My Book Haul at SM Manila Books For Less Warehouse Sale

After three months, I'm here again to hoard children's books. Last time, Books for Less Warehouse Sale was held at their warehouse in Pasig and was offering much more books and at a cheaper flat rate price of P10.00. This time, they are holding it inside SM Manila, smaller area and at a little bit higher flat rate price of P20.00 on each book regardless of size. But it doesn't matter because SM Manila is just a ride away from our place and 20 pesos is still cheap because most of the second-hand books from Books for Less are priced at P50, P89, P99 and so on. And so, book hunting mode is on!

The Books for Less Warehouse Sale in SM Manila is located at the second floor, by the National Bookstore or City Hall side entrance, beside Great Image. Let me entice you with some of the photos I took last Nov. 19, 2014 (Wednesday).

Love the Leap: 3-Day Entrepreneurship Program

You know what, I admit until now I haven't found a business endeavor that I can call my own. Fears have been holding me back all these years. Fear of incompetence, fear of competition, fear of making mistakes.  I'm afraid to lose my hard-earned money and resources; I'm afraid to be cheated and be misled; I'm afraid of getting complaints about my products among others. And because of that, I settled myself to work 9-5 as an employee ever since I graduated. 

And now being a stay-at-home mom, I thought I would have more time to think and start my own business. The reality is that my attachment to my toddler had left me so little time to focus and work on my to-do list. To add to that, for two months now, we only have an all-around yaya that's why I have no choice but to spend most of my time with baby while yaya prepares our food and does the household chores. That's also the reason why I haven't been blogging for more than a month now because composing an entry entails so much time and must be in a relaxed mood. Today we finally have a new helper coming in. Hopefully I can start working on my own personal goals and start the new year with a bang! It's not that I'm burdened being a mom, but reality strikes. I also need to do my part of contributing to our family's finance.

I'm planning to attend the Love The Leap Program by Ms. Ginger Arboleda. It looks so promising where it says that all those who took the 3-day intensive entrepreneurship program will have a business output by the end of the 3rd day. I'm so looking forward to that! The first run will happen as early as this December 4, 11, and 18, all of which are held on a Thursday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. The venue will be at vOffice Philippines, 10/F Fort Legend Tower, 31st St. corner 3rd Ave., BGC, Taguig. Here's the course outline for the 3 whole-day sessions with 1-week gap in between.

Course Outline:
  I. The Entrepreneurial Mindset and Coming up with a Business Idea
a. The Entrepreneurial Spirit!
b. Why are we doing this?
c. On Vacation and Still Earning?
*Activity on Passive income (the actual figure that I will aim for) and knowing your reasons
d. Business Ideation: Looking for that Bright Idea!

II. Planning 
– Creating a viable Business Plan
a. Industry Research
b. Competitive Research and Analysis
c. Defining your Target Market
d. Defining your Vision and Mission
*Actual Market Research Project
e. Identifying your Unique selling Proposition
f. Creating Business Projections
g. Planning the company structures and processes
– Creating an Integrated Marketing Plan
– Defining Marketing Metrics

III. Marketing Plan
Marketing 101
Principles of Marketing
Segmentation and Targeting
Branding and Brand Positioning
Developing the Marketing Plan
Creating a Social Media Strategy!
Going to Market

Exciting? Interesting? Promising? Let's sign up now, here's the link: http://manilaworkshops.com/events/love-the-leap-2014-12

Early Bird Rate: P4,500 (until Nov. 8, 2014 Saturday only)

Regular Rate: P9,000 (registration ends on Nov. 30, 2014)

But wait! I can give you a discounted rate! Just enter this code: MBPTheBinondoMommy and get P1,000 off!  

Input the code when you see this text box: "How did you learn about this workshop?" MBPTheBinondoMommy

There's no stopping if you are serious in starting your own business or have that idea in mind that needs some push. Go for it and fulfill your dreams! Don't worry if you don't have a business background because you'll be guided by Ms. Ginger herself in this 3-day program. 

Don't know who is Ginger Arboleda? I invite you to go to this link: http://www.freelanceblend.com/fbp-023-building-passion-businesses-and-blogs-with-ginger-arboleda-of-manila-workshops/ In my own words, Ginger is a down-to-earth mommy blogger who owns Manila Workshops among others and loves to partner with business-minded people.

Oh and by the way, vOffice Philippines is giving away FREE Gold Plus membership for 6 months worth P17,280 to all enrollees of this program.

Let's be classmates and together take that Big Leap! It's fun to be back in "school"! See you!

Mommy Sally

Attipas Baby First Shoes: Socks and Shoes in One

When I was still pregnant, a friend of mine advised me not to get so excited in buying lots of baby wear especially for a first-time mom like me. The advise was favorable to our frugal and practical family so I listened to her and accepted hand-me-downs since newborns indeed grow up fast. The first time I officially shopped for my baby, excluding those bought during a sale period, was when she was about to turn one year old because I needed to buy her an outfit for her 1st birthday. I bought 3 pairs of baby shoes priced at P150 each from SM just for fashion purposes and sadly were only worn once during her baptismal and birthday party plus a few more times. Most of the time, we would just let her be on either bare foot, wear socks or cloth-type shoes inside the house or whenever we go out. 

Baby at 14 months just learned a new skill, to walk unassisted.

My baby started walking confidently without any assistance at 14 months. And because baby has lots of thoughtful aunties (sister-in-laws) who would buy her shoes from time to time, I just let her wear those for the mean time even if those were not the right fit. I then realized that as a mom, I should take responsibility in buying the right shoes for my baby, the one with a perfect fit. But buying a baby's first shoes is not that easy. You need to be mindful in choosing for the right pair of shoes as it can make or break your child's initial walking experience.

Here are some tips to look out for when buying your child's first walking shoes based on my online research:  
1. When babies are still cruising along and trying to get their balance, walking on bare foot is the best as this allows their tiny toes to wiggle, feet to develop properly and to be able to feel the floor beneath them.
2. Start buying only several weeks after they started walking, as soon as they are stable enough. 
3. The soles should be super soft such that you can bend or twist and even feel your baby's toes inside.
4. The material should be breathable such as leather, cloth or canvas to ensure that your baby's feet could get some air.
5. Should have the right fit. There should be around a thumb's width between your child's big toe and the front of the shoe.
6. Should be firmly fastened to avoid coming off or sliding around.

Just as I was ready to shop for my toddler's first shoes, I received a pair of Attipas Shoes through Mommy Bloggers Philippines last month to test and review the product.

I got a Corsage style, size XL, 135mm, US 6.5, Euro 22.5

Work-at-Home Weekend Expo 2014 + Giveaway

Since I became a mom, my priority has shifted towards taking care of my child and grooming her to become a better citizen. I really can't imagine being out the whole day and leaving my child alone with the helpers especially after hearing about the many scary stories about nannies. I also dread the day that my child would favor yaya over me and become ill-behaved which might disrupt her overall development. My conscience won't let me do that in exchange of my full-time job. I believe there's a better way to do it, being with my family while still earning on the side, making both ends meet. I had been working an eight-to-five job ever since I graduated from college until my precious little one came out. Thanks to this Facebook group, WAHMderful Community for Work-at-Home Mom, which I have came across over a year ago that gave me the push to pursue this path. It's good to see that more and more moms have already embraced the idea of staying at home, being hands-on with child-rearing, making use of their passion and skills to create income and eventually living a blissful life. That's actually the main goal of Ms. Martine de Luna, founder of the said Facebook group.

About the Expo

This coming October 25, 2014 (Saturday), WAHMderful Life and Manila Workshops are proud to present the most-awaited event of the year, The Work-at-Home Weekend Expo 2014. This one-day expo will feature twelve (12) different talks that will be useful to those aspiring and start-up entrepreneurs; and a booth area show-casing businesses of mompreneurs, online stores, companies that offer home-based jobs, and many others that would benefit the whole family.

This event will take place at the 12th floor of Insular Life Makati from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. The twelve (12) talks are divided into six time slots with two talks happening simultaneously in two different areas, one near the Multi-Purpose Hall and one inside the Seminar Room C.

Kinder Zoo: Adventure Jungle inside Manila Zoo

I just celebrated my 29th birthday last weekend. Unlike the previous years, this time I didn't plan anything for my birthday because I don't feel like splurging especially now that I'm a stay-at-home mom. A week before my birthday, I received a blogger invite to attend a PressCon at the Kinder Zoo. To my excitement, I confirmed my attendance right away. Knowing me, I love going on a field trip. I love to explore. I love adventures.

About the Press Conference

Last Aug. 23, Kinder Zoo Adventure Jungle opened its doors to the media to introduce their two famous residents, the Sulcata Tortoise and the Hyacinth Macaw.
 

Event poster.

The event started out with light snacks and brief welcoming by DZME Radyo Uno's broadcasters Mr. Andrew San Fernando, Ms. Ada Vina Cuaresma and Mr. Pocholo "The VoiceMaster" Gonzales who took turns in entertaining the audience. 

The buffet.

Mr. Pocholo caught the attention of everyone when he sampled his voice acting prowess by re-enacting the commercial of Bibbo Cheesedog, Batibot characters, singing "Ako ang Kapitbahay" and many more. I later learned that he's also the recently appointed brand ambassador of Kinder Zoo.

From left to right: Mr. Pocholo Gonzales, Mr. Andrew San Fernando and Ms. Ada Cuaresma.

Then followed by Ms. Grace Bondad Nicolas, Kinder Zoo's Marketing Director and Ms. Juana "Neneng" Lubrico, Operations Manager who took the floor to discuss the main highlight of the event.

Ms. Grace Nicolas and Ms. Juana Lubrico of the Kinder Zoo.

About Kinder Zoo Adventure Jungle

To give you a short background about Kinder Zoo Adventure Jungle, it is basically a private-owned half-hectare interactive zoological facility inside the government-owned Manila Zoo. It was put up since year 2000 by Mr. Joel Marcelo Gozon Jimenez, CEO of GMA Network, out of his passion for animals. Most of the animals came from his own collection particularly the parrots and tortoises. Unlike typical zoos, he specifically designed Kinder Zoo to be an interactive one where visitors could have a close encounter and deeper appreciation towards exotic animals. The unique feature of Kinder Zoo is that you can pet, feed and take pictures side by side those tamed animals. On top of that, they also have outdoor activities such as zip line, wall-climbing, horseback riding, swimming among others.

Picture with Mr. T

About Sulcata Tortoise

Let me introduce to you "Mr. T", the 50-year old and oldest Sulcata Tortoise in our country. The oldest 182-year old tortoise can be found in South Atlantic. To give you a little fun fact, tortoises are land-dwellers while turtles mostly live in water. Of all the tortoises, sulcata tortoise also known as African spurred tortoise is known to be the third largest species of tortoise in the world next to Galapagos tortoise and Aldabra giant tortoise. They are native to the African continent particularly in Sahara Desert. They can live over a hundred years, can grow over 1 meter in length, and can weigh over 100 pounds. Being herbivores, their diet mostly consist of green leafy vegetables, grasses, and other herbaceous plants. 

Here in Kinder Zoo, you can try feeding a sulcata and watch how he easily breaks a carrot in two. Just be careful with their sharp beak, although they won't bite on purpose.

The 50-year old Mr. T as compared to the 7-month old baby tortoise.

About Hyacinth Macaw (read as ma-ko)

Kinder Zoo is also proud to conserve seven (7) Hyacinth Macaw or Hyacinthine Macaw. It is known to be the largest Macaws or largest flying parrot in the world, a parrot native to Brazil, South America. Hyacinth Macaw has blue plumage, black bill, yellow eye-ring and yellow bare skin on its lower mandible which makes it easily recognizable. It can grow up to 40 inches long and has a powerful beak that can crush coconuts. Their diet is mostly nuts, fruits and various kinds of seeds. They prefer to live in palm swamps, woodlands and other semi-open wooded habitats. These parrots are considered as endangered numbering approximately 4,000 in the wild mostly due to habitat loss and heavy exploitation for pet trade as each macaw is worth almost P800,000. 

For the past five years, these seven macaws (4 males, 3 females) have been in Kinder Zoo's aviary to give them time to grow and mature and eventually identify who the potential couples are. According to Ms. Lubrico, sometime this year they will no longer display the macaws that they have paired up, 4 of them, as they will be transferred to their new breeding facility in Tagaytay. It has been their advocacy to breed and conserve these endangered animals.

The friendly and playful brilliant-blue Hyacinth Macaw.

Other Features of Kinder Zoo

Aside from the two animals highlighted at the event, we were also able to get a close encounter and take photos with other animals inside the Kinder Zoo.

Picture with the grass owl.

Picture with Gabbie, the 1-year old baby gibbon.

Baby riding on a tortoise's back.

Other animals.

Picture with the Rufous Hornbill.

Picture with the Toco Toucan.

 

Picture with the Scarlet Macaw, Blue-and-Yellow Macaw and the two red birds.

Picture with the Caiman Crocodile.

Picture with the Albino Burmese Python.

I'm so happy to have spent my birthday inside Kinder Zoo. I was even able to take photos with these animals and got a complimentary photo for free! 

Kinder Zoo Jungle Adventure entrance.

Activities you can do inside Kinder Zoo Adventure Jungle.

The entrance fee is P100 where you can take a tour around the zoo, pet, feed and take pictures. Or you can pay P250 and enjoy all the other outdoor activities as well. Visitors need to purchase entrance tickets to Manila Zoo first before being able to purchase tickets to Kinder Zoo. Manila Zoo's entrance fee is P50 for Manilans and P100 for Non-Manilans.

Of course the event won't be complete without a photo op with some of the 'celebrities' of Kinder Zoo.

Picture with Ms. Grace Nicolas, Marketing Director of Kinder Zoo.

Picture with the Voice Master, Mr. Pocholo Gonzales.

Having a child gave me an excuse to be a child-at-heart and allowed me to revisit the places that I wasn't able to experience before, just like going on a zoo. We had actually visited two zoos early this year and one of them was Manila Zoo. We didn't enter Kinder Zoo since it has a separate entrance fee and we brought our two helpers with us that time. That's why I'm so blessed to receive an exclusive invite here at the Kinder Zoo Adventure Jungle. Thanks Ms. Grace!


Kinder Zoo Adventure Jungle

Located inside the compound of Manila Zoo
M. Adriatico Street, corner Pres. Quirino Ave., Manila
Contact numbers: 522-6179 or 475-5775
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kinder-Zoo-Adventure-Jungle
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kinder_Zoo
Instagram: http://instagram.com/kinderzooadventurejungle

Mommy Sally

Breastfeeding: A Winning Goal for Life!

 

Welcome to the Milk Mama Diaries Carnival (August). For this month, we write about the World Breastfeeding Week 2014 - Breastfeeding: A Winning Goal for Life and share how breastfeeding can help the Philippines achieve the 8 Millennium Development Goals developed by the government and the United Nations. Participants will share their thoughts, experiences, hopes and suggestions on the topic.  Please scroll down to the end of the post to see the list of carnival entries.

#BF1st1000days

I love to read anything that concerns about breastfeeding. Breastfeeding had been close to my heart since the time I became a mom 20 months ago. It's just so addicting that I would never get tired of breastfeeding my baby until she weans by herself. 

Last Aug. 2, I joined the Hakab Na event and saw posters and message boards regarding the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and that was my first encounter about these nationwide concerns. I read through them and was proud to know that indeed breastfeeding has a way to achieve all these 8 goals.

WBW's 2014 theme - Breastfeeding: A Winning Goal for Life!

To give you a brief background, these eight (8) Millennium Development Goals (MDG) were set up by the government and the United Nations way back 1990 to eradicate poverty and promote healthy and sustainable development at a global level by year 2015. This year, the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) tagged the World Breastfeeding Week (WBW)'s theme as "Breastfeeding: The Winning Goal for Life" to respond to the current MDG countdown process by calling each and everyone to participate in the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding.

Message boards to show how breastfeeding can help achieve MDG.

 
The said eight (8) goals are as follows:

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
2. Achieve universal primary education
3. Promote gender equality and empower women
4. Reduce child mortality
5. Improve maternal health
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
7. Ensure environmental sustainability
8. Develop a global partnership for development

My Hakab Na, Big Latch On 2014 Experience

Hakab is the Filipino term for latch, the most important aspect of breastfeeding, which describes how a baby attaches itself to a mom's breast to nurse. I have been breastfeeding my child for 20 months now and have seen so much goodness in doing so, thus breastfeeding has become part of my life's advocacy. 

Official poster

Breastfeeding Pinays (BFP), a Facebook group where I belong to, had organized a breastfeeding awareness activity called Hakab Na! 2014 where all moms would gather together in one place and breastfeed their baby at the same time, at a synchronized time of 10:30 am based on the rules set by the Global Big Latch On. It is a challenge made to set the record for the most women breastfeeding simultaneously across all countries with the goal of making breastfeeding in public the norm. The event is usually held during the World Breastfeeding Week, between Aug. 1-7. 

Book Hunting Tips at Books for Less Warehouse Sale

Hoarding books. That's my latest addiction which I imbibed from a fellow mommy friend Edel. I'm thankful to her for giving me a head start on the journey of book hunting for our kids. The importance of book reading was then reinforced by the seminars that we have been attending, particularly the talks by The Learning Basket. Books are indeed windows to the world and I'm glad we had a fairly good start at that. I'm proud of my 20-month old toddler for being able to say or blurt out some lines in the books that I've been reading to her. The only effort we need to do is to read at least a few minutes each day every day and our babies will soon be able to read back to us. It's really an amazing and magical sight to behold.

A quote to inspire. Got it from the internet.

For more than a year now, every time I would pass by a second-hand book store, I would spend some few minutes browsing through the children's books section and would only leave until I get to find a good book at a good price. The more I practice my book hunting skills, the better I become in looking for great finds. 

Two weeks ago, I heard from a certain Facebook group about Books for Less having a Warehouse Sale. I especially got so giddy when I learned that all books are priced at P10.00 each, whether it's a children's book, pocket book, literature, etc. Another good thing is that the duration will be for the whole month of August, Mondays to Saturdays from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, except Sundays and Holidays. I told myself that I will definitely drop by their warehouse sale one of these days.

Dental Care Tips by Lotte Xylitol

Last Wednesday July 30, I attended a short Dental Care talk by Lotte Xylitol at Kitchen's Best Home Patisserie in BGC. I felt so honored to be invited by Mommy Ginger, together with other mommy bloggers, to this intimate bloggers' meet-up.

           

Group picture with some of the mommy bloggers, as the others had already left after the talk.

Anything that could increase my knowledge as a first-time mom, I would love to attend and dental care is one of them. I can't say that I have a perfect teeth, although I still have a complete set of teeth, I do have lots of restored ones. And because of that, I want to really take time to learn more about how to properly take care of my child's teeth so that she'll grow up with a healthy smile.

Official poster to this mini event.

What is Tooth Decay?

First, let's define what tooth decay is. Tooth decay, also known as dental caries or cavities, is the bacterial infection that causes demineralization and destruction of tooth enamel resulting from interactions between teeth, food and bacteria. 

Got this illustration from the internet

What Causes Tooth Decay?

Every time we eat, especially fermentable carbohydrates or sweets, the food breaks down into simple sugars which will then work with bacteria, thereby producing acids that dissolve minerals inside our tooth enamel in a process called demineralization. It happens when minerals are being lost faster than they are being regained.

We must also take note that the longer the food stays on our teeth, the more acids will be produced. Thus we must avoid frequent eating especially those sticky and retentive type of food such as potato chips and biscuits that get stuck in crevices of our teeth. If you will be asked to choose between chocolate or biscuit, it's better to eat chocolate because it just melts and can be easily washed away with water.

Breastmilk Storage Bags Review

To commemorate World Breastfeeding Week (Aug. 1-7) and National Breastfeeding Month this August, let's have a topic about breastfeeding.

Feeding 6-month old Baby A in a standing (cradle) position.

I haven't been talking about my breastfeeding journey for quite some time now. I'm proud to say that I'm still continuously breastfeeding my almost 20-month old toddler and have no plans of stopping as of yet. Some would ask how long will I breastfeed Baby A and my default answer would be, "as long as possible". 

I invite you to read my previous posts here, here and here to learn more about my breastfeeding journey.

Feeding 19-month old Baby A in sleeping (Australian) position.

 

Overview on my Breastfeeding Journey

I'm thankful for having a good start at breastfeeding that I didn't experience lack of supply nor even oversupply. My milk supply has stabilized on its own, producing only what my baby needs. And the only secret I did was to follow what I learned, "to start pumping only after 6 weeks of direct feeding". Little did I know about the concept of milk donation as I only store milk at the refrigerator for a few days' consumption and never had any excess to try storing in the freezer. Not until my friend explained how fulfilling it was to be able to donate milk and help other babies that I felt the need to buy breast milk storage bags. 

I made this infographic when my milk supply was still at its peak, Baby A at around 4 months old.

The very first breast milk storage bag that I used was Baby One where I bought it online for only P479 at 80's when baby was still 1 month old. I didn't experience much complaint about its quality as I rarely store milk. Actually there's still a few pieces left until now. Then slowly I also received samples of different brands from else where. The latest brand I encountered was the HoneySuckle breast milk storage bag which I volunteered to give it a review.

Sample breast milk storage bags I have for comparison:
Jingle Jungle, Mom&Baby, HoneySuckle, Baby One and Pur

Let's Review

For a more realistic and unbiased review, I did my best to inspect each of the different brands' features and took note of their differences and similarities. That's when I realized that the current brand that I was using has the least quality while the rest have almost similar features. 

Ogalala System in Play: A Wonderful World of Why Not

The first time I encountered or saw the brand Ogalala was when I was at the SM Grand Baby Fair early this year. I have no idea what's behind the name not until I attended this blogger's event. Thanks Mommy Ginger for the invite.

Last July 12, 2014 (Saturday), we attended a preview on the Ogalala Child Development Workshop at the Richwell office in Timog Avenue. Just like any other first-time moms, I'm excited to learn and take home some ideas on how to enhance my child's learning capability and to be aware of the developmental milestones as she reaches a certain age.

Here are the development milestones that we, as parents, need to watch out for, categorized by age group and presented in four developmental aspects: physical, intellectual, language, social & emotional. They didn't go through each in detail as these can all be found in their catalog. Let me share them with you here.

INFANTS (0-12 months)

Infants Development Milestones: 0-3 months, by 4 months, by 6 months

Memory Crafters: Koko-Cute Kokoru Workshop

Before I even start with this post, seeing the date of the event gave me slight chills. Why? Because I'll be turning a year older by then. Ack! How time flies!

Anyway, Memory Crafters has come up with another creative workshop. This time it entails some craftsmanship with the use of color corrugated papers called Kokoru. Oh here comes another craze in the crafting world. I admit I'm not a crafty person but I'm very much willing to learn and get into these stuff.


About Corrugated Papers  

With my curiosity to further understand the topics that I'm writing about, I did a little research. Did you know that corrugated paper has two kinds? Lined and unlined. The "karton" or the one used as balikbayan box is a lined corrugated paper where the ridges are kept in between rigid layered papers for added strength while the unlined type consists of the fluted/ridged layer only and is flexible. In this workshop, we will be using the unlined corrugated paper that comes in different colors, thus the name Kokoru.

Lined type corrugated paper

Unlined type color corrugated papers

Kokoru

Kokoru originated from Indonesia and is available in two kinds: Kokoru Hachi, the A4 type (21 x 29.7cm) and Kokoru Ichi, in strips format (1.3 x 50cm). It comes in many color variants just like art papers. It can be enjoyed by all ages from children to adults who love doing DIY projects. Aside from scrap booking activities, its versatility allows one to make their own stationery, note cards, and even cute decorative objects. 

Kokoru Ichi (strips) and Kokoru Hachi (A4 size)

Sample Kokoru artwork I got from the internet.

Ideas for Kokoru are limitless. Aside from making your favorite character using Kokoru, you can use it as a souvenir for a party, as a gift, or prepare your Christmas decors using corrugated papers as early as now.

My Lakbayan Experience at Manila Water

I love going to field trips. It brings back the good old memories of my school days where the whole class would take a day off to visit and explore a certain place, get to have first-hand experience, and even enjoy a bus ride with your classmates. And that's exactly how I felt last July 4, 2014 (Friday) when I, together with other mommy bloggers, visited the Manila Water plant, also known as the Lakbayan.

Signing the waiver form.

We were told to assemble at Cafe Via Mare in GT-Toyota, UP Diliman by 10 a.m. and were treated with a sumptuous lunch. After signing the waiver, we boarded their 24-seater Manila Water Coaster going to the Lakbayan Center and that's where our journey began.

Manila Water Lakbayan Center

This is their Lakbayan Center. Cool, they have their own coaster.

The tour started out with a presentation to give us an overview on what Manila Water is all about and what to expect in the Lakbayan. As you can see in my photos, everything was in blue and green, even the chairs. The tree-designed wall papers on the left and right are individual leaf stickers signed and "planted" by people who have already participated in their Lakbayan tour. They call it the seed of learning.

Here's our seeds of learning. Our names signed on the leaves and attached on the wall.

So what is Manila Water?

Baby's First Hair Cut at Cuts 4 Tots

It's been a long time since I talk about my baby's development. Let me dedicate a new post about my baby's first hair cut. I never had a chance to put a clip on her yet because of her very few hair since birth. The elders have been suggesting to shave her hair bald to promote hair growth and make it look thicker. I'm not sure if this old wives' tale is true but I decided to give it a try anyway.

I kept on delaying baby's first hair cut because I'm afraid she might not cooperate or afraid that she might get hurt. Finally after getting enough courage and had more free time since I became a SAHM, I was able to bring baby to have her first hair cut last June 8 when she turned 18 months at Cuts 4 Tots Hair Salon, Robinson's Place Midtown, Manila.

Upon checking out the place, asking for the rates and getting my baby warmed up with the toys and kid-friendly atmosphere, I finally signed up. While waiting for our turn, we let baby sit on a vacant car ride which were also their kiddie salon chairs. While Baby A was enjoying her pretend driving experience, the staff took a "before" picture for her First Haircut Certificate. I availed the complete package for P525, where Kiddie Haircut costs P330 and the First Haircut Certificate costs P195. Since it's her first cut, I wanted to keep a souvenir of her lock of hair. That's my justification for spending this pricey amount which I kept it secret from my hubby.

Before the haircut. This was the longest hair she got.

Memory Crafters: Loom Band Afternoon Party

Last year the craze was washi tapes, now it's loom bands. People nowadays are really into crafting and doing DIY stuff. Some would do it as a way of expressing themselves through their unique and personalized creation while others would just collect for the sake of being in the trend and be able to start a conversation with like-minded people.

What are Loom Bands?

They are those small colorful rubber bands that are weaved together using a plastic loom board to make bracelets, necklaces and even charms. And the most common design is the fishtail. Rainbow Loom was the very first brand who started this craze. 

Who invented Rainbow Loom?

The Rainbow Loom was invented in 2011 by a DIY engineer dad named Cheong Choon Ng from US. He saw her daughters weaving elastics bands over their fingers. When he tried to join in, he found out that his fingers were too big. And so he built himself a "loom" and thus Rainbow Loom was born.

Here are my only collection of loom bands made by my two friends.

As of this time, the craze is still at its peak. I'm not familiar with the price but it's literally everywhere. The original ones are sold in the malls while the imitations are scattered left and right along sidewalks particularly in Divisoria. They are usually sold by grams with varying colors to choose from: solid, mixed or glow-in-the-dark elastic bands. Loomers would usually learn from YouTube tutorials or from their kids or nieces. But if you think that you need an expert loomer to teach you in person, then here's a workshop for you.

Baking Class at The Maya Kitchen

"The way to a man's heart is through his stomach." This saying sounded cliche but it's very true. We have been married for more than two and a half years but until now I still haven't mastered the art of cooking. Before I got pregnant, I tried my best to cook something edible for the two of us but with a toddler now, I can't seem to find a quiet time to get back to the kitchen. 

Last month I was so lucky to have the opportunity to attend a baking class at The Maya Kitchen. Thanks to Mommy Bloggers Philippines for giving me a slot. Actually, it was a last minute decision just because somebody backed-out and that I was able to immediately grab the freed up slot. Personally, I love to eat sweets which includes cakes, chocolates and pastries that's why this session is just what I need.

I haven't heard about The Maya Kitchen before but upon visiting their website, I saw how credible and enticing it was to join their class. It got me curious as to how they all started that I went on searching online for their history and stumbled upon this link from Inquirer. It's interesting to know how this well-established local company emerged from just being a flour manufacturer to a most sought-after culinary center.

I'm excited to share with you my experience when I attended their Mother's Day Baking Class last May 10, 2014 together with my mom blogger friend Edel of Legal Mom Archives. First let me tour you around the place.