Thursday, June 30, 2016

5 simple ways to keep our kids safe from germs at school

This post is brought to you by Biogenic Alcohol.

Hi everyone! Remember when I said I appeared in a print ad? Well, it's out!

Yey de yey yey!

Okay, my little kilig story of the month done, let me show you a few snaps from the Biogenic photo shoot that didn't make it to the ads. Like these of me gardening:
It is safe to wear white in a fake garden.
Me. Gardening! Imagine that! Well, if you must know, I grew up in the hills of Antipolo and my parents planted all over the empty lots on our street. Kamote, papaya, mais, coconuts, mango, calamansi, sili, and flowering shrubs and trees, too. My parents were amazing at making plants grow. We ate salads picked from dahon ng kamote Papa planted on the lot across our house. We played hide and seek amongst the corn stalks. We made sawsawan with the calamansi and sili from our garden. Good times, good times. So yeah, I know my way around a garden!

I live in a condo now, though. So no more gardening for me. Although if we ever do move to a house with a big yard, I'd love to putter about a lush vegetable garden again. My husband and our kids would love that, too! Playing in the dirt has lots of benefits: it stimulates sense of touch, it provides an opportunity to talk about the ecosystem, and microbes in the soil improves mood. It's fun!


Most people think playing in the dirt is dirty. Well, sure, but it's relatively safer than being with other people! Now that the rainy season is upon us, that means people get stuck in rooms together more, which then allows illness-causing bacteria, viruses, and germs to be spread more. My kids are currently recovering from a really bad cold. I really hate it when they're sick! My poor babies!

That's why I need to be more vigilant! But that's really hard to do especially since the boys are now in school. They have to be vigilant of their own health, too. Here are a few things I do to keep my kids safe from germs at school and anywhere outside our home:

1. Teach kids about germs.
I dunno if you watched the cartoon show G.I. Joe, but they always used to say, "Knowing is half the battle." My kids know about germs—microscopic monsters that are everywhere and cause sickness. So they know better than to eat food dropped on the floor, for example. They also know that they need to cover their mouths when they sneeze or cough. They also know that they need to wash their hands or use sanitizer before eating and after using the toilet. We can't be with our kids 24/7 so we need to teach them not just how to protect themselves but also why. When they know why, they'll be more willing to do it.

2. Wash hands thoroughly.
Nothing kills germs better than a thorough washing of hands with antibacterial soap. You wash palms, fingers, under nails, the backs of hands. Wash every surface!

3. Use hand sanitizer.
Handwashing, sad to say, is not usually doable when you're not home. A washroom is almost always far away so the next best thing is a hand sanitizer. We keep a little spray bottle of Biogenic Alcohol in my purse and in the kids' grooming kits. Very convenient in killing germs! We also use it to clean restaurant tables and toilet seats.
Me at the dental clinic and the dental assistant said, "Don't worry. This is a sterile environment." 

4. No sharing.
What?!? Yep. No sharing. Don't bite into someone else's sandwich. Don't drink from someone else's water bottle. Don't borrow someone else's pencil. And vice versa. Use your own stuff! It will really help cut down on touching surfaces that most likely are teeming with germs. Because my kids are still in preschool, this is really difficult. They LOVE sharing. Plus, all the kids are playing with the same toys and reading the same books and hugging and being adorable. So... This is really hard!

5. Keep them healthy. 
Healthy children have strong immune systems that can resist a lot of germs. My kids are up to date with their vaccinations. That's really important in arming their bodies against illnesses that used to kill and maim millions of children. Feed them good food, let them exercise outdoors, and make sure they get lots of sleep. I do have a hard time making them eat healthy food every day. It's really a struggle. I just supplement with multivitamins and probiotics.

I love that meme that says, "If you love them, let them sleep." It's my favorite gift, too!

There! Just a few of my tips to keep my kids protected from germs while they're out and about. How about you? Please share some tips!

To know more about how Biogenic helps us mommies keep our kids safe even though we're not around, like their Facebook page, Official Biogenic Alcohol. You can also follow them on Instagram at @Biogenic_Alcohol and hashtags #BiogenicAlcohol, #MyBiogenicWorld and #BiogenicxHygiene.

Saturday, June 25, 2016

My favorites from the Mango sale (happening right now!)

This post is brought to you by Mango.

My longtime readers know I love shopping online. But, ladies, since having three kids, my body has changed dramatically. I now need to fit the clothes first before I buy them. In days of long ago, I was a size 2 to a size 4. Now? Now??? I'm anywhere from a size 8 to a size 12. It's crazy! I really need to fit the clothes first now. Hence, if in the past couple of years you seem to see a lot of posts of me shopping in Mango, that's because, yes, I shop a lot at Mango!

And lucky me, Mango is on sale! Up to 50% off! It's their End of Season Sale so expect to see all their spring and summer collections with prices slashed. The sale started last week. I checked out the sale last weekend and here's what I saw:
Dozens upon dozens of shirts and blouses.
Trousers and culottes start at P795!
Skinny jeans! I didn't fit in any of them, though. Sigh!
Boyfriend jeans and distressed jeans!
Yes, there were lots of dresses, too.
These off-shoulder dresses were on sale.
Shoes and bags everywhere!
Accessories, too!

While there was a lot of stuff to love, I found myself drawn to everything stripes! These are my favorites:

I love stripes. Stripes and polka dots actually, but I love stripes super duper. So I spent an hour picking out and trying on the striped outfits:
My picks hanging on the dressing room wall.

Check out my new Mango dress:

It's not halata in this photo but this is a ribbed dress so it's striped!

The Mango End of Season Sale also applies to Mango Man, Mango Kids, Mango Touch (shoes, bags and accessories) and Mango Sport & Intimates. So when you're done shopping for yourself, hop on over to the other Mango shops and buy more stuff for your friends and family!


MANGO – Robinson’s Ermita, Shangri-la Plaza Mall, Power Plant Mall, Gateway, SM Mall of Asia, Alabang Town Center, SM Megamall, SM Davao, SM Clark, Ayala Center Cebu, Trinoma, SM Cebu, Greenbelt 5, Eastwood, Marquee, Newport, Abreeza Davao, Lucky Chinatown, Bonifacio High Street, Robinson’s Magnolia, Centrio, Harbor Point, Glorietta 2, Ayala Fairview Terraces, SM BF ParaƱaque

MANGO MAN – Power Plant Mall, Alabang Town Center, Glorietta 2, SM Mall of Asia, Ayala Center Cebu, Abreeza Davao, SM Megamall 

MANGO TOUCH – Power Plant Mall, Robinson’s Magnolia, SM Mall of Asia 

MANGO KIDS – SM Mall of Asia, Ayala Center Cebu, SM BF ParaƱaque, Trinoma, Glorietta 2, Eastwood, SM Megamall, Abreeza Davao

MANGO SPORT&INTIMATES – SM Mall of Asia (inside shop)

Friday, June 24, 2016

Reviews, reviews!

Hi everyone! I've gone missing again! Life's been especially hectic with the kids off to school this month. We've also all gotten sick. And then I finally had my wisdom tooth and the molar beside it extracted (more on this really bloody business soon) so I've not been in a working/blogging/thinking mood at all.

But I've been receiving lots of stuff from nice brands (thank you all so very much!) and I guess I should do a few reviews. I'm not very big on doing reviews, to be honest. Three reasons:

1. Reviewing products takes so much time and effort! Like weeks and weeks. I don't know how beauty bloggers do it. You ladies have my respect.
2. Reviews are so personal. My experience may not be the same as yours. So something that I loved or hated may be something you hated or loved.
3. Some readers can be so hateful when I do reviews. Like, they tried a product or service based on my review, and they didn't get the same result. Like that time I reviewed Foot Appeal and I was so happy that my feet peeled so disgustingly to reveal perfectly baby-soft feet. Naku, si complainant, hindi raw nangyari sa paa niya so nagalit siya sa akin. As in.

That's why I'm hesitant to do reviews on my blog now.

But I did recently do a product review for the P&G community website, Everydayme.com.ph. I did it because P&G said I'll be called one of their "Family Life Experts." Naks. Thanks! I confess that "family life expert" conjures up images of perfect housewifery. Everyday me, I must admit, is still struggling with home management. As I said before, I'm a fantabulous career woman but home manager? I'm terrible at it. But I think that doesn't invalidate me as a mother and as a woman. I'm an expert at loving my husband and children. I bet my whole life no one else in the entire world can love my husband and kids like I do. That's the only qualification one needs to be a Family Life Expert!

So back to my Everydayme review. Spoiler: I love the Oral-B Ultra Thin Toothbrush with Green Tea (my review here). I need to replace it na actually—every three months, diba?—but I can't find it in the grocery stores I shop at. It's that in-demand!

Anyway, I will be doing a couple of reviews soon on my blog. Yes, even though I'm now hesitant to do reviews. Why? Because I've really been using a lot of amazing new stuff and I want to share with my dear Loyal Readers! Plus, this happened on my Facebook page:
Click here for full comments.

So now I have to review that lash serum!

Do you like reviews, dear Loyal Readers? Is that one of the reasons why you read my blog? I'm in the process of evaluating this blogging thing I do. What should I write about, how often, stuff like that. If you have any suggestions, I hope you can tell me! Thanks so much!