Mom’s Day Out : A “Queen-like” Pampering Experience

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We women, love to wear many hats all at the same time. As for me, being a hands-on mom to Zee, doing household chores, running a small business and managing a blog is not easy.

I know moms can relate to that feeling of
“Wow 9:00am na, tulog pa sila! Yehey!”

Because that means… extra time for yourself, for some really quiet moment, a perfect opportunity to enjoy a real “hot” cup of coffee, an extra 5 minutes in the shower and time to answer emails and messages.. but these scenes only happen once in a blue moon..

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We chose to homeschool our Pre-K

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Since Zee was born, a lot of parents have been approaching us and telling us the beauty of homeschooling, we nod and smile but at the back of my mind I was like, “hmm..  sounds great but maybe it won’t work for our family”…

 

Hay.. akala namin mas madali na kapag schooling age. We were wrong. Another chapter pala sya ng parenthood (hehe!)

 

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McDonald’s Kiddie Crew Workshop Biggest Grand Graduation

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June 3, 2017, Manila, Philippines – The World Trade Centre in Pasay City was a vision in red and white racing stripes as participants of the country’s biggest summer workshop for kids came together for the Manila let of McDonald’s Kiddie Crew Grand Graduation.

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It was a two-day affair attended by kids around the Metro, who were just some of the proud Kiddie Crew graduates who spent their summer with Kiddie Crew.

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Money Matters: 5 Money Lessons for Toddlers

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Both my husband and I came from families who doesn’t involve us in “money matters”.

Growing up, we just learned some of our money management skills from work, workshops, books and sad to say most from mistakes and “charge to experience” life circumstances.

That’s why one of our desires is to raise our son, who will someday be the Provider of the family – a father, to be a moneywise kid.

We believe it is our responsibility as parents to teach our children their needed “life skills” and financial management is one of these.

MoneyLessonsforKids

 

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Mommy Finds | Belo Baby “Talc-free” Baby Powder

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Heat surely rises during summer season and a good baby powder should always come in handy cause our babies and little ones are more prone to excessive sweating or “pawis” this season.

My Zeeboy is not used to baby powder because of so many controversies related to usage of baby powder made of “talc”, I’m sure that you’ve heard about the issue  mommies on how a talcum powder was linked to cancer. 

So Mindful and Pro-Natural Mommies, I’m happy to share with you Belo Baby’s newest product, just in time for this super hot season, the “Belo Baby’s Talc-free powder”

BeloBabyTalcFreePowder

 

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Grocery Shopping Tipid Hacks

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“Hala! Nag-over budget ako!” Are these words part of your post-battle cry everytime you do the grocery? Can you also relate to emotional buying as I do? Anghirap humindi kay hubby or sa kids kapag may pinapabili sila sa groceries…

May mga instances pa nga before na yung bibilhin ko talaga ang hindi ko nabili. But on our journey to living a simple and practical life (or should I say tipid living) we’ve discovered our mistakes and some techniques that helped us save from our grocery expenses.

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Affordable Finds at Baby Company

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Mommies, when do you usually shop for your little one’s items? do you have a habit of checking his milestones and look for items that suits his or her current stage? or do you also do an inventory of your child’s baby essentials regularly?

I usually make a list of Zee’s items to remind me of the things we need to replenish, but when “momnesia” strikes, there were days like “hala, wala na palang diaper and wipes?!” (hehe!)

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Ogalala Kidspirations | “Kids who inspire other kids”

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Babies didn’t come with a manual, as a first-time mom, I appreciate mommies who shared their knowledge, discoveries and helpful tips to other moms.

 

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I’m also thankful to mommy groups established online wherein moms learn from each other and ask for an advice from group members. Thank you so much Internet!

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5 Ways How Traveling Changed Our Family

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“Oh that’s a starfish mimi..” says my son on our beach get-away.

“Tap.. tap.. tap.. We’re going to fly didi!” his words on his first airplane ride.

Seeing how our son enjoyed every second of our trips made our hearts full as parents.

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Since my husband and I became parents, we’ve decided to invest on “experience” rather than on “material gifts” to our son.

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Business: One day or Day One?

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As most of my friends know, we are currently on a business hiatus, but after attending the workshop last week entitled Let’s Get Down To Business, I felt like the “pause” button alarmed.

 

With the Ladies of Fulfilled women community

With the Ladies of Fulfilled women community

The speaker, Mr. Francis Miranda, (yes, He is also a Miranda, How I wish nga that He is my Kuya para free ang mentoring (haha!) but guys, we are not related) kidding aside, Mr.Francis, ended his corporate career as COO and Vice President of Ad Agencies handling our country’s top brands – e.g Coca Cola, Cebu Pacific and a lot more.

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Fun and Budget-friendly Summer Workshop at Mcdonald’s

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Summer time… children’s most favourite season, a time to make new memories and learn new skills.

Summer is also the perfect season for letting your kids learn and experience new things, and with McDonald’s Kiddie Crew Workshop, they can do just that!

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Now on its 25th year, (yes! they are the longest running summer workshop) McDonald’s Kiddie Crew Workshop is McDonald’s flagship family program that gives kids an opportunity to:

  • experience in-store restaurant training
  • learn time-tested values such as teamwork
  • hard work
  • discipline
  • responsibility
  • sharing

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Baby Company “All Things Baby Sale”

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Being first-time parents, my husband and I have many questions and concerns about my pregnancy and parenting. The things we need for my pregnancy journey, newborn care, breastfeeding, “tamang kain”, milestone checklists and parenting tips.

During those times, it was really a big help to to have one place where you can find all the baby stuff you need.

That’s exactly what I love about Baby Company. They have carefully curated trusted brands and products, which for every newbie parents (most especially for moms who just gave birth) is a big help in making our shopping for our little one’s essentials easy and convenient. Making it a one-stop-shop for our baby’s needs.

 

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Family Travel: Barrio Living at Barangay Tingloy (Masasa Beach)

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If you are looking for a budget-friendly and near Manila White Sand Beach, Masasa Beach located at Tingloy, Batangas is a great place for you.

 

 

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We are so blessed to explore Masasa Beach bago pa sya maging crowded. We spent two days of Simple Living in Barangay Tingloy.

Sobrang Raw and Authentic Beauty of Nature, Masasa Beach is indeed one of the hidden gems of Batangas.

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“Hello Cow!” -Zee

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UTI Home Test Kit for Busy Mommies

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We, moms, live a fast paced lifestyle. With all the work, house chores and mom-related tasks, we most of the time tend to forget about ourselves.

Our health becomes least of our priorities. And as tipid mommies, we know that medication and hospitalization are some of the biggest factors that drain our budget. As moms, we should be aware and protect ourselves and our family from diseases and sickness we are prone of like UTI (Urinary Tract Infection) for example.

 

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I once suffered from UTI. The burning pain whenever I pee and the pain on my lower pelvis affected my daily routine. I thought only people who have poor hygiene are prone to UTI, but I was wrong because UTI can effect even if you are squaeky clean.

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Affordameal: Php 50 Tuna Nuggets Recipe

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I was experimenting different affordable meals and ulam ideas, and found out this recipe from a Foodie Group.

If you love fish and nuggets, perfect ito for you! Mommies, super affordable pa! Great for Baon too!

 

Affordameal: P50 Tuna Nuggets

A post shared by Mommy Gracie (@graciemaulion) on

 

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Practical Wardrobe Guide for “Fashionable Buntis”

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I can still remember that magical feeling we felt when we first saw our son, kahit “sac” pa lang s’ya that time, hindi namin napigilan maiyak ng husband ko when we found out that we we’re pregnant. (That was 4 years ago)

When I got pregnant, there were many changes that happened and one of those changes was a change in wardrobe. Since most of my friends are asking me some practical tips about “preggy clothing”… 

PRACTICE

 

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Simple ways to cost cut and save more this year

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One of the top goals of most moms this year is to save more. There are many money challenges posted online and I’m one of those interested moms who wanted to give it a try.

But if you are not earning “more” this year, paano makakahulog sa Money Challenge? Especially for most housewives na wala naman sweldo? How can we cost cut so we can save from our current budget?

Save

 

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Worry-Free Travel With A Toddler

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Our family loves to travel and explore places together, some parents are asking us if hindi ba mahirap mag-travel with kids? Our answer, yes, it’s challenging and fun at the same time!

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Expect a lot of “changes in your plan” when traveling with kids, there are also many commercial breaks like “Mimi, wiwi ako!…” “Mimi, I’m hungry!..” “Mimi… Mimi…”, haha!

But traveling with our child makes every travel, extra fun, loaded with laughters, with our main travel goal “to fill his core memories” with joyful experiences with us, letting him see the world in his own eyes and be amazed of the Amazing Creator we have. Every travel experience, kahit mahirap minsan, are all worth it! 

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Money & Marriage : Money lessons for newly weds

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Money issues is one of the top reasons why many couples call it quits.

It may be because of inability to provide, some face conflict in sharing their wealth, while others simply do not have enough time to flourish their marriage because they’re both busy making a living and as they say, they forget about living.

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Budgeting : The Freelancer’s Way

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“Freelancers” when people hears about this job title, the first thing that comes to our mind is “freedom”.

Being freelancers and self-employed allowed our family to always be together, as in, everyday, have a vacation on a weekday (mas mura ang accommodation rates) , play with our child while having a lunch break from work which is just few inches away from our sofa haha!

But included in the package of being freelancers is the “inconsistent income flow” or should I say “irregular income” though some freelancers are hired as full time employee receiving a fix monthly salary, there are also freelancers like us, who get paid “project-based”.

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Health & Life Insurance : Rethink the way you knew it

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If there’s one thing sure about life, that is Death. There’s a time to be born and a time to die..

In the Philippines, its a taboo topic. Almost all of Filipinos won’t talk about it. As Coach Aya said, we are a happy ethnic or race that even after facing calamities as a country we remain positive about life. Most of us don’t want to talk about problems that much and maybe that’s why we are not comfortable with topics like Health & Life Insurance.

These topics are subjects that we always put on hold and inside a box.

Only few Filipinos have health and life insurance, that’s why it is a common scenario in our country that a child becomes an instant bread winner after a love one’s death and relatives become in debt because of hospital expenses.

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Vitacubes : yummy, jelly & healthy candies

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VITACUBES –  yummy, jelly + healthy candies!

Most candies are 100% made of sugar without any nutritional content , that’s why we, moms, often feel guilty when we offer candies to our children.

Aside the fact that it can just contribute to accumulating cavities, our children get nothing more than  sugar from it.

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How selling pre-loved baby items helped us open a mutual fund?

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IDLE RESOURCES TURNED MUTUAL FUND INVESTMENT

I was moved by this story that I’ve shared on my previous post (link here) So I began checking our idle resources.

 

As a newbie mom, I love buying cute items for my son when he was still a baby, being a first time parent, I’m always excited to get something new for him.

But since babies grew up so fast, many of his clothes doesn’t fit him anymore, he is not into rattles nor play gym now so even outgrew his baby toys and books.

Until I thought of selling his pre-loved baby items online – in a mommy’s Facebook group and in buy & sell websites. 

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5 Benefits of Family Travel

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Traveling as family is one of our family activities each year.

It is a “must” in our family, its like a yearly tradition during our wedding anniversary and our child’s birthday.

But why do we love to travel? Why do we have to cut down on other expenses so we can save for our yearly trip?

Because we believe it is beneficial for our family.

Here are some benefits of family travel:

1. Making Memories

We believe that we are to celebrate life, in simple and exciting ways, in our family, traveling is our way to celebrate occasions, We believe that our son is in his stage of building his “core memories” we wanted to fill it with love, laughter, experiences and memories of our travel..

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Important things to know about DEBT

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Debt..

Is there any season in your life that your earnings for this month is not already yours?  Because even before it goes to your bank account, it already belong to someone else.. sad part is it’s not even your spouse but Creditors.

My husband and I experienced that, bad debt is bondage, it causes us a huge amount of stress.

But how did we acquire debts?

1. We buy things before earning most commonly in the form of “credit card debt” – we thought our income will remain at its peak and we kept on buying new stuff for our newborn Zee that time, but when I decided to become a fulltime mom and be on business hiatus, our income dropped real low and we couldn’t pay the full amount of our bill and ended up acquiring compound interest.

2. Became a guarantor – a very big mistake on our part, we borrowed money for other people’s emergency. Since we are the one who borrowed for them the moment they cannot pay, we don’t have a choice but pay for it to protect our integrity because we believe that having integrity is better than material riches.

3.   Lack of income – we loss our emergency fund when my husband’s job went off-season and as I’ve mentioned earlier I was on a business leave and our businesses didn’t operate well when I was not around – another mistake that I wasn’t able to duplicate myself well. 

That’s why 2 years ago, we’ve decided to change our lifestyle or should I say we are forced to change it.
(Less eat-out, no more cable tv, living with less and eating “tipid” meals)

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Last September 17, Sunlife Brighterlife Institute hosted a course about “Debt” and the trainer was none other than Mr. Aya Laya, the man behind “Pesos & Sense”, He is a Certified Securities representative, a Certified Investment Company representative, a realtor, and a writer with an MBA from University of Western Australia. (credits to Pesos and Sense Website)

I am happy to share with you my take home learning from the workshop about Debt.

“Important things we should know about Debt” :

Debt is simply the use of other people’s money. Debt is not actually a negative thing. Debt can be used as a tool to make our financial life comfortable.

Coach Aya Laya  discussed the two kinds of debts, Good and Bad Debt. Yes you heard it right, there’s such thing as good debt.

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Financial Freedom Journey: Moneykit by Chinkee Tan

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Hello Friends!

Today, after sharing about our first step towards our financial freedom journey and how breastfeeding helped us financially?

I’m going to share with you about “Moneykit”

Moneykit is a money management system in a box that will help every Filipino to:

  • Save
  • Budget
  • Get-out of Debt
  • Invest

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The term “budget” is overly used in every Filipino Family’s home.

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Helpful Apps for Work-from-Home Mommies

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In a previous post, 7 Home-Based Business Ideas for Moms I shared a few business ideas that mommies could start right in their very home so that they can contribute to the family income while still being around the children.

But even with a solid concept in your head, it’s hard to figure everything out on your own, thus it’s important that you network and get in touch with the right people to help your business get started. You also need to be extremely organized and manage time well, and anyone who has ever worked from home understands the temptations of working from the bed or being distracted by other responsibilities, among other things.

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Financial Freedom Journey: Know Where You Are

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As promised, after being invited on “Money Wise”, a financial literacy TV Show hosted by Mr. Chinkee Tan and Tin Tin Bersola-Babao, we promised you friends, that we will share our journey towards financial freedom.

They invited us to represent most Filipino Families, why most of us cannot save? They mentored us on how we can do better on our financial life and even on our business.

This year, we wanted to build our emergency fund again- we lost almost everything when we transitioned to one income earner family late 2013 as I’ve shared last year (here) and we’ve been praying for an effective system that will work for inconsistent income earners like us, start paying-off our home mortgage loan and be a channel of God’s blessings– these are our top financial goals for this year.

To summarize, it is one of our faith goals this year to be a better manager of God’s entrusted resources to us, being mentored by Mr. Chinkee Tan & Ms.Tin-Tin is one of God’s answer to our prayer and faith goal.

 

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My husband and I realized that the first step in walking in financial freedom is to know where you are.

Like in Waze, it won’t tell you where you want to go. Instead, it asks us where we will be coming from and our destination before it can show us the directions and paths we need to take.

Same goes with our financial life, first,we need to know where we are right now.

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Depressed to Determined

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Managing a business while being a mom is really not an easy job, there were days I felt stuck and hostaged by my son – days I felt sad, unproductive and depressed ,but I thank God for His daily grace and patience.

Are you a dreamer too? Do you have many goals, Kaso feeling mo hindi mo magagawa ngayon kasi andaming “mommy duties”?

Motherhood shouldn’t stop us from dreaming.. But dreaming doesn’t mean we have to forget about our family and pursue our own wants and passions.

 

Motherhood

 

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Your Private Life Matters

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In our modern world of Instagram and Pinterest-Worthy Life, and in this age of everything can be posted online and even Live!

When we, people, can share the details of our day…

We really have a tendency to focus more on our public life rather than minding more about our private life. Because social media is really addicting. Our cellphones seems to have an invisible chains in our hands.. And for people who works online, for bloggers, this is really part of our daily lives.

I am not an excuse, let me share to you a recent scenario..

There was this day when I am happily taking picture of my little guy and he said “Mimi, no cellphone please while he covered my eyes”

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Music and its Benefits in a Child’s Development + Affordable Music School

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“Music is the art of thinking with sounds” -Jules Combarleu

Aside from hugs, kisses and I love yous.. music and Lullaby songs are our first way of communicating to our child.

Those soft songs.. will turn to happy beat.. to dancing beat with marching feet.

Being married to a musically-inclined person,no wonder my son, Zee, was born a music lover too. As early as 6-month old he is already into dancing and loves playing the drums.

Sharing with you the benefits of music for toddlers and preschoolers:

1. Brain Development – music helps the body and mind work together as a team, no wonder it benefits our child’s brain development. It improves a child’s motor skills by moving and their memory by remembering the sound of the song and its lyrics.

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From Sheknows.com : Children’s music specialist Meredith LeVande of MonkeyMonkeyMusic.com.“Music simply stimulates parts of the brain that are related to reading, math, and emotional development.”

 

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How To Have a Budget-friendly Family Travel?

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Hello Loves!

Few days ago we celebrated our 3 years of team work in parenthood in a Beach Resort in Laiya, San Juan, Batangas (It has been our family tradition to visit different beaches whenever we have special occasions in our small family) It is our way to switch off and spend alone time with our family and with God.

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Being known as a practical and “budget-conscious” person, our friends asked us on how to have a budget-friendly family travel.

Most of us think that only rich people can travel, but the truth is.. everyone can, as long as you put it in your priority list.

Like for example,instead of spending for your favorite frappucino, why not save it for a family travel fund? We just need discipline, patience, proper planning, commitment to our travel goals and saving habits.

Here are our family’s simple tips on how to save on your family travel:

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The Characteristics of Proverbs 31 Mompreneur

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She is tired, stressed, always have panic attack, rushing things and just exhausted. Sounds familiar? Sounds me sometimes.

Juggling two roles is not easy, running a business while raising a child is one of the toughest job description on earth.

 

Thank God for reminding me to look at the characteristics of my “Mompreneur Peg”, the Proverbs 31 Woman.

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Who is she as a mompreneur, here are her characteristics that I’ve discovered and I want to imitate from her:

 

1. She wakes up early – 

She gets up while it is still night;
    she provides food for her family
    and portions for her female servants. Proverbs 31: 15

A proverbs 31 mompreneur wakes up early and prepare food for her household.

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The Hare & The Tortoise: “Taking it Slow”

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This story is so popular, repeated not only  twice or thrice, but as a mom and entrepreneur now.. I am viewing the story much bigger compared those times that my teacher uses it to illustrate and teach the word “fast” and “slow” haha!

Two characters : 
The hare and the tortoise..

The hare, who hops fast.. and tend to go quicker than the tortoise… and has a competition mindset..

The tortoise, who take it slow.. the relaxed one but knows his direction and determined

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“How motherhood can teach us to slow down”

When my husband and I have decided to close our day spa biz and our business office so I can be a hands-on mom to my son and by choice, we didn’t hire a yaya for him.. we didn’t know it will affect our business this much #thestruggleisreal 

We lost 90% of our monthly sales because of my decision to operate from home. (Yes, a little lack of planning here ,I must admit)

I am not so aware, that I have to clean the dishes, clean the potty, give my son a bath.. breastfeed him every 4 hours… cook.. and those mommy tasks will already occupy my whole day and turned out I only have few minutes left for work or none at all.

I used to be a rabbit or the hare before.. hopping around without any clear direction..  Ano ba talaga? Saan ba talaga? I want to try almost everything in front of me.

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5 Time Management Tips

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grass-1140817_960_720Effective time management… that’s one of our regular prayer request.

Working at home with a toddler is not a joke. Cooking while answering emails,  breastfeeding while talking to a client on the phone. Going back to our home twice because we left important documents or hubby’s driver’s license.

Those are some unseen stories that we have in our everyday journey.

I am always on search for ways that will help our family manage our time wisely so we’ll be better stewards of the gift of time, because we know that God doesn’t want us to always cram and rush. Time is a precious gift. That’s one of the things we cannot bring back right? Time.

Here are some of the ways we’re trying (yes, we are still in the process) to manage our time:

1. Planning ahead – having a calendar and/or a planner helps a lot, scheduling all field transactions so we can just work at home for atleast 3 days in a week and saves us gasoline expense, planning the menu for the week, by having a grocery list so we won’t have to go back to the store everyday.

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Covey’s Time Management Grid

You may want to check The Time Management Grid here this help us in organizing our schedule.

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Family Vacation: White Beach in Quezon

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This February, my husband and I celebrated our wedding anniversary. Eversince, beach has always been our happy place.

The sea is a witness that after 10 years of being in a relationship and 4 years as a married couple, we still DO love each other.

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After searching for a beach near Manila, we’ve decided to go to Padre, Burgos Quezon.  (5-6 hours drive)

PHP 1,700 (gasoline for Revo + toll fees)

It was our first Quezon adventure, and I am excited to share with you why we fell in love with the Province of Quezon and why you should put it on your travel bucket list too.

We went to three islands in Padre Burgos and Pagbilao, Quezon

  • Borawan (Boracay and Palawan in One)
  • Dampalitan Island
  • Puting Buhangin (Pagbilao, Quezon)

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Buribox : Filipino + Learning + Fun in a BOX

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Hello Mommies and Daddies!

 

Do you want to lessen your child’s screentime?

Are you running out of ideas on what activities you can do with your child at home?

No time to prepare homeschooling materials?

Do you want to raise up a bilingual child?

Do you want to have a child who loves to read?

If your answer is YES!

Check out Buribox. You and your child will definitely love it.

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Last month, our little Zee was privileged to try out Buribox (referred by lovely Mommy May of FullyHouseWifed)

After posting our activities on Instagram, a lot of my mommy friends got curious what a Buribox is.

So… What is Buribox?

Buribox – is a subscription box by Adarna House developed for Filipino Family with different books and activities every month making it fun and happy learning time with our little ones.

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It comes with a guide for us mommies and daddies :)

You’ll get 4-5 books, creative ideas, activity sheets and art materials for only PHP 799/month..

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Here’s what inside the cutie Buribox :) all for PHP 799 only

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Mompreneur’s Simple Ways to Cut Business Cost

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For home-based and start-up businesses, cost cutting maybe one of your goals this year momma.

In order to keep our businesses growing, I guess we should treat it like managing our home finances. “Living below our means” or “Operating below our income”

 

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Our expenses should be smaller than our sales to keep the business growing, proper allocation of funds and prioritizing purchases.

Sharing with you some of simple ways we’re planning to do this 2016 to save more this year:

 

1. Utilities- we are planning to switch to a better postpaid plan that suits our business need. I just realized that most of our clients are using this network provider, at the same time, they have a postpaid plan that offers unlimited calls and text to same network. So why should I pay extra fees from my current provider if I can just switch to other network. Some provider even have a complete business bundle with internet, landline number and mobile numbers for you and for your team.

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The Art of Prioritizing

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Simplifying and having the right “priorities” this year.

These are the common goals of many people – especially working moms.  And I am not an exception, I am one of them who wants to stick to my priorities in life and just love a much simplified life.

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I’ve noticed that I always crammed and always felt torn between two or more important things. (event invites, workshops and wifey-mommy duties)

Thankful that I remembered what my husband’s leader and our church senior Pastor taught him before on How to Prioritize.

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The Joy in Contentment

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I was working on a project last night, while listening to Pastor Rick Warren’s podcast about a balanced life. He mentioned about “Enjoying the moment” “Enjoying the NOW” instead of enjoying life when our goals are accomplished already.

I can still recall that day that My husband and I are eating the simplest meal we had in our table- I can’t remember how it taste like, but what I can recall was our Joy in midst of that situation. I can still remember the words my husband told me  “This too shall pass, season lang ‘to”

Instead of waiting for things to be back into normal, I am thankful that we chose Joy and thankfulness during those low times in our early parenting life.

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Let me share with you some of the things I believe we should consider when we want to be contented in our current situations in life.

  • Never Compare – Comparison is the thief of Joy as they say.

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Pretend Play with Little Human

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Being an 80’s kid, I spent my childhood playtime in the street. I’ve pretended to be Pink Ranger, a Truck Driver, a Bride and a Teacher during our “Teacher, Teacheran play” my playmates doesn’t have any choice because I am the oldest so I am the Teacher. Haha!

In this modern era, because of video games, mobile apps, TV Shows and Internet, I can rarely see children playing street games and do pretend play. And surprisingly my two-year boy knows how to operate the iPad.

Being more intentional now, I want my little Zee to really experience childhood playtime. More than physical play like biking, running and sliding, I’ve read that pretend play is really important in every child’s development (link here)

 

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Here are of the benefits of pretend plays:

  • Develops Creativity – because kids use their imagination during pretend plays, their creativity develops too. Even their problem-solving gifts and resourcefulness.

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Affordable Shabby Room in Tagaytay City

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Busyness of Mommy Life

When you become a mom, you will appreciate a  trip to the grocery alone, a shower time without an audience, an eat-out day or the “kitchen day-off” and having your hubby give your little one a bath.

But moms, we are also human, we are not a machine, nor a battery-operated toy. We need to “pause” , “breathe” and yes, we need R.E.S.T.

“Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest. In plowing time and in harvest you shall rest.”

Exodus 34:21

 

Last August, our family were blessed to have a staycation in “Shabby 1943 Unit”

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Shabby 1943, is located at Wind Residences in Tagaytay City! It’s only a 2-hour drive from Manila. That’s why Tagaytay City, is a perfect go-to travel vacation for families like ours, who want to say bye-bye to the busy life in the City to unplug and “Selah” or Pause for a while.

Shabby 1943 is owned by Gementera Family. The lovely couple (a photographer and a copyrighter) got married in Tagaytay City and had many beautiful moments there, that’s how personal and close Shabby 1943 unit is in their hearts and you’ll see that on how they decorated their joyful space.

 

What our family loved about Shabby 1943 Unit that you’ll surely love too.

  • Interior Design– the room has a really “shabby” interior design, making it refreshing, joyful and so relaxing.

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Little Zee enjoyin’ the Taal Lake View from Shabby Room

  • A Place like Home- you will feel as if your at your own place.

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Standing Up After A Business Failure

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Standing up after a great fall is one of the hardest thing to do in life. This often happen when you’re in the business world. Being an entrepreneur requires us to take risks. And sometimes, things don’t happen and work according to what we have planned.

 

Naniniwala ako that everyone of us, at some point in our lives experience the painful word “FAILURE”, yung may mga  sleepless nights, anxiety attacks and so much more, let me tell you that “I -Feel- You”.

 

I’ve failed many times, in small simple decisions in life and of course a couple of times in business ventures.. And it is true “Ang mahal matuto sa life and lalo na sa business”

But as the Chinese Proverb says “Failure is not falling down but refusing to get up”.  I admit, there were days na nagpipity-party ako, naaawa sa sarili, reminiscing my past achievements, re-computing , full of “if only…” complaints…

 

Then.. One day, God tapped my back and said “Anak, you were born to succeed, you have My DNA, you have the right and power to achieve and be victorious, I have given you the abilities and talents to succeed in life. Move on! Move!”

And YES! Its a wake-up call! As always, God is always on-time, Those words were what I exactly needed to hear, I tend to be stagnant and stuck, full of excuses… Then that word “MOVE!” alarmed me.

 

Sharing with you some tips on how to move on after a business failure:

 

  • LET GO – We need to Let Go of our disappointments, forgive those people who’ve brought us into frustrating situation, forgive ourselves. Let Go,Let God.

 

  • BE GRATEFUL- Start the day with thanksgiving, stop complaining. Appreciate the things that still remains. Stop comparing your life to other people.

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7 Home-Based Business Ideas For Nanays

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Hellooo!

This month I want to blog more about mommy+preneurship.. And since I am managing a home-based business, I want to give you mommas and ladies some business ideas that you can start at the comfort of your home…

Are you a mom, a homemaker that desires to start your own business while being present and around with your child? or a wife who wants to help increase family’s income.. or do you have a hobby that you want to turn into a real business?

Let me share with you some business and/or product ideas that you can start at home:

 

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Affordable Mushroom “No Meat” Burger Recipe

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Want to eat some burgers? Without meat? Yes! You heard it right, no meat in the patties..

The recipe is easy to cook and prepare.. I’m sure your whole family will love it too!

You will definitely won’t miss eating beef burgers after tasting this recipe.

What a guilt-free way to eat burgers right? Healthy and yum!

 

I am happy to share with you our new favorite family snack recipe “Mushroom Burger”

 

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Ingredients:

2 cans Jolly Mushrooms (finely chopped)

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup bread crumbs

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The Sweet Side of Nanayhood

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Motherhood is one of the toughest jobs on earth.

You’ll discover a different version of who you are when you became a mom,

you’ll see a different kind of strength especially when juggling so much tasks with shorter days and longer nights timeline.

There were days when you almost forget the date and have your lunch at Five ‘o clock in the afternoon haha!

But you also know you’re a mom when that simple hug and “abyu!” (I love you) become your kryptonite…

 

Let me share with you mommies and I know you’ll agree that even though Motherhood is a tough job, it’s the sweetest job as well.

It is indeed a special gift and calling in a woman’s life.

 

Here are my favorite “sweet sides” of being a mom:

  • Lots of hugs and kisses – I got more than 20 hugs a day from my little guy. Maybe one reason why most moms look so happy (because hugging increases oxytocin bonding hormones). After a tiring day with piles of laundry and deadlines at work that simple hug will surely energize you.

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Breastfeeding: A Beautiful Memory

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The Gift of Breastfeeding

This beautiful journey is not as easy as most people thought.. it is one of the bravest decisions I made in my life.. one of my meaningful goals that I am happy to achieve.. a selfless dream that I have discovered..

“Breastfeeding”…

I am always thankful to God for His abundant supply and for designing mommy’s body to be able to make the perfect food for babies – A liquid gold. Worth more than real gold.

The Special Bond (my short letter for Zee)

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My little Zee, because breastfeeding is not forever, you might wean any time soon.. Mimi and Didi wants to document our special bonding.. because I know someday, this won’t matter to you anymore. you’ll forget all of this. Atleast… I (we) can go back to this moment..

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5 Tips for BOOSTING Breast Milk Supply

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Some people are amazed that I am still breastfeeding Zee (2 years & 2 months).. Some find it weird and too much… they are like “Hey! you’re still breastfeeding?”…. but there are people who ask me what am I doing to maintain my milk supply?

 

I am happy to share with you what worked for me and prayerfully will work to you as well:

 

1. Malunggay Hot Choco / Coffee – before I was a coffee addict, but caffeine can cause dehydration that will make mommy’s milk supply low. Glad that there are mompreneurs who developed choco/coffee mix for breastfeeding moms. (Mother Nurture, Kultura in SM Department Store’s Malunggay Coffee)

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Why I am thankful I started working at age 14

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Yes! You read it right. I started working when I was 14 years old.

I was like…
“Wow! I’ve been working for 13 years now!” And for 13 years I’ve been exposed to different industries.. (if you wanna know how old i am, you do the math haha!) Thank God He directed me to my current career which is what I truly love.. as mommy+preneur..

When I was 14 years old, I worked as Summer Raid Representative under my uncle’s team in one of our country’s leading ice cream brand. (with my Parents’ Consent)

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D-I-Y Hand Paint for toddlers

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These past few days, I’ve been running out of ideas to keep my little son busy so I can cook or check my email even while he’s awake (if you’re a mompreneur or wahm you know what I mean! ?)

I am also limiting our screen time for not more than two hours a day. (Thankful that we do not have TV & Cable right now) 

I do believe in what Pablo Picasso said That every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.

As parents, we have to help them bring out their creativity.

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I found this recipe online and revised it a little, experiment with your little one, let him/her be messy, play and create with his/her tiny hands.

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Why I am still Thankful going through the not-so-ok financial season?

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Last year up to early this year was a big shake on our financial life.

Our reserves were lost. And sad to say, we even had some debts to pay. We do not have a stable income that time. (My hubby works as a freelance animator and me, a self-employed momma) 

 

But why we are still thankful that those season and scene happened to us? 

 

 1.  We’ve learned – it is true unlike in school, in real life, lessons happens after a test.

 

 2.  We became better steward (still a work in progress)- during that season God equipped us through His word and books that tackle about financial stewardships about money management, being a better spender and steward of material resources.

 

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Tips in Writing your Faith Goals

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Hello January! 

Are you excited for what’s in store for you this year?
I am sure you have your plans and goals for the whole year.
This year will be a great year, another year of miracles and answered prayers..
Before our church’s annual prayer and fasting,
My husband and I created our faith goals for this year.
I am sharing with you some tips in creating an effective faith goals that we’ve learned from our mentors, books, seminars and some are based on own opinion (nag-wowork naman haha!)
Just Remember:
P-S-T!
  • Personal – we cannot set goals for other people since we cannot dictate or control others, our goals should be individual or personal. It should be driven by our inner desire not because we want to impress, please or compete other people.
  • Specific – we should have specific goals, example is instead of “Family Vacation” it should be “3 Days Palawan Vacation with family on our wedding anniversary” you should know what you really want to achieve and pray for this year.
  • Trackable- goals should be time bound, we should set a date for each goals, so we can also track our progress. “For example, eat healthy meals and lose 5 kilos by June ” 
Some of our mentors shared that goals should be Realistic and Measurable.
We should be passionate about our goals, goals that we really desire not dictated by other people.
Goals that are align to our calling and purpose in life.
But we should also remember that when our plans fail, we shouldn’t lose hope,
And above all else, we should seek to know God more this year and everything else will fall down into its right places.
Proverbs 16:9
The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.
Happy Goals Setting!

(No Bake) Chocolate Cake Recipe

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This method of making a cake is really easy and newbie-friendly, perfect for beginners and frustrated bakers like me :) No Oven? No problem. All you need is a steamer (rice cooker, stove top steamer) And for this recipe, I will be using Maya Chocolate Cake Mix, it’s affordable and proven really yummy! They also have butter cake mix, banana cake mix, even the Bibingka Cake Mix and a lot more… 

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Home-made Oreo Ice cream (No-machine needed)

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I love Oreo and I love ice cream…
That’s why I love Cookies ‘n cream… :)

Few days ago, my little Zee saw an Ice Cream commercial and said
“Ice cream, more!” Hahaha.. Vey timely, a friend shared with me her ice cream recipe.

But I’ve revised it a bit by adding salt and vanilla extract,
but I think her ice cream looks yummier than mine haha..

This home-made recipe is perfect for holidays, you can also save 40-50% compared to local ice cream price not to mention that this can be a great family bonding plus you can also explore by using fresh fruist instead of oreos :)

Here’s how to make a no-machine and home-made Ice cream

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Recipe: Home-made “no bake” Choco Peanut Bar

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This recipe has only 5 ingredients, if you love peanut butter and chocolate? This is a perfect combo! I’ve found this recipe from www.sallybakingaddicition.com, I really love her recipes. They’re easy to follow and really yummy. Are you excited to make your own Choco Peanut Bar? :) Sharing with you my version of  “home-made Reese : Butter Finger-like dessert” hehe.

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This is perfect for busy moms.. like me, this recipe is so easy and quick to do :)

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Aquaria Beach Resort : Zee’s First Birthday

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If you’re going to ask me and my husband what our happy place is, that would be BEACH!

So if you are looking for a resort near Manila, why not check out a new place we’ve found in Calatagan, Batangas :)

 

My husband proposed to me at the beach (Matabungkay, Batangas) ,

we exchanged our vows in a beach too (Laiya, San Juan Batangas).

Then, we celebrated our First Wedding Anniversary still at the beach (Boracay, Aklan)

And since our Baby Zee turned ONE last May 28, 2014, we’ve decided to celebrate it in a beach.  hehe :)

 

Then we saw AQUARIA BEACH RESORT online,  a new beach resort in Playa, Calatagan, Batangas. It is part of Playa Calatagan’s Leisure Tourism Estate developed by Landco. From Manila travel time is 3 hours.

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Here’s their admission rates for non unit owner:
inclusion: pool usage, beach and shower

Adult – PHP 400

Child (4ft tall) – PHP 200

The Birthday Boy wearing his PERSONALIZED B-day Details Shirts from Tiny Thinkies :)

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D.I.Y First Birthday Photoshoot

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It was not a bright sunny day, but still, we’ve decided to have a “Fun Shoot” for Baby Zee’s First Birthday Invitation and for a mom’s purpose of documenting every first of her son.

Things needed:

  1. Camera (We used our photobooth DSLR)
  2. Props (We used Balloons, Chalkboard Facts about Zee, Outfit sets for baby)
  3. Nice and Near Venue (Taken at Luneta, Manila City)
  4. Assistant (my sister, Rina)
  5. Stylist (yours truly hihi ^^)
  6. Photographer (didi “daddy”)
  7. Subject (Baby Zee – the birthday boy!)

Total Savings:

PHP 4,000 (Outside studio photo shoot cost around PHP 5,000, but since we ate dinner, pay the entrance {Children’s Playground}, gasoline and toll fees expenses we have around PHP 1,000 expenses that day, not bad.. right?)

Here are some tips if you’re planning to have a DIY photoshoot with your little one:

It is important to determine his happy time :)

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You don’t need to be a photo shop savvy, there are many photo editing websites now :)

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zee7 don’t forget to have fun :) let your little one enjoy the moment and explore the world..

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I love this set (but sad that its kinda blurred) 

use cute props…

And don’t forget to have a family portrait..

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Oopps.. and have a “theme” In our case, our concept is COLORS + Nature :)

Sharing with you this quote that I’ve read before:

 “You don’t capture photograph, you make” :)

“Celebrate Life, Today is Special”  Psalm 118:24

 

Roasted Rosemary Chicken Recipe

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Aside from being a business addict and being a hands-on mom,

I also love cooking. I am so thankful to received my first “Philips Airfryer” from Philips Philippines as a token for being one of the Philip’s Avent 30 Circle of Moms.

Sharing my first recipe post and my first dish using the Philips Airfryer.

It’s easy, quick and very tasty :) Perfect for on-the-go busy mommas..

 

“Roasted Rosemary Chicken”

 

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken

1 onion (quartered)

spring onions

1-2 tbsp. rosemary (fresh or dried)

1 tsp. salt & pepper

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Top 10 Reasons of Choosing to Breastfeed

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There are many people who kept on asking me, why I choose to breastfeed?
I am mompreneur and I have a busy schedule… how come I still choose to breastfeed?

Sharing with you my top reasons why I choose to breastfeed:
(And surely you’ll love it too)

“I choose to breastfeed because….”

1) I believe BREAST MILK is a gift from God, its a free gift and precious, I value every gift from above.

2) It makes me feel a Super Mom. (in today’s modern life, some people think breastfeeding is old-fashioned, but I believe modern and young moms can breastfeed too.)

3) Breast milk is made of antibodies, an immune system booster that can protect our babies from viruses and sickness. (it is proven that breastfed babies have stronger immune system)

4) The future effect on babies. Breastfed babies often are more intelligent, and less prone to obesity and more..

5) Helps mommy lose weight fast – I am still a chubby mommy, but breastfeeding as per studies can burn 500 calories per day ( I wonder how big I am now if I didn’t breastfeed? Haha)

6) Breast milk is organic and 100% natural. (I am pro-organic and natural products)

7) Breastfeeding can save money (no expenses for formula milk and mineral water)

8) Breastfeeding fits an on-the-go mom like me.

9) Breastfeeding help mommies be cancer free! (studies shows that nursing moms are less likely to have cancer – the more years the mommy breastfeeds, the longer she is less at risk of having cancer)

10) Breastfeeding is love… It has that special bonding magic between mommy and her baby..

For more information about breastfeeding:

You may check this link:
http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/feeding-eating/breastfeeding

Or

add Breastfeeding Pinays Group on your facebook

Top 10 Things that changed after having a child

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Its been 12 months since I gave birth. And since then, my everyday life became more meaningful.

With every new things that my baby is discovering it seems my everyday is a surprise.

I just want to share my top 10 things that changed after having a child.

And I’m sure most newbie moms like me can relate too! (wink*)

1) Body Figure – it is common for women to gain weight (lots of weight, actually, haha) during and after pregnancy. Stretchmarks are now normal and not just a sign of stretched skin but a battle scar.

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When to Start & When to Stop

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As a WAHM (work-at-home-mom) without a helper or a house companion it is really challenging to balance time from being a hands-on mom, wife and a mompreneur..

But this devotion from Joyce Meyer brightened my day.
I saw this devotion screen shot on my close friend’s facebook wall.
(Jenesis Paredes,hehe)

Sharing this to all people who are always cramming, exhausted with so many tasks and people like me, a mom always praying for inner peace because of round-the-clock responsibilities..

It is true, we should learn when to start and when to stop..
And learn to rely on God’s timing in terms of our career breakthroughs, miracles, dreams and plans in life..

“God is never early, never too late, He is always on time”

Still praying for a well balanced life and effective time management :)
Go multitasking moms and people! We can do this!

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