Superbook Fun Run 2013: Ready...Gizmo...Go!

It's very heart-warming to see that each one has been doing their part to help in the recent calamity that had struck the Leyte Province particularly Tacloban City last Nov. 8, 2013. The Super Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan was so hard that it left a vast number of people homeless and orphaned. People from all over the world offered a helping hand to give hope to the typhoon survivors. Some have been helping via relief operations, medical missions, giving donations, dining for a cause, and many more.

 

And now, your favorite TV show, Superbook, will be having a fun run for this cause too. If you haven't done any help yet, this would be a great opportunity to do your part. Not only will your participation fee help in the fund raising, it's one way to stay fit especially to those who haven't had any exercise for the past years, just like me. Reserve this date to bond with the whole family. For sure, the kids will love it!

If you are interested, kindly continue reading the press release and the registration details below. 

RUN AND BECOME “HEROES OF CHANGE” IN THE FIRST-EVER SUPERBOOK FUN RUN

RUN and help our kababayans in need with the first-ever Superbook benefit fun run dubbed “READY… GIZMO…GO!” happening on December 14, 2013 at the Bonifacio Global City. Warm up starts at 4:30 am and the official gun start for the 10K run is at 6:00 am. 

Join Gizmo, the Superbook agents and other Superbook lovers as they make “every kilometer count” and contribute in raising funds for the disaster relief operations of Operation Blessing, the humanitarian arm of CBN Asia. Various OB Teams have now set up a base camp in the most hard-hit areas of Super Typhoon Yolanda distributing relief goods, doing medical missions and trauma counseling.

This event will also benefit the CBN Asia Prayer Center, the Asian Center for Missions and the CBN Asia Media (The 700 Club Asia, Superbook and Tanikala).

 

 

 

Superbook takes the lead in the fun run with its phenomenal success in its first season drawing close to 20 million viewers.

And in this time when everyone is joining hands to help our kababayans in the Visayas, Superbook, through its “Bida ng Pagbabago Advocacy,” invites everyone, especially the kids to participate in this first ever “Ready… Gizmo… Go!” Fun Run and help raise funds for the CBN Asia Family of Ministries.

Superbook’s “Bida ng Pagbabago Advocacy” believes in empowering the children of today. As young as they are, they can already be of influence and become examples to their friends, families and community.

“The effect of Superbook on the family has been amazing. Through Superbook and the adventures of Gizmo, Chris and Joy, more and more children have developed the joy of Bible-reading and have become heroes of change by showing positive difference at home, in school and their community. Superbook also empowers parents to introduce positive values to their children in a fun way and it has become a catalyst for families to become closer and to grow in love and faith,” says Icko Gonzalez, Superbook Project Head in the Philippines.

 

How To Register

Participants may choose to join either of the following categories:

1K - fee P300 (inclusive of singlet, race bib, baller)
3K - fee P400 (inclusive of singlet, race bib, baller, medal)
5K - fee P500 (inclusive of singlet, race bib, baller, medal)
10K - fee P600 (inclusive of singlet, race bib, baller, medal and finisher's shirt)

Singlet design

 

 Exclusive Baller design

 Medal design

Map for 10K

Registration is now open until December 9 or until supplies last.

To join the “Ready… Gizmo… Go!” Fun Run, visit any of the following venues during office hours for registration and payment and immediately claim your specially-designed race kit:

·         CBN Asia Head Office Sagittarius Bldg., HV Dela Costa / Leviste St., Makati City

·         House of Praise (HOP) Robinsons Galleria and St. Francis Square, Ortigas

·         ADSTRATWORLD Holdings Inc. Head Office

·         Brooks SM North EDSA

·         Toby’s Sports Branches in Glorietta 2, Shangri-La Plaza and Trinoma

·         RUNNR Branches in Alabang Town Center and Bonifacio Global City

 

Do not miss this chance to be a part of the first Superbook Fun Run and make a difference in the lives of thousands this Christmas!

For more event details, please visit their event page at www.batangsuperbook.com/readygizmogo

For updates and announcements, please visit and like Batang Superbook Fan Page at www.facebook.com/batangsuperbook

For more information, please call:

Corporate Communications | (02) 812-4747

Local 424 (Edwin Arceo, edwin.arceo@cbnasia.org)

Local 408 (Len Tienzo, len.tienzo@cbnasia.org)

Hope to see you there!

Mommy Sally  

Blogapalooza 2013

I am very excited to attend this event. Check this out!

Smash the Cake Pictorial + Giveaway

My baby's first birthday is coming up in just a month's time. I have been on a busy mode lately, putting up and preparing for Baby A's first birthday party. And prior to that, I have been wanting to have a formal or themed pictorial of baby. I have seen other moms having a Smash the Cake photo shoot with their babies and I find it very unique that's why I've decided to try it too with my baby.

First and foremost, looking for a photographer or studio on where to shoot is not an easy task especially for a budgeted mom like me. After allotting a certain budget for the photo shoot package that I have chosen, I still need to spend for a cake to smash. I just realized that being a "stage mom" is indeed very costly but the least that I can do is to scout for the most economical supplier that can deliver quality output. And this goes to all the party suppliers that I was able to finalized with.

Let me begin with the cake supplier for our Smash the Cake pictorial.

Just four days before our actual pictorial session, I inquired from my friend if they can do a giant cupcake for me even with the short notice. Starting price of their giant cupcakes is at P800 depending on the design and luckily it fits my budget because others would cost more than P1,500. This friend of mine is also a mommy herself to a one year old smart boy that's why I'm pretty sure that she can do it with utmost care. I just showed her some sample pegs and the design idea that I want. I entrusted her the output of the cake and only got to see the actual cake on the photo shoot day. And here is the output of the giant cupcake. So pinky wonderful!

Here's the giant cupcake I ordered from Sisters' Sweetness, not including the toy figures.

Mommy Kandie is one of the sisters behind Sisters' Sweetness Homemade Cakes and Pastries. Aside from baking cakes, they also bake revel bars, puto, empanada, cupcakes, cake pops, cookies and anything you need to sweeten up your special occasion. To give you a brief background, baking pastries used to be their mom's personal hobby. It later on turned into a business managed by the whole family in the comforts of their own home. As you look intently into the Sisters' Sweetness logo, the chain represents the closely-tied relationship of the people working behind this home-based cake & pastry shop. Their creations are done with passion and creativity.



themed pictorial by The Ruffles Studio

The result of the smash the cake? It wasn't that totally smashed maybe because the cake and icing itself were hard enough for baby to press. Hubby just helped baby smash the cake and even wiped the icing on some parts of her face! Haha! According to Mommy Kandie, it's because it's a pound cake and only that kind of cake could support a giant cupcake design. As a tip, it might not be a good idea to have a pound cake for smashing. From a smiling baby to a crying baby, I think because baby didn't want that sticky feel of the icing. I just found out that she's a neat freak too just like mommy! :)

After dipping baby's hands into the cake, she suddenly burst into a loud cry.

Too bad, baby wasn't able to dig inside the layers of cake so we just decided to remove a slice to see what's inside. And here it is, the rainbow cake colorfully decorated by Sisters' Sweetness using edible food coloring for cakes. In terms of the taste, I loved the sweet taste of the icing better because it's made from marshmallows. The cake was not that bad but I just didn't like the idea of eating with food coloring. And I understand that it's the only way to make a rainbow layered cake, as what I have instructed. I ate a few bites and shared the others to my family members so they could also partake baby's cake.

 

Giant cupcake outside, rainbow cake inside. It's actually a vanilla pound cake.

And because it's almost gift-giving season, we have an early Christmas treat for all of you! How sweet of Mommy Kandie to give away one dozen of Sisters' Sweetness Cupcakes to one lucky reader. Aren't you excited? Wait not only that, she's also giving away a Jar of Hope First Aid Gel to another lucky reader. According to her, it's Mutterliebe's best seller as it is an all-around aid that can heal baby's rashes, mosquito bites, pimples, wounds and many more. Oh by the way, she is the multi-tasking mom behind Mutterliebe online store. As a way of thanking her, kindly check out the other products that she's offering.

Connect with them here:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/sisterssweetness

Email: sisterssweetness3@gmail.com

Cell number: 0922-8545997

Landline: 208-2823

Cake and pastries are definitely a great gift idea for any occasion whether for birthdays, parties, showers, potluck gatherings or even just for an after-meal dessert to satisfy your sweet cravings. What's good with Sisters' Sweetness is that they do free delivery within Metro Manila. So hurry and book your orders now before the peak season peaks in.

I won't let you wait too long, here you go. Just follow the steps and mechanics asked by the Rafflecopter below in order to qualify for the giveaway. This giveaway runs from Nov. 4 to 30, 2013 and is only open for those with Philippine addresses. Winners will be announced within the day of Dec. 1, 2013 (Sunday). I'll be forwarding the names of the two winners to Mommy Kandie and she'll be the one to instruct how you could claim your treat. Good luck and Happy Holidays!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Mommy Sally

Note: All the photos used here are all taken by yours truly. :)
Thank you Mommy Kandie and to your mom for the giant cupcake gift to my Baby A. We really loved it! :)

Birthday Party Planning

This is my official entry to Bebengisms' Wooden Kiddie Stools Giveaway.

Being a work-at-home mom myself, I still find it challenging to balance work load and time for baby. One reason is because I chose to exclusively breastfeed Baby A, making her become more clingy to me but that's what I wanted it to be. I am happy for being with her as she goes through her developmental milestones. From being a swaddled newborn, to achieving her neck support, to her first roll-over, to crawling, to sitting upright unsupported and now trying to stand on her own. A little more than a month left, my baby will become one year old already. Time to celebrate her first birthday.

And because I am such a busy person, I was able to start planning for my baby's birthday party I think last two months ago only. But it doesn't mean that I don't give importance to it. Of course I do, that's why I am taking it slowly and carefully because I want it to be a very special one since it's also her baptismal day. And you know what made it more special? Her birthday this year falls on a Sunday. I really love that day!

First few things that I was able to finalize were the church, the venue and the catering. Then others came next such as photographer, videographer, and photo booth. I actually just made down-payments to them just last two weeks ago. And guess what, Wooden Kiddie Stools was also included in my supplier list. I came to learn about them just early this month after having attended a first birthday party and got a wooden kiddie stool as their souvenir. I find it very practical, customizable and useful. I immediately thought of having these kind of souvenirs to make my planning less tedious. Instead of buying things to fill up a loot bag, this wooden handicraft will do. And to make it different from my friend's party giveaway, I chose wooden mini baskets and I have actually ordered 60 pieces of them. Oh no, I have spoiled the surprise. Haha!

Baby A with her yummy wooden kiddie stool.
Thanks to Mommy G and Baby M!

And coincidentally, Bebengisms is having a giveaway from Wooden Kiddie Stools. Wow! They are giving away 30 pieces of Wooden Baskets according to the party's theme. I really hope to win. It could save me half of the total price that I will be spending. I can already feel the sting on my pocket because of the payments I made this month. Actually, my hubby just wanted a conservative and simple party and me on the other hand wanted to make it more colorful and memorable. And because of that, we have decided to split the expenses where he takes care of only the catering and me for the rest of the party details. Gulp! 

Let's just see how my baby's party would go. I haven't finalized the cake, candy buffet and event stylist yet. I don't have yet a sound system and I know rental fees are very expensive that's why I will try to borrow from someone else. I'll surely blog about all my party details soon. Stay tuned!

Happy 4th Anniversary to Wooden Kiddie Stools and a lot more! Congrats Ms. Jennifer Lopez-Gana! I hope my order will be nicely done. :) 

Mommy Sally  

Baby A's Ear Piercing Experience

Last Oct. 18, 2013, we went to her pedia just to get baby's ears pierced. I was so excited and at the same time afraid that baby would get hurt. First, pedia asked me to choose which earrings I want for baby, either with a birthstone, gold, white gold, or with pearl. I just chose the color pink but actually it's an October's birthstone because December is color blue.

Pedia told me to hold baby's body and limbs tightly as she marked baby's ears with a dot using a pentel pen as a guide before she did the actual thing. My baby was already crying so loud because she didn't want being swaddled or restricted. Then here comes the pedia holding the gun and ready to pierce baby's left ears. You can watch the video HERE. It's my habit to take videos during vaccinations that's why I was also able to capture this video with the help of our maid.

To cut the long story short, as soon as I heard the BANG! of the gun, my baby went on a loud cry. I thought it's part of the process but when I looked into her ears, OH MY! A portion of her left cheek near the left ear got stuck by the gun. I panicked and almost cried as I can feel the pain my baby is going through. Good thing, the cut was not deep, just the outer skin as the pedia immediately removed/retracted the gun from her ear and just manually inserted the earrings lock. For the right ear, I let the maid hold baby already and it was done smoothly in just a split second.

This was one of the very few times baby cried out this loud. I hurriedly carried her and good thing she calmed down in a few minutes because she knew that she is now safe in mommy's arms. This was the most traumatizing experience of me with baby so far. I don't dare to recall or watch the video again as it is really heart-breaking. It was a life-changing day for me because that's when I realized how much I love Baby A. From this day on, I promised myself to protect her, to be with her and spend more time with her. I don't want anything like this to happen again to my baby. Instead of feeling furious and angry with the pedia and the incident, I just diverted my feelings towards loving baby more.

It was a fateful Friday. I didn't voiced out my anger to the public because I don't want to say something bad that I might later regret. I waited for one week which is today to calm myself down and partly forget the incident. Good news, baby's wound had dried up, partially healed and the dried skin cells were peeled off already. On the spot, the pedia applied Betadine and at home, I just applied drops of breastmilk. I am just worried and hoping it won't leave a scar on her cheek.

Thank God for baby's speedy healing of the wound. I love you my Baby A! Mwah! :)

Left side shows the freshly cut wounds. Right side shows the wound about to heal.

If you were on my position, how would you react on this?
Any tips on how to avoid getting scars?
At what age did you had your baby's ears pierced?
When do you think is the best time/age to do it?

Mommy Sally

Baby A at Ten Months

Baby's 10th month birthday cake.

Time flies so fast. My baby girl is now 10 months but still showed no signs of teething yet. She also has a thin/few hair but it's okay, most probably she got it from me. Sometimes, these things got me worried but I know I should not be because every child's development varies. I would just accept how she is and how she brings happiness to our lives.

Baby standing up holding unto the crib ledge.

At this age, she loves to move around and explore on things. She learned to stand up on her own by clinging onto the crib ledge. Then she would walk around the corners of the crib, proudly smiling and babbling, throwing her books and toys out of the crib as if seeking for attention. She now crawls so fast that we really need to be all eyes on where she is heading. She even learned to climb a step from bed to sofa. We started sleeping on the floor bed when she was 4 months old where our bed is connected to the room sofa which then served as her climbing course.

Baby climbing up the sofa.

I also want to celebrate our 10 months of breastfeeding journey where we strictly direct feed throughout the night. It was an amazing sight to see the many acrobatic poses my baby does while breastfeeding. Before, we only feed on a side-lying position. Now, she would feed on top of me, sometimes with her little butt up, trying to get milk while standing, kneeling or even sitting down. I have also tried to feed baby in public and be confident in not bringing a bottle when we go out with baby. It's really hassle-free with breastfeeding. I'm proud of myself to have reached this mark and be successful in breastfeeding. The journey was not an easy-breezy but through determination and commitment, it feels good to arrive at where we are now. Still looking forward. counting the days and years how far our breastfeeding journey would go. I have yet to see it myself the many benefits and miracles that breastfeeding could give to my baby.

Breastfeeding lying down position.

People would always give a side comment that having a baby would mean having increased expenses. But with breastfeeding, we were able to save a lot because we never had to buy any formula/powdered milk for our baby's daily needs. Aside from that, we also saved on buying disposable diapers because we use reusable cloth diapers. Cloth diapers are indeed expensive but in the long run, it will be worth it plus you help save the environment from garbage disposals. I think the last time I bought a pack of disposable diapers was when baby was 4 months.

Baby on a cloth diaper.

We also practiced baby-led weaning starting 6months, with help and support from the Facebook group called Baby Led Weaning Philippines where we feed only local produce such as steamed sayote, broccoli, cauliflower, papaya, avocado, banana, etc. We never fed her with jarred processed/pureed/blended food.

Baby eating steamed carrots.

From the savings that I got from breastfeeding, cloth diapering and baby-led weaning, I used them instead to buy books. I don't even buy my baby nice dresses or expensive toys because luckily my family and friends have been very generous to provide baby those things. What I regret the most with myself is not loving books and I don't want my baby to be like me. It would look exaggerating, but I buy children's books almost every week or at least every month to build up the library of my baby. Every time I would pass by a Book Sale, I would surely go in and search for good/famous books or cheap and worthy books.

At BOOKSALE Waltermart, E. Rodriguez branch.

Baby reading books while sitting.

Baby reading books while standing.

I never imagined that I am capable of sacrificing and loving someone this much. Every single moment with baby brings joy and excitement to my everyday life. And as a "stage mom", I would give whatever is best for my baby, inside and out. And as part of having a baby girl, it is a mom's responsibility to make her daughter look beautiful and presentable.

Baby's birthday is almost coming up in less than 2 months, I have been very busy preparing for her baptismal and birthday party. Part of the prepping up is to have my baby's ears pierced so she can wear earrings and make her look more girly and people would surely not mistaken her as a boy. Some babies had their ears pierced when they were just few days old, while some do it at a later age. Both has its pros and cons. Either doing it below 6 months old when baby is still easy to handle but prone to infection or just before one year old when baby's ears are more firm but very playful already. For me, the younger the better so that they won't remember the painful experience.

Want to know how the ear piercing experience of my baby went? I invite you to continue reading onto my next blog post. Warning, it's a heavy one.

Mommy Sally

Reis & Irvy's Frozen Yogurt: Served by a Robot

As far as I could remember, the first few times I have tasted a frozen yogurt was year 2009, the time when frozen yogurt craze was still at its peak or at least on my own personal observation. Lots of frozen yogurt house opened here and there, not until the bubble tea craze took place last 2011. Both of which shows that people are now more health-conscious, thus have switched to a healthier dessert alternatives.

Speaking of frozen yogurt place, most of them are full-service type of restaurants where you tell your specific order to the staff and the staff would prepare it for you. Then there are a few that opened as a self-service type where you get a cup, fill in with yogurt and toppings and the cup will be weighed to compute the amount. But self-served frozen yogurt is a bit tricky because there's no way to predict the exact price since it is based on weight (i.e. P20 per ounce) so you need to be very careful in filling up your cup. And now comes the third type, frozen yogurt served by a robot! Wow, cool!

Last Sept. 28, 2013 (Saturday) marked the grand opening of Reis & Irvy's Frozen Yogurt and I am honored to be one of the chosen bloggers to witness this. They celebrated their opening by giving out free yogurts to the first 50 people to get in line by 11:00am.



People were so excited waiting in line to experience this frozen yogurt being served by a robot.

Reis & Irvy's Frozen Yogurt is a kiosk type of business where there is a cashier, a yogurt machine and small area to accommodate around 8 sit-down customers. As I see it, the concept is a hybrid of vending machine and a merchandiser type of arcade machine. To get a better view on this, let's watch this short video clip that I took to show you how the machine works. Click HERE.

Reis & Irvy's Frozen Yogurt kiosk

Here are the steps on how to place your order:
1. First, approach the cashier, pay P125 in exchange of a coupon.
2. Insert the coupon into the slot of the kiosk.
3. From the touch screen, choose your 1st yogurt either Vanilla, Chocolate or a combination of both.
4. Then pick your 1st topping. Choices are: peanuts, sprinkles, chocolate sprinkles, muesli, chopped cashews, chocolate pieces or no topping at all.
5. Choose your 2nd yogurt. Same choices as above.
6. Pick your 2nd topping. Same choices as above.
7. Then choose 1 from among the 4 robots: Cid, Irvy, Reis or Rev.
8. Watch as the robot of your choice prepares your order in less than 2 minutes or 100 seconds. This might be shortened if you are fast in choosing.
9. You may get your cup as soon as the slot opening on the left side opens.
10. Get your spoon and tissue from the cashier. Just add P25 for additional 2 toppings to be scooped manually.

 

It's basically a 4-layer yogurt treat.
1st/base layer: yogurt
2nd layer: topping
3rd layer: yogurt
4th/top layer: topping

Snap shots of the different steps to get to your frozen yogurt.

 

As you wait and watch, there's a visual graphics that plays on the LCD screen inside the machine while the robot arm moves around getting the cup, putting layers of yogurt, sprinkling the toppings and serving the finished product into the slot opening. The cup isn't an ordinary paper cup but a plastic souvenir cup which you can wash and keep as a souvenir. They are also selling button pins with the robot designs for P40 each.



Robot designs button pins selling for P40 each.

Based on my experience, here are some thoughts that came up to me.
Pros:
1. It gives a new and exciting experience for adventure-lovers to try this new idea of being served by a robot.
2. You are sure that your order would be free from human errors and tamper-free.
3. The taste is good, same as other frozen yogurt stores.

Cons:
1. It can be exciting at first but not sure if it's still worth the try for a second time because of the price, where the content is just half of what it is seen on the poster.
2. Prone to technical malfunction and if that happens, the operation also stops.
3. No option of fresh fruits as toppings because the machine can only contain dry and non-sticky toppings.

From the looks of their customers' happy faces, it seems that they enjoyed their frozen yogurt served-by-a-robot experience.

Happy customers.

As part of their grand opening celebration, people also had a chance to do face painting with the 4 robot designs to choose from. I find their robot designs so cute! Kudos to the graphic designers from Bacolod! Nice painting skills by Art N Faces Body Art.



I joined the fun by getting painted on my right arm.

Plus a photo-op with Reis, the pink female robot, in human form. In fairness, she acted like a real robot. Good job!

Here's a picture of me with Reis.

Before I end this write-up, I would like to congratulate Robofusion, Inc. for bringing in Reis & Irvy's Frozen Yogurt in the Philippines, the first and only robotic frozen yogurt kiosk in our country as of the moment. It surely gave this frozen yogurt industry a revival with a fresh new twist. Just to let you know, Robofusion, Inc is the leader in interactive robotic kiosk. You may visit their website to know more about the company.

 

Currently, these are the countries that
Robofusion has partnered and expanded to.

 

Here's a photo-op with the US citizen part owner, Ms. Lydia Jones.

 

Watch out as they plan to open their second branch in SM Megamall within the year.

 



To get updates on Reis & Irvy's Frozen Yogurt, kindly visit and follow them here:

Facebook: Reis & Irvy's Philippines

Twitter: @robofusion

Instagram: @reisandirvy

Website: http://www.reisandirvys.com/

Location: 3/F The Block, SM North Edsa (beside Sandwich Guy stall) from 10am to 10pm

Contact: 888-974-4442 (US toll-free number)

 

If I may suggest, it would be a good idea to position their robotic kiosk beside a science museum. What do you think?

 

Mommy Sally

What Inspires Me to Blog

This is The Binondo Mommy's official entry to Moomy Musings "What Inspires You?" Blog Inc. Book Giveaway Contest.

The Binondo Mommy is a fairly new blog that started only last June 8, 2013, almost four months running in the blogging world. It was born to serve as a medium to document my life as a mom, to record the happiness of having a baby, to improve on my skills, to open new opportunities, and to meet new friends along the way.

I got inspired from those mommy bloggers who constantly share their personal stories, learnings and mishaps to help fellow moms avoid falling into the same problem or to hear out another mom's point of view. Reading blogs is fun because you can easily get a glimpse of somebody else's life and get to learn many new things. To my supportive friends and readers who took time to read my blog posts and left comments, they are the ones that kept me inspired to blog more.

I can better express myself through writing than talking face to face that's why I think blogging is for me. I love to document things especially through photographs and videos and all those memorabilia that I would come across with. As of now, I don't have any field of expertise or specialty that I can mention yet because I am still finding my life's purpose. And because of that, the topics that I blog still varies. I have a dream to travel around the world, to dine in different restaurants, to start my own business, to be financially stable, to be able to help and give back to society. And I am very hopeful that blogging could, one way or another, take me to achieve my dreams in life. I learned from a seminar that the more you declare your dreams to the universe, the faster they will come to you. I know it would take time to create a successful blog but I am willing to take the small steps. I strongly believe that knowledge and power is achieved through time.

Got this image from: http://www.beckybedbug.com/2013/06/book-review-blog-inc.html

After reading the review by Moomy Musings on the book entitled Blog Inc. by Joy Cho, the whole book's content got my interest. I'm interested to read Chapter 1: Introduction to Blogging since it best fits my current status in this blogosphere. I want to better understand the blogging terms, blogging purposes and different types of blogs. The second interesting chapter for me is Chapter 4: Blogging Community Etiquette.

I hope to get a copy of this Blog Inc. book by Joy Cho as I really want to see how far my blog would go. If you are interested to create your own blog, you might want to check Moomy Musings' blog for inspiration: http://www.moomymusings.com/2013/09/blog-inc-book-review.html

Special thanks to Moomy Musings for helping me put up my blog and serving as my inspiration. May you inspire many more people to blog with purpose.

Mommy Sally

Superbook Reimagined: Now in Tagalog

I had once attended an event of Superbook, their Bida ng Pagbabago Roadshow. You may read my fun experience here in my previous blog post. I'm amazed by their Facebook page where they already have almost 173,000 fans, to date. And in their every posts or status update, lots of people have been leaving comments and participating making the discussion so alive and interactive. This means to say that Superbook is really a hit to Filipino families. The revived show was very well received and enjoyed by Filipino kids of this generation. I admit that I wasn't able to tune in to Superbook every Saturday because it's too early. I want to let baby sleep some more and wait until she wants to wake up. But I really find Superbook a good TV show because not only does it relives the Bibles stories, the short 30-minute time slot doesn't contain any commercials except for Superbook ads. This means that you can be sure that your kids won't be influenced negatively. Whether you have completed watching the 13 episodes in English or haven't started watching any yet, you can still watch again or start watching because they have a great news to all the fans of Superbook!

Starting October 5, Superbook will now be aired in Tagalog!

"Now that there's Superbook in Tagalog, more Pinoy kids will surely learn from the episodes and relate to the stories portrayed. This time, Superbook will be appreciated by more Filipino families. It's my dream to see Superbook translated to other dialects so that more kids will know about God and His great love for us," says Icko Gonzalez, Superbook Project Head.

 

With Superbook in Tagalog on TV, more children can share the excitement and relive the greatest adventures ever told.

Watch the Tagalized version of Superbook Season 1 and enjoy time-traveling with your favorite Superbook friends Chris, Joy and Gizmo every Saturday, starting October 5, 7:30 a.m. on GMA and will run for 13 weeks.

And of course, their Salvation Poem will now be sang in Tagalog too. So watch out for it at the end of the show and be the first to master their new song! I bet it's as LSS-worthy as the English version.

To know more about Superbook, you may visit their website at www.batangsuperbook.com and LIKE them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BatangSuperbook.

What's your favorite episode among the 13 and why? Share with me in the comments below.

Mommy Sally

Learn, Laugh, Love with Hobbes and Landes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everytime I mention the store Hobbes and Landes to my family or to some of my friends, I would either get a question-mark look, a blank stare or these kind of remarks like:

"Huh? What's that?"
"Ah, they are selling lands, real estate?"
"Calvin and Hobbes?"
"Ah that toy store?"

Apart from those comments, some would get the name incorrectly such as "hobbies and lanes". What a foreign sounding store it is. Way back in 2008, it was my hubby who first introduced and brought me to this store. He loves to window-shop at novelty stores where hard-to-find items can be found. As a family when I was a child, we don't used to shop in high end malls because it's so far from our place and my mom had a notion that everything is so expensive. That's why when I was growing up, I am not familiar with the malls. I only learned to shop through the influence of my friends and on the few occasions that somebody would invite me to hang-out or dine-out.

Anyway, I want to give you a walk through of Hobbes and Landes because I find it so extraordinary. First of all, the store name is pronounced as "hubbs and lands". It is not just an ordinary toy store for kids but a specialty lifestyle store for the whole family. If you are looking for unique finds, rare novelty items, imported and quality products, wholesome and educational toys, Hobbes and Landes is the place to go. The store is subdivided into different departments to cater to different interests.

The different pavilions or departments of Hobbes and Landes as seen from the street-like post by the hall way.

They have:
1. Build City - for constructing or building toys, puzzles
2. Journeys - for novelty items, home & living, souvenir items
3. Noah - for babies, toddlers, kids toys and childcare necessities
4. Handworks - for arts & crafts
5. Petropolis - for your pet needs particularly dog food, toys, necessities
6. Exploratorium - for science, experiments, learning products
7. Boardwalk - for board games, card games, classic games
8. Wishbone - for pet grooming and veterinary service
9. Collectibles - for collectors

To give you a better appreciation of Hobbes and Landes, here's a walk through on the different products they offer.

They have a wide array of LEGO themed sets and products.

They have various Playmobil themed sets and miniature dioramas.



They have jigsaw puzzles such as Educa, Heye. Here you can find the World's largest 24000-pc Educa puzzle! Wow!



 

Schleich collectible figures that look realistic. Meet the Giant Panda here!

Some of their baby products are Combi, Bugaboo, TOLO.

They have Janod kids puzzles, Djeco wall stickers, Sculpey clays and many others.

They have Fred & Friends and Artori quirky gift items. These products are so interesting to look at.

Sugarpova candies for kids and young at heart. There's a Hello Kitty too!



They have various globes, Dunecraft plant kits, science experiment kits and 4D body parts to enhance one's learning.

For astronomy enthusiasts, you can easily grab a hold of authentic meteorites here. Cool!

For fashion trendsetters, try these cute bracelet charms. They have lots of interesting designs to choose from.





They have Mimobot USBs in famous character designs that you can collect.



 

They have educational games and strategy board games for all ages.



They have a big selection for dog owners. Aside from dog leashes,
they even have dog diapers, dog water dispenser, dog boots and more.





They also have shampoo and cologne branded after their grooming station Wishbone.



This is their flagship store, located in Bonifacio High Street, Taguig.

How did you find the store? Full of interesting and never-been-heard products right? Yes, that's what they are known for. Famous brands from different parts of the world are showcased inside one big roof. If you can't easily fly out of the country, you may just opt to visit Hobbes and Landes. It would surely make your shopping experience exciting and memorable.

I would like to share with you my own experience with Hobbes and Landes through the series of photos below.

LEARN



My nieces enjoyed building their tallest tower with the use of LEGO Duplo.
It encourages interaction and cooperation with each other.



LAUGH

My friends and I had a good laugh playing board games such as Taboo.
It's one way to bond, socialize and sharpen our minds through play.



 

LOVE







Baby's first encounter with a Playmobil mascot.





My small Playmobil collection. I find the figures so cute and visually appealing.
It has round corners and smooth edges so it's really safe. Can't wait for baby to play with this when she's big enough.
Great for storytelling and role-playing.



Here's our Schleich collection. I bought these as a surprise to hubby because he loves everything about dinosaurs.



 

We introduced baby to dinosaurs and glad that she is not afraid of them. Haha! :)

And lastly, I bought baby a TOLO monkey to go along with the Five Little Monkeys story book that we always read to her.
I love the quality and features of this monkey toy because it not only makes a clicking sound when the arms/head/tail are turned but also a squeaking sound when the feet are pressed just like jumping. :)

Buying at Hobbes and Landes makes every cents of your money worth it because you are assured of the quality. The value of money is there because you know that the items you bought would last long where you could pass them to your succeeding kids or even the next generation. Although I haven't tried it yet but I believe in their products.

Let's get back to the basics - the real toys, actual board games because it's where learning is at its best. Many skills can be honed such as social skills, hand-eye coordination, motor skills, analytical & problem solving skills, personal interaction and more.

I hope you are able to get a good glimpse of what Hobbes and Landes is all about. And guess what, they have an ongoing pre-holiday sale until October 20, 2013 only so better hurry and do your early Christmas shopping now! :)

 

Let's learn, laugh, and love with Hobbes and Landes here:
Facebook: Hobbes and Landes https://www.facebook.com/hobbesandlandes.stores
Twitter: @hobbesandlandes https://twitter.com/hobbesandlandes
Instagram: @hobbesandlandes http://instagram.com/hobbesandlandes
Website: http://hobbesandlandes.com/index.php

How's your experience with Hobbes and Landes? What part of the store do you find interesting? Share with me in the comments below.

Mommy Sally