully no doggies wandering about in our little village and I can also run within the area where my hubby works but again, there's no shower area nearby so it's a little on the "if we're headed straight home then ok" side)
- Alternative gyms - There's a sort of hidden gym just outside our village and it used to be so visible, I was too scared to check it out myself. Another one says BODY BUILDING which well, is 90% male dominated so that's a NO. Im still on the hunt.
- Barre3 but unfortunately, class schedules don't match with my work sched plus its 700 a pop (per session)
- Home routines - like that's happening. I can barely get to lift my leg without a one-year-old toddler clinging to it liked a tree trunk and another little cutesy girl eating up the rest of the space because she says it's her "magical ballet kingdom"
- Badminton - I need to find a way to get my friends and office mates to join. Everyone's pretty tired after work, including me!

THE UGLY
1. Weather gives me the allergies. I feel sick all the time and some meds give me allergies too, they swell up my eyes and face
2. Still haven't enrolled in driving class - schedule sucks, go figure
3. I miss my bestfriends a lot. :(
4. I haven't finished my accessory line and online shop re-launch. :((

End of the day, the good outweighs the ugly and the fatness...well, its here to stay until I find a great solution.

Till next!

Not me in the pic, some random shots I took

I have been to Boracay for work and with the hubby (then boyfriend) who tagged during the last day when I had free time back in 2006.

I went back last year after 5 years!!! But for work again.

Been wanting to go back but with my kids and the hubby.

I want the kids to see the must-visit places even before we go out to travel outside of the Philippines.

Played a little with the color settings, love the contrast

Some pictures I took. Didn't get as many, was too tired coming from a long week at the office then the busy schedule we had for the event (Borabound X), even if I wanted to relax a little, I still couldn't take my mind off work and my kids.

Feet shot! hehe. I'm not much of a beach bum but I like walking in the sand despite the allergies I get

I don't crave for the beach, I usually get blisters, insect bites and allergic reactions or irritations from the sand but I love how the breeze hits you despite the hot and humid weather.

The waves and the view gives you that natural high though I'd trade being in a city in a foreign land with all the bargain hunting opportunities and neat finds, nothing really beats our own country's tourist destinations.

But then again, I always see something new and modern in Boracay, despite the fact that it's been 5 years, I know for a fact that it's getting really commercialized.

But then again, I needed the coffee break! LOL.

Starbucks by the beach!

My little boy turned one last June 5 and we are so thankful to the Lord for blessing us with Peyton.

The hubby unfortunately was (currently is) assigned in Australia (and we can't wait to see him soon!). So though it was such a happy day, we really did miss him.

Good thing there were family and friends with us there to celebrate.

We couldn't thank them all enough. We had a blast!

As for the party, we celebrated it at Fun Ranch in Pasig (near Tiendesitas) using their new Skye's Room, a basketball themed function room, PERFECT for our chosen theme.




The theme was basketball, and yes, the little one really loves playing with his basketball or anything ball shaped, expect him to throw it at you hehe.

It was by far the best venue we've used.

WHY:
1. Everything we needed was there - venue, food, loot bags and souvenirs, hosts, staff and after party fun rides and activities for the kids


Loot Bags

2. Easy coordination - Apart from the courteous staff, there was an assigned coordinator who made sure everything needed was there. The owner even dropped by to say hello and check if everything was okay, which was really nice of them actually.



3. Host and Entertainment - for Php7,500 there was a host who also did the magic show, basically from start to finish, everyone including the adults were entertained. The fee was worth it! His name is Jester and he is highly recommended. :)







4. Party Food - It was a great assortment and within the budget that we wanted. Food was prepared on time, warm and was served on time. They also had a drinks station which we also included in the package.



Cotton Candy Cart


Sorbetero


5. After party - there were a lot of rides outside, the loot bags had a free train ride and I purchased tickets to give out to the kids too (which I forgot to give out to some guests who went home immediately after the party..sorry! hehe)



6. After service - They packed the extra food for us and even the birthday cake and presents. No hassle and they did it without us asking!

Each room, dependent on the time period had its minimum consumable amount. The Skye's room rental from 2pm - 5pm had a minimum of Php35k, consumable for food, drinks and food carts.

Our Menu:





- Chips and Mixed Nuts (while guests were waiting)
- Corn Puppies
- Party Spaghetti
- Mini Burgers
- Chicken Fingers
- Cotton Candy Cart
- Sorbetero (Ice Cream Cart)
- Bottomless Iced tea and juice

We got the cake (MIAMI HEAT themed!) from Layers and Layers, the cake shop at Fun Ranch then we added 30 cupcakes with basketballs on top. Super nice how they made it! Cost around Php2.8k



We also got Edgewaters Photobooth for Php5.5k, 3 hrs service, unlimited prints! We only paid Php1k for the corkage (I opted not to get their recommended supplier because there was only 1 option and it was 11k, a little hefty for me and I know its most likely the same quality). The photobooth staff were also very nice. So I really do recommend them.





Other add-ons like balloons at 30 per stick and the pinata were also affordable.

Looks like the kids really enjoyed the party!



Look at their reactions during the magic show! haha









There were flying butterflies and a yellow bird in his repertoire, nice enough to get the kids' attention.

He also had really nice, clean but funny jokes which involved adults too.

He made my brother his puppet! LOL.




Thanks to Oni for most of the photos here. :)



HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY! We LOVE you so much!

Visit: www.funranch.com.ph to get more info