Workshop for First Time Parents + Giveaway

If you have been following my blog, you would know that I love attending workshops and one of my favorites is Manila Workshop-organized workshops particularly their First Time Parents (FTP) series.

Here are some of the reasons why:

1. First of all, the topics are exactly what I needed as a new mom.

2. The venue is very accessible and conducive to learning, Medela House.

3. They have a hand-out neatly compiled in a folder inside a brown envelope.

4. They have a snack bar with biscuits, candies, coffee sachets and water.

5. There are lots of booths related to mom and baby and most of the time there would be sample packs or freebies for you to take home or free taste.

6. Best of all, you could attend for free if you are a Medela pump customer.

7. And you get to meet and mingle with new mommy friends along the way.

8. Lastly, it's actually my me-time, time to relax.

To give you a brief history, First Time Parents series started June of last year and I have attended at least four of them since then. Each year, they have lined up ten series of FTP workshops with varying topics to aid new mommies in their motherhood journey. Their topics would range from pre-natal, delivery, newborn care and even beyond toddlerhood. Want to know what's another good thing about FTP workshops? They have actually lowered their learning fee in order to reach out to more mommies out there. How great is that!

Are you curious to know what's their most requested workshop? It's the "What to Know Before Giving Birth" workshop, thus a rerun was made. I haven't attended this particular workshop yet because my baby is already a toddler when this topic came out. Last May 24, I attended their afternoon workshop on Mom and Baby Fashion/Baby Nutrition and upon signing in the registration, I was surprised to see a familiar name, one of my high school batch mates, who attended the morning session on What to Know Before Giving Birth the Rerun. I've thought of asking them instead on their feedback about the workshop and  here's what the couple had said:

"The workshop talked about the journey from 1st to 9th month of pregnancy. It doesn't mean that if mommy is okay, baby is okay too. The chart on weight gain was very informative. They specially reminded us to avoid eating processed meat. The workshop is best attended by newly pregnant mommies who are still on their first trimester and will definitely benefit them the most." (Note that the mommy is on her 7th month already)

Photo credit: Donna Donor

And because it's the most requested workshop for FTP series, they have been blessed with lots of sponsors, which also means freebies! All the attendees got to take home loads of gift packs. Even if you were not able to attend, my readers will also have a chance to win gift packs from these sponsors. 

GIVEAWAY TIME!

Are you ready? But first of all, let me thank Manila Workshops for choosing The Binondo Mommy to host this grand giveaway. Two (2) lucky winners will get a chance to take home a gift pack overload from their sponsors namely: Unilab, Rustan's, NumaBaby and SebaMed. 

One set of Gift Pack Overload contains these items. Two sets will be given away. (Prizes may vary.)

Mechanics:

The giveaway will run from May 31 until June 15, 2014. Winners will be announced the next day. Winners should be able to claim their gift packs at the Medela House on June 28 between 1 to 5pm only. Just follow the mechanics as stated in the Rafflecopter. Unable to follow the mandatory steps will make your entries invalid.

I'm also inviting you to attend their 8th installment on the FTP series of workshop, Making Memories and Party Planning this coming June 28, 2014, 1 to 5pm. It's a 2-in-1 session that teaches first time parents on how to document milestones and important events in their child's lives as well as plan for their child's baptism and birthday parties. The speaker would be Ms. Michelle Katigbak-Alejandro, editor-in-chief of Metro Weddings. For more info, just click the link below the poster.

If in case you are one of the lucky winners of my giveaway and would be interested to attend, I'm extending a 10% discount to this particular workshop. You just need to indicate "The Binondo Mommy" as your referrer to get the discount.

 

Making Memories and Party Planning

a Rafflecopter giveaway

See you on the 28th of June!

Updated June 16:

Thank you everyone for joining! Because I can't seem to "add a winner" or access the entries using Rafflecopter, I used the Random.org instead in choosing the winners. Here's the line up of names who joined this giveaway.

1. Ma. Clarice Lao-Itumay – DIY party ideas
2. Jim Marlon Macaraeg – party planning
3. Theresa Cruz-Escaros – childhood learning and development
4. Riyalyn Gatdula – newborn care, baby tests and other health-topics for the baby
5. Sherry Ann Gole Cruz – parenting and age-appropriate activities for kids
6. Arra Odeza – child care, breastfeeding, saving tips
7. Anne Marie Napay-Dragon – party planning, nutritious food for babies/toddlers
8. Laila Mercado – business workshop
9. Maricel Fajardo – parenting
10. Lovelyn Pagulayan
11. Helen Gatbonton – business
12. Ann Cagalingan – self-confidence booster for kids
13. Maria Elizabeth P. Andres – parenting, cooking and health-related
14. Princess Buenviaje
15. May Ongsioco – parenting
16. Abegail B. Licayan – business
17. Anna Maria Adona – age-appropriate games/exercises for skill/behavorial development
18. Kristine Domingo – parenting, child behaviour
19. Emilyn Cañares – parenting, tantrum-handling, nutrition
20. Lovely Joy Merced – party planning
21. Sarah Quijano – business
22. Kharen Mallari – parenting, cooking, business
23. Jeddahlyn Gonzales – party planning
24. Mary Anne Ramirez – handling toddler quarrels
25. Judith Albius – parenting, cooking
26. Hanna Roxette A. Zulueta – parenting, cooking
27. Rodel Salazar Mercurio – business
28. Maria Kristina Punla – parenting
29. Gracie Ramirez – satisfying children’s curiosity
30. Allan Reyes – child care
31. Jenny Esplana – make-up
32. Jessiemer Abing – business
33. Lorielyn Nocasa – parenting
34. Mary Rose Paguio – business

And the two lucky winners of the Gift Pack Overload are:

 

 

Congratulations! Kindly message me in FB your confirmation that you will be able to pick-up your prize at Medela House on the 28th of June, from 1-5pm and if you would be attending the said event. Thank you! :)

 

Mommy Sally 

Berta Rojas: Paraguayan Classical Guitarist Live in Manila & Cebu

As you know, me and my hubby met in a choir group some 7 years ago. I'm not good at singing but I would be happy if I will be given a chance to enhance this skill. As for my hubby, he is really into singing, classical Italian song that is. I could still remember him bringing me to watch classical concerts when we were still dating back then. And that is the kind of date that he enjoys. Hard to please, huh?

I saw this poster and it says classical guitarist live in Manila. I was thinking of surprising my hubby for a date which he might be interested in. And yes, we are going! Let me tell you more about this guitar concert.

Lagundex: Anti-Cough, Anti-Asthma Lagundi Leaf + Giveaway

If there's one thing that I'm proud of, it would be my health. All these years, I haven't been confined in a hospital except for the two nights when I became a mom. Despite having a good health record, I can't say that I'm physically fit and in tip-top shape because I don't set aside time to exercise except for the brisk walking and climbing of multiple flight of stairs whenever I commute to work once a week. I don't even eat a well-balanced diet and worst, I easily give in to junk food, chocolates and cold desserts because it's my way of rewarding myself and staying sane.

And because of that, I would normally get a sore throat and later on worsen to cough and colds. I hated that feeling because it makes me unproductive and uneasy. Fortunately, I have a personal 'doctor' to turn to, my mom. She would always prescribe me some Chinese cough syrups or those black pills. She discourages me to drink commercialized cough syrups or Ambroxol-type of drugs unless it's really serious or prescribed by a professional doctor.

As I get older, I discovered some effective tips that helped lessen my chances of getting a sore throat. I see to it that I follow those tips religiously especially now that I have become a mom, I can't afford to get sick. And I'm sharing my secrets to you here.

Movie Stars Cafe: Food and Entertainment in One

Are you a movie buff? If yes, who are your favorite movie characters or super heroes? Have you ever dreamt of seeing your movie idols come alive? If you answered yes to these questions, then I'm sure you would want to visit this place called Movie Stars Cafe: Movie Memorabilia Studio Cafe & Restaurant.

The main entrance is fully decorated with movie character statues.

Last Holy Thursday (Apr. 17), I invited my hubby for a dinner date and told him that we would surely enjoy this movie-themed dining place located at SM Mall of Asia By the Bay because while he loves watching movies, I love fancy restaurants with many photo ops.

3M & Good Housekeeping: Get Hooked on DIY Event

I love being neat and organized but due to limited resources and time, my hubby thinks that I'm a messy mom. Good thing there's a DIY workshop that's free and hosted by prestigious brands where I expect to learn and take home some tips.

Last April 13 (Sunday), I attended a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) and home improvement event entitled Get Hooked on DIY at SM Megamall Activity Center. The event was put up by 3M Philippines, in partnership with Good Housekeeping (country's no. 1 family and home magazine) to feature their Command™ Damage-Free Hanging Solutions. 

I especially enjoyed the talk by Ms. Coni Tejada, a home improvement expert and blogger. Here, she shared the different usage of 3M's Command products which we can easily apply in our very own home and workspace.

This is Ms. Coni Tejada, starting out her talk.

She mentioned that 3M products can help solve the problem of a horror-vacui (aversion to empty spaces in artistic designs) and for those who don't want to drill holes in their walls. 

Easter Egg Hunting Events 2014

Every year, people are looking forward to their Holy Week vacation because it gives them a time to travel away from home and unwind from their usual everyday routine. Looking from another perspective who chose to save up and just stay at home, Easter Sunday's Easter egg hunting events would be the next exciting activity to look forward to, especially to those kids and kids at heart.

According to Wikipedia, Easter is a Christian festival celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his crucifixion at Calvary. It's the culmination of the Passion of Christ, preceded by Lent, a 40-day period of fasting, prayer and penance. It is associated with an Easter Egg because it symbolizes the empty tomb of Jesus where He rose from the grave just like bird is hatched from an egg, a symbol of fertility and rebirth. While an Easter Bunny is depicted as a rabbit that brings Easter eggs and gifts to children. With this came the Easter egg hunt, a game during which decorated eggs filled with or made from chocolates are hidden in various places for children to find.

When I was a kid I didn't experience joining in Easter egg hunting activities that's why now that I'm finally a mom, I have an excuse to experience and enjoy the event with my little one. Due to my excitement, I have compiled and shortlisted some places where Easter Egg Hunting events will be held which we are considering to join. Of course it depends on the joining fee, the proximity of the venue, the type of activity, and the crowd. Let's take a look at my few selections. Where do you think will The Binondo Mommy go for an  Easter Egg Hunting experience?

7th Annual Women Entrepreneurs Conference

Last March 15, I took the courage to attend the 7th Annual Women Entrepreneurs Conference at Mandarin Oriental Hotel all by myself without knowing anybody or nothing to expect since it was my first time to hear about this organizing body called Network for Enterprising Women (NEW) which I only came to know from a friend. Based on their poster, the topics seemed interesting. What got me curious was the fact that the conference was especially made for us women. Women + Entrepreneur = Wow! That's what I needed!

There were three topics discussed:

1. Ins and Outs of Franchising by Ms. Erlinda "Lyndah" Bartolome
2. Digital Marketing by Ms. Rosario Juan
3. Making the Leap from Employee to Entrepreneur by Ms. Cristina Gomez

Winners for ZaLor Massage Services Giveaway

After more than three weeks, my ZaLor Massage Services giveaway has finally concluded. Thank you to Nanay Lorena for her generosity in sponsoring five (5) complimentary massage and for supporting The Binondo Mommy. Thank you to AllPromos.ph and Mommy Bloggers PH for helping me spread about this giveaway to their followers.

There are a total of 29 names who left a comment on my ZaLor giveaway blog post and only 4 joined through Instagram. Out of the twenty nine (29), twelve (12) of them are interested in a relaxing massage, seven (7) need a prenatal, six (6) are looking for a postnatal, two (2) for lactation massage and two (2) for fertility massage. It seems that majority loves to have a relaxing massage! 

Here's a run down of the 29 names who joined:

Rozelle Reyes - relaxing

Mhaybelle Parto – prenatal

Rowena Demingware – prenatal

Laurence Tengkiat – prenatal

Richelle Molon – relaxing

Arminda de Leon – relaxing

Allan Reyes – relaxing

Vicenta Rada – relaxing

Karina Alvaera – lactation

Aisa Vagilidad – postnatal

Maricar Saladino – postnatal

Sophia Gonzales – relaxing

Kelly Biasong – postnatal

Josefa Lamano – relaxing

Mary Anne Ramires – relaxing

Cherry Felizima – prenatal                           

Jeffrey Imutan – relaxing

Monica Almayda – relaxing

Ruth Santiago – relaxing

Lalane Virto – prenatal

Ma. Clarice Lao-Itumay – fertility

Joey Fumera – postnatal

Joy Mesina-Bahia – postnatal

Maddie Manahan – prenatal

Vivian Dy – lactation

Cristina Chuah – fertility

Colachel (Ichelle Lugasanx) – relaxing

Monica Eleazar Manzano – postnatal

Len Tienzo – prenatal

If you have read carefully the mechanics, five winners will be picked from different criteria: two (2) from Rafflecopter, two (2) from chosen answer, one (1) from Instagram.  

And the two lucky winners picked by Rafflecopter are: Mhaybelle Berganio-Parto and Rozelle Reyes!

The two chosen answer awards go to Ma. Clarice Lao-Itumay and Monica Eleazar-Manzano. Plus a surprise! Nanay Lorena agreed to give one more complimentary massage. So our third chosen answer award goes to Vivian Chua-Dy.

Last but not the least, watch this video to know who's the lucky winner from Instagram using manual draw. 

Pardon me for the wrong angle of shoot, it was my first time. I didn't know that I should hold the phone camera in a landscape position. :)

Congratulations to the winners! Kindly message me through TBM's FB Page your complete name, email address, mobile number, type of massage, home service or not so I could forward them to Nanay Lorena. Hope you'll enjoy your most-awaited massage. Hope you could share us your experience and pictures once you have already tried them. Thank you so much to everyone for joining! Just follow ZaLor Massage Services page to keep you updated on their promos and latest happening.

See you around!

Love lots,
Mommy Sally

I Wish They Taught Money In High School

I came across a fairly new book entitled "I Wish They Taught Money in High School". The title of the book immediately got my attention because that was also my wish and the skill that I really wanted to work on: how to make more money.  

I used to be a happy-go-lucky gal not until I became a wife and a mommy because I now need to set aside a portion of my money for household use and some unplanned sale shopping for our baby. Although it helped that I am breastfeeding, cloth diapering, and baby-led weaning my child that we didn't need to spend much for consumables other than our weekly groceries. 

"Live a frugal life and delay the luxuries", that's what my husband would always remind me. My husband and I are the exact opposite. I am a trend-follower wanna-be while he is a financial know-how but I'm thankful with that because he has mold me to become a more disciplined person. He would pressure me to aim for multiple income streams to grow our money and to think of the long-term. And I'm totally convinced because that's how I should be in order to reach my life-long dream of traveling around the world.

This year, I have started opening my doors to learn more about income-generating activities. I'm so happy that this book came in so timely. And to my surprise, the two authors were very familiar to me because I have met them through a leadership seminar named Purposeful Stewardship Institute (PSI) way back 2008 which made me more interested to read it.

I Wish They Taught Money in High School is a two-in-one book written back to back by each author. One side is about So I Can Start My Own Business Right Away by Sharon W. Que and the other half is about So I'm Not Dependent On My Paycheck by Clarissa Serina-De La Paz. Let me share with you some of the lessons I learned from this book. 

Assemble & Launch: A Water Rocket Workshop & Competition

It's already summer time! By now, I'm sure most of the mommies are already busy looking and searching for summer activities to enroll their little ones. Choosing what particular summer course would depend on the interest of the child and are usually topics not taught in school. Aside from that, it's also the best time to bring your kids for an educational trip such as a science museum to reinforce what they have learned in school.

Speaking of science museum, have you visited Philippine Science Centrum lately? Please click here to read more about this interesting place.

If you haven't, now is your chance because this coming May 16-17, 2014, they will be conducting an exciting summer activity dubbed as Assemble & Launch: A water rocket workshop and competition. It's a two-day event aimed to promote interest on Space Science and Physics as well as provide an alternative educational activity for children ages 10 to 16 years old.


Participants in teams of two (2) will be given a workshop on how to make a PET bottle rocket (1.5 L), assemble their own rockets and compete with other teams on accuracy of their work. Prizes await the winners.

Get Hooked on DIY: A Home Decorating Workshop

Every mother loves to keep their house neat, organized and clutter-free. 

Here are some of the reasons why being organized is important based on my personal experience:

• It saves time and energy because you can easily locate the things you need to use.
• It saves money because you are able to fully utilize/consume the things you have on hand without buying for the second time.
• It clears the mind and in turn makes you more productive at work.
• It makes your home a childproof and hazard-free one.
• It makes a happy family because everything is in harmony.
• It beautifies your surrounding which makes it a visitor-friendly and relaxing place for everyone.

And if you agree on any of the above reasons, then I'm sure you will be excited for this good news! 

Good Housekeeping Magazine, in cooperation with 3M Philippines,

invites you to 

Get Hooked on D.I.Y.

A series of home decorating and organization workshops that will help you decorate and organize your home space using a simple and effective wall-hanging tool.  

As a home and décor expert, Good Housekeeping will show mommies, daddies, and even college dormers and singles how to tidy up and beautify their homes, condominiums, or dormitory rooms using Command™ Damage-Free Hanging Solutions from 3M. These hooks are very easy to install, and equally easy to remove without leaving a trace. So when you need some wall-hanging done at home, just look for 3M's Command™. No need to make holes with a nail or a drill because not only are they expensive, it even ruins the paint job, plus you need someone else to do it for you.

 

 

So what are you waiting for? Let's go and have fun learning about the various ways on how you can use Command™ Hooks and products in your surrounding.

 

Event Details:

 

Date: April 13, 2014 (Sunday)
Time: Workshop booth opens 10:00 am to 8:00 pm
        Program proper starts at 3:00 pm
Venue: SM Megamall Activity Center, Lower Ground Floor, Mega A Building

Watch out for the other legs of GET HOOKED ON DIY! 

For more details, kindly visit these pages:

Good Housekeeping Facebook at http://facebook.com/goodhousekeeping.ph

Command™ Website: http://www.command.com.ph

Mommy Sally