Make Wipes and Alcohol Your Friend

Wouldn't it be nice if radar detectors can also detect germs and viruses?

But since they can't, you'd have to do all the detecting and preempting yourself. If you're making a trip to a public place (like the mall), make baby wipes and rubbing alcohol your friend. Before sitting down with your child to dine, wipe the surfaces again, even after it's been cleaned by the crew. Insist on your kids not touching the railings, walls, etc. that could have been touched by somebody sick. Insist on washing your child's hands before eating, or any chance you get. And definitely, do not allow them to put their hands in their mouths.

Adults and kids alike are coming down with the flu right now. Hospitals are even full of sick people that some have to be confined and stay in the E.R. Constant vigilance is therefore necessary so you won't br bringing germs to your home.

Adarna House Celebrates 30th Year at the Manila International Book Fair

Adarna House currently has a Photo Contest going on at Facebook.

They are also looking for Adarna Book reviewers.

And if you take their survey (click the hyperlink at the right portion of their blog), you can win their new titles which will be launched at the 31st Manila International Book Fair.

But the main celebration is all happening as they launch five new storybooks and two activity books at the MIBF. Their mascot Pilandok will be there, they'd also be giving away loot bags to kids and providing activities for them. The awarding for the Photo contest will also happen that day.



If you're up to it, you can even cosplay your kid up in any of the Adarna characters and win prizes!!!

The Eco Baby Boutique

If you're a mom concerned about the environment and believe in going natural as much as you can, then the Eco Baby Boutique is the shop for you.

It offers cloth diapers, reusable swim diapers, waterproof bibs, organic bibs and washcloths, baby slings, maternity and nursing wear as well as other breastfeeding products and natural parenting toys for your kids. No need to worry about going back to cloth diaper use because their products make it easy for parents.

Free Parenting and Mommy-Baby Seminars

If you missed the free talks at the mommy and baby fair over the weekend at Rockwell, then maybe you can still register and make time for these two.

Moms on the Floor
Top Shelf, Fully Booked Bonifacio HIgh Street
11 September · 13:00 - 16:00
Inviting expectant moms & dads and moms with babies below 1 year old, join us for a relaxed afternoon of learning & bonding at MOMS ON THE FLOOR!

Limited slots available so pre-registration is a MUST. Call 4088070/ 4709925 to reserve a slot.

Talk Series 3 by Parentin.tv
TITLE: Guide to Investing in Your Child's Future
(topics include Cordblood Banking, Financial Security, Breastfeeding, Dengue Mosquito Protection, Healthy Meals for the Family, Parent-Child Talk on sex and the Spriritual Side of Parenting)
VENUE: SLMC Global City Auditorium
DATE: 11 September 2010
TIME: 2-7pm
REGISTRATION: 1pm


Tons of prizes await our lucky members! With complementary food and drinks. Check out the mechanics below.

MECHANICS:

1.) Register at the site join the event. This automatically qualifies you to a raffle draw.
2.) To win our special START-UP NEGOSYO PACKAGE ask your friends to register too and earn extra points. Every successful referral will be credited to you.
3.) On the day of the event, the member with the most number of present referral will win! REMEMBER! Make sure your referrals are present in the event to win.

All About Baby and Belly Mama Fair

It's a back to back fair for moms and babies at the Rockwell Tent this August 21-22, 2010. Go with the August issue of Working Mom magazine and enter the bazaar free with your hubby and kids. Take advantage of discounts, freebies, free talks as you look for petite clothing for your little one.

Some of the helpful discussions and workshops include:

~ The ABCs of Child Development by Speech Pathologist Gigi Mojica
~ Pregnancy discomforts by Ms. Dedeth Panabi
~ Yoga for pregnant women, and mommies and babies by Yoga Manila
~ The best and healthiest recipes for you and your baby through a cooking demo by Sexy Chef
~ The joys of scrapbooking with Memory Lane

Also, the first 100 pregnant moms can get a free ultrasound with 2D printouts by Hi-Precision!!!
*Free for the first 100 pregnant mothers

Nestle Ice Cream - Baby Ruth and Crunch

I'm not sure if these are new flavors, revamped ones or seasonal ones. Still, groceries are stocking them right now. We first tried the Baby Ruth and it was real chocolatey... enough that you need not eat a pintful to feel sated. It could prove really sweet and rich though.

I found the Crunch one better. It had the same chocolate ice cream as the Baby Ruth and it also had Crunch bits which weren't that sweet. They sort of made the ice cream less sweet.

It's the perfect ice cream to buy for sharing at work, served in cones, since people will be less inclined to really binge on it. Savings for you!!!

Boncho Up for Grabs

Indigo Manila, that seller of breastfeeding, babywearing, all natural living and journalling products has a contest going on.

They are giving away a Boncho to a yummy mummy who sends in the most touching & amazing personal story about Boncho & Breastfeeding with a hi-res photo of her using it with the little one. Please email to indigo.manila@gmail.com asap!

And what is a Boncho? It's a breastfeeding cover and poncho in one and you can wear it many ways. Click the picture to zoom in.

Steam Inhalation with Your Baby

How can you continue checking out job opportunities at www.consonus.com if you've got a colds-annoyed baby? And it's not just the cold virus making the rounds, allergic rhinitis has also led many parents to bring their children to the doctor.

Colds usually need not be medicated. As one pediatrician I talked to said, over-the-counter medications are actually Mommy medicines, because they're more for the mothers so they'd feel they're doing something but doesn't really do anything for the colds, which will resolve on its own (unless a child's immune system is so compromised that it results in complications, like infected sinuses).

Usually, saline nasal drops are your friend during this time. Steam inhalation too (nebulizing is for the lungs, not for stuffy noses). But how does one do it safely with an infant?

Here are some ways you can try:

1) A steaming basin of water placed some distance from you (to prevent you or the child disturbing the basin), with you sitting on a cushion (which will absorb any hot water should it spill and give you time to get away) with a big, light blanket covering you and the basin.

2) Using a water heater, basin in the sink with you holding the baby near the sink but not over the basin, with a light blanket to keep the steam in.

3) Using a water heater in a pail or basin in the bathroom, with you and the baby in the tub or just sitting near it, with the bathroom door closed (to create a sauna effect).

Or yes, you can just use a humidifier too. But steaming really works for us as it decongests our noses very effectively. :)

Eden Maternity Collection by Bianca Araneta

One of the highlights of Mom's Purest Love at Eastwood City Mall was the launch of Bianca Araneta Elizalde's Eden Maternity Wear which were also designed to double as nursing wear after. In fact, they're very classy enough for even non-pregnant women because they help hide or highlight bulges and are really seem to be made from very breathable fabric (a must for preggos and breastfeeding moms!).

I did not manage to take great pictures because I am pregnant and waddling and sitting in the sidelines, but have a look at how must-have the outfits are! A lot of them can be worn in different ways, with the finale piece being the most versatile of the lot.














multi-way top starts here


love the way this top was worn here













Hopefully, I can find out soon where the collection will be available. The collection is available at Eden Maternity

Mom's Purest Love at Eastwood City Mall

Pregnant moms going through your Robern Medicine cabinet for some relief for your all-day nausea, listen (or should I say, read?): Shopping can sometimes perk you up and make you feel better more than Maalox can.

Breastfeeding moms who feel limited by the notion of nursing in public, listen: there's a new maternity and nursing line for you!

Moms looking for earth and family-friendly products, listen: a mommy market is ongoing at the mall as I type.

Read on!

=====================



Hello Breast Friends,

Hi Friends and Countrymen,

I'd like to personally invite you to a LATCH/Eastwood event this Sunday Aug 8 :-) This month is World Breastfeeding Month and my breastfeeding advocacy group LATCH has been working with Megaworld to help celebrate the occasion. We've been having activities this whole week, starting with the launch of the breastfeeding room and a photo exhibit. Right now, there is an ongoing mommy marketplace selling baby stuff and breastfeeding-friendly merchandise.

The culminating event is on Sunday and we prepared a great line up of activities!

Kindly see attached photos...they are evites to the various activities that will happen on Sunday.
Here's a quick look at the schedule:
1-2 pm Talk on Breastfeeding and Babywearing by LATCH
3-3:30 Yoga demonstration by Jornada Yoga
3:30-4:00 Cooking Demonstration by CCA
4:00-4:30 Make-Up demo by Face Shop
4:30 pm A celebrity fashion show featuring Bianca Araneta-Elizalde's maternity/nursing line called Eden. The children will be dressed in Periwinkle and Baby Fashionista. Accessories by Tweetie de Leon.




I hope you can help us in raising awareness about the breastfeeding culture we are trying to promote :-) Hope to see you there! Thanks again.

Sincerely,
-----


*LATCH stands for Lactation, Attachment, Training, Counseling and Help

Wee Faerie - Queen of Whimsy

If you're looking for freebie kits that verge on the whimsical, fantastic, classic and just plain lovely, look no further: Wee Faerie has got you covered! I especially love her Little Miracles kit for babies.

Make sure to leave some love!

The 1st Philippine International Eco-Show (PINES)

SMX Convention Center is the venue for the 1st Philippine International Eco-Show (PINES) that's happening on 26-28 August 2010.

It's the perfect venue to do research on all-organic products, whether to adopt it for your lifestyle or delve into a business, as well as shop for natural beauty care and health products. Milea is exhibiting there aside from different herbal communities, arts and handicrafts groups, organic farms, and earth-friendly orgs.

It could even be the perfect place to look for locally made products to send to relatives abroad or embellish a Filipiniana-themed home or occasion.

Support the 1st Philippine International Eco-Show. Just proceed to Halls 3 and 4, Ground Floor, SMX Convention Center (Exhibition Hours: 9:00 am to 6:00 pm). Admission to the Trade Exhibit is FREE!

Andok's Bibingka

Andok's Roasted Chicken has truly expanded and evolved. They now also sell bibingka.

Bibingka is one of our many rice cakes that is most sought after during Christmas season. I actually don't eat it myself, just because, but hubby loves the stuff. And he loved the bibingka offered by Andok's very much, enough to insist I try it because if I didn't, I'd be missing half of my life. I still didn't try it but he said it was just really a perfect fluffiness of comfort and the best he's tried from different restos and kiosks. And because he's really not easy to please food-wise, I believe him.

So, if you have balikbayan relatives you want to be impressing, just buy some of these stuff. It only costs P49.It's served/sold with the usual coconut shavings and muscovado sugar. Unfortunately, not all Andok's branches sell them. Hubby buys his from the branch near Waltermart in Makati.

Aquaknox Restaurant

Aquaknox Restaurant is located at San Lorenzo Village in Makati, very near Don Bosco Church Makati (2 restaurants away) and also quite near Makati Cinema Square (Plaza Fair). The ambience was cozy and was the perfect venue for Johnson & Johnson's Bedtime Believer Awards (in collaboration with Nuffnang).

I was not in the mood to really take pictures so I can only offer a shot of the lunch I ate (and I have since forgotten the name of the dish). But it was nice. Their sandwiches were also good and the waitstaff was attentive and thorough.

I highly recommend the place for similar small events (well, it can actually accommodate up to a hundred people, but the place is a split-level type so some would have to sit upstairs) and gatherings.