Expo Mom 2011!

I went to last year's expo mom. I was still pregnant then. There's a lot of good deals and new products by moms. This year, our little Y will come with us to Expo Mom! Hope to see you moms there!

WHAT'S EXPO MOM?
Expo Mom is the premier lifestyle event for moms in Manila. It is a
trade expo, all-day workshop, shopping destination, mommy party,
family occasion, mompreneur lab, all rolled into one!

THE EXPO MOM TRADE SHOW
It is not your regular bazaar. Expo Mom showcases the latest in mom
and baby products and services, from new brands that have been
recently launched, to latest mompreneur inventions, to new stuff
that have just come in from abroad. 
Yes moms can shop and browse, interact with vendors and
mompreneurs, and learn a lot about what services are out there.

ONSTAGE ACTIVITIES*
Expo Mom features interesting talks and workshops for young, urban
moms and families. It's guaranteed infotainment - both educational
and fun at the same time. Activities such as the following have
been planned out:
- Laughter Yoga
- Modern Mom fitness- Healthy bump and beyond
- Prenatal Stimulation- How to have a healthy & smart baby
- Solo parenthood
- Creative meals
- Time Management for busy moms
There are also planned celebrations:
- Mommy Matters' 10th year Anniversary!
- Formal Launch of the Mommy Mundo Privilege Passport
- Formal Announcement of Expo Mom's going nationwide! (Expo Mom
Cebu & Davao)
*topics and schedules subject to change

THE MOMMY ROOM - Breastfeeding Lounge & Diaper changing area
MOMMY PORTRAIT AREA - Get a free mom or family photo at the Expo
Mom Portrait area Photo Booth
THE MOM RESOURCE CORNER
- Lamaze /prenatal classes
- Breastfeeding consultation
- OB consultation
- Single parents support
- For Kids with Special needs
- MomShare volunteer booth
- Mompreneur Manila booth
KIDS INFLATABLE by Fun Ranch
HEALTHY SNACK AREA (tent)

Expo Mom entrance fee is only P25, 100% of which goes to MomShare
outreach. Expo Mom discourages the use of plastic so attendees are
asked to kindly bring their own reusable shopping bag:)

For further info, email inquiry@expomom.com or visit
www.expomom.com.

Expo Mom is produced by Mommy Mundo and PACE, co-presented by
GlaxoSmithKline, Mommy Matters. Supported by Cordlife, Philam Life,
Cycles, Cradle, Flip Video, Cisco, Havaianas, Del Monte Quick n
Easy, Avent, Lactacyd Baby Bath, Citibank and RCBC. Media Partners
are Lifestyle Network, MomsToday, Smartparenting, Working Mom, Baby
Magazine and Mommy Mundo publications Urban Mom and Mommy Pages.

Robredo Urges LGUs to Set Up Breastfeeding Stations

By Marjorie Gorospe
QUEZON CITY, METRO MANILA— Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) chief Jesse Robredo urges all local government officials to set up a breastfeeding station in their respective cities to promote breastfeeding in the country.
Robredo also issues an order for all local government officials – from provincial governors to barangay chairpersons - urging them to adopt and implement a workplace lactation program in their respective offices within three months.
"With these efforts, we hope to help nursing mothers ensure that their infants get optimum health and proper nutrition through breastfeeding which they can do anytime once lactation stations are already set up," Robredo said.
This move supports the program and recommendations of the Department of Health and the World Health Organization to promote breastfeeding and its benefits in the country.
Robredo added the DILG is also thinking of mandating a workplace lactation program as a requirement for private companies applying for business permits.
Under Republic Act No. 10028 or the "Expanded Promotion of Breastfeeding Act of 2009", all private and public institutions are required to set up lactation facilities in the workplace as well as implement appropriate breastfeeding programs.
However, not all LGUs have complied with this order.
Robredo also calls for compliance to Executive Order No. 51 or the "National Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, Breastmilk Supplements and Other Related Products."
EO 51 states guidelines for milk companies in marketing infant formula and products that can substitute for breast milk without undermining the practice of breastfeeding and its benefits.


Source


P.S. I wish our own office has a breastfeeding station because my current pumping situation is not the most ideal one.

Carcinogens in Kids Bath Products

While I was researching remedies for Y's prickly heat rash, I considered on buying Aveeno Baby Soothing Relief Creamy Bath and Aveeno Baby Soothing Relief Moisture Cream. But then I came across this article.

According to the article, there's two chemicals considered as probable carcinogen by the Environmental Protection Agency, Formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane.

Formaldehyde is released as preservatives break down over time in a container. It can trigger allergic reactions in sensitive people and also irritates the nasal and respiratory passages. Bubble bath, shampoo and other products contain small amounts of formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane.

1,4-dioxane is a byproduct of a chemical processing techniques used to make petroleum-based ingredients gentler to the skin.

Here's a list of the products tested.

It's better to be safe, right? So I just opted to give Y an oatmeal bath. Natural and cheap!

Home Remedies for Prickly Heat Rash (Bungang Araw)

Speaking of heat, Y has bungang araw on her neck and at the back of her neck. It's itchy because she scratches it every time. I don't want to put powder because it may be harmful to her. I don't want to put medicine or any ointments or creams. I want a natural remedy. I tried putting Indigo Baby's Jar of Hope but it's not going away. With the super hot weather, it's not really helping!

So I searched for home remedies, and these are a few things I read from this site and would try at home.

• Oatmeal baths once or twice a day (Homemade Oatmeal Bath - How To) - already made my "oatmeal powder".
• Keep the skin clean and avoid use of harsh soap (We use Aveeno Baby which has natural oat formula.)
• Gently wash skin with washcloth and lukewarm water and pat on mixture of one part alcohol and three parts water
• Make a mixture of one teaspoon baking soda per cup of cool water. Damp washcloth in this mixture and pat on for five to ten minutes. Do this four to five times a day.
• Wear lightweight and loose clothing. Allow skin to breathe.
• Avoid sweating by staying in a cool place. Air-conditioned room if you must.

I already told the yaya to open the AC for Y's afternoon nap. Give her an oatmeal bath in the afternoon (will try this pa lang.) Hope Y's rashes will get better the next few days.

The Heat Is On!

OMG. It's so hot in Manila right now. Not to mention it's also humid! The heat is scorching hot. My electric fan is always on number three now. It's not enough. Thank God for air conditioning. I don't really care if our electricity bill shoots up. I don't want heat stroke. I want Y to be comfortable. I want to be in the shower all the time!!!


I want summer to be over. I don't want the heat in the city.

Things I Love!

Things I Love as of the moment..

1. Indigo Baby's Jar of Hope and Jar of Love

Y's first mosquito bite on her neck. Wawa.

With Y's bad cough last week and mosquito bites in between, the Jar of Hope and Jar of Love were a lifesaver! I rubbed some Jar of Love on Y's chest and back. She was also taking medicine but I think rubbing this helped. And for Y's mosquito bites, I just dabbed some Jar of Hope and they were a gone after a day or two. Yay! Next on my to-buy list is their sun block!

2. Grandma's Secret Spot Remover

I L-O-V-E this product! As in LOVE talaga. Now that Y is seven and a half months, and learning how to resist and slap and remove our hands when I feed her her vitamins. It is chaos! Vitamins splattered all over her beddings, shirts, lampins, and her burp pads, this product is heaven sent!!! Just drop on stained part, have it washed, and stain is gone! Works on vitamins syrup stains, and that kind of stain is hard to wash, so it means it really works!!!

3. Board Books!

Y enjoys being read to and looking at pictures. She reads with me, making humming sounds. Cute! Most of her board books are bought from Book Sale and Books & Mags. Just make sure to check out the book first for rips or torn pages. My favorite are the Curious George books! Each board book costs around 95 - 125 pesos. Not bad at all, considering some of them are in good condition! I try to buy her a book every month. Now she has Guess How Much I Love You, Goodnight Gorilla, The Runaway Bunny, and three Curious George Look and Feel books!

4. Caffeine Free Coca-Cola

Yes, I'm a Coke drinker/lover. Since I breastfeed, I have to limit my caffeine intake. Pag regular Coke, isang sip lang. I knew about this variety of Coke for a while now. It's available in S&R and I also saw it in a grocery store in Ongpin. The taste is almost similar to the regular one! Solve na ako! So when I'm craving for Coke, I drink this instead. Or I drink 7-Up if this is not available. Hehe!


5. Weekends with Y!
With me being a working mom, I always look forward to weekends and holidays because it means I get to spend my day with Y! And just take pictures and more pictures of her. I get so gigil everytime! :)

Trying out our Combi carrier!

In Zara Rockwell with my papa!

Sleepyhead

Mornings with my cutie patootie!

What things do you love as of the moment? :)

Swim Diapers: Disposable or Reusable

Next month, we'll be staying in Sofitel for an overnight stay. I'm excited because my pedia gave me a go signal to take Y swimming! Yay!

Now I'm on the look out for baby swim gears. First thing on my list is a swim diaper. But I'm not sure if I'll buy disposable or reusable ones. I'm thinking of getting disposables because that may be the only time Y gets to swim, if I buy a reusable one, I may not be able to "reuse" it.

The only swim diapers that I know that can be reuse as a diaper cover is the Bummis Swimmi and I can't find a local (online) store that have this. Bummer! Do you know where I can buy this?

Other options are iPlay and Charlie Banana swim diapers which can be bought locally. Both are available at The Eco Baby Boutique. I'll just have to wait and check them out at Expo Mom. (but I can't wait anymore! I'm atat to buy na! Haha!)

iPlay Swim Diapers

Then, I saw an online seller selling Huggies Little Swimmers by piece, contacted the seller, but no reply.

I want to go the Greenhills and check out the tiangge for swimsuits for Y. I've checked Zara, SM, and Baby Company. I found cute ones but I want more choices! Rashguard is another option. Hope I can find one soon. It's still three weeks away but I don't want to cram into buying!

Any suggestions fellow mommies?

Y's What a Face!

This was Y's face the first time I fed her applesauce. Haha!

Hahaha! These pictures never fail to make us laugh! Since she won't eat the applesauce, I just mix it with sweet potatoes and she loves it! 

Love you Y!

A Chair Affair

It's a bar stool. Y's micro playground in the house. When she's all bored from all of her toys and our antics. We sit her here (of course, with our close supervision and we turn it very slow while holding her back) and turn the stool.


Instant smile on her face! :)

Y's Trips to Tarlac!

The first time Y went to Tarlac was three weeks after G was born. It's Y's first out of town trip. We only stayed for two hours because grandma doesn't want to stay long.

Y in Tarlac!

We had lunch at a Shell gas station on NLEX. We ate at Kenny Roger's. Y's first time to sit on a high chair as I have not yet bought her high chair yet that time and it was too big so we had to improvise!

We used the changing pad as cover for the back, lampin on her seat, and hot dog pillow on her front to secure her. Hehe..

That weekend was also Y's first time to eat solids. Lugaw! And she didn't like it because it's bland. Haha!

Her second trip to Tarlac was a surprise birthday party for my younger sister. My BIL prepared everything. It was a small gathering. She was happy to see us, and likewise! Ang totoo, si G ang pinunta namin! Haha.. My little nephew, Y's cousin is slowly catching up to Y's size and weight.  

Hi G! :)

BOS carrying G. 

Y all giddy and excited!
Outfit: GH

Before having our feast, Y was sleepy na. Good thing we bought the stroller, she slept there for one good hour!

Food was great! Yummy! We all had fun. Pero si Y, takot kay BIL. Every time she sees her, she'll cry! I don't know why. Maybe because he doesn't smile at Y? While eating, Y was well-behaved, seating in her stroller watching us eat. Hehe..

Yummy!!!

Y's favorite toy: Iphone!

Costa Brava and Red Ribbon Cakes!

I find this picture funny haha!
G: *crying*
Y: "G, anu pang iniiyak-iyak mo dyan? Picture na daw!"

It was a great weekend. The day before we went to Power Plant for the Expo Kid. Saw Paola and her cutie pie baby! Had a photo session at The Picture Company. Will have to post about that soon too!


Bakasyon mode muna!

The Good. The Bad. The Baby

The Good.
Hmm.. I have to think about what good happened the last few days. Because most of the things that happened and are happening are bad. Good.. Y started eating fruits last week. She didn't like the applesauce I made. I had a funny picture of her face. She didn't like the latundan bananas I bought. What she liked were: avocados, lakatan bananas, and apples (the fruit itself) She enjoys eating. Every meal when her yaya puts her in her highchair, she knows it's eating time! She'll ask for her food na haha so cute! And she does thing now, when she kneels, she bounces up and down, wiggling her body like she's dancing. Haha and everytime we say "dance", she does her thing. Hahaha... Y amuses us so much!

We also celebrated BOS's birthday last Friday. Just us the family. Spaghetti, Lumpiang Shanghai, Chooks-to-Go, Red Ribbon's Chocolate Mousse, and Starbucks Banoffee Pie! Yum yum yum! Oh, and I also made lumpiang shanghai sauce from scratch! Woohoo... adding that to the list of what I know how to cook! Hahaha.. We didn't get to eat dessert because BOS was so tired he fell asleep while I was nursing Y. Saturday, I made seafood laksa. I'll post recipe when I remember to hehe.. Didn't took a picture, too hungry to take pictures! BOS said it was good, but not great. Haha.. Next time ulit!

The Bad.
Y has a bad cough. She caught it from one of our helpers. Boo. It's been five six days since. (She's better now) I took her to her pedia last Thursday. Her pedia said her lungs are clear, throat is not inflamed, no colds. So she just prescribed Ambroxol 1ml twice a day but she hasn't got better. I think she has phlegm, but how can a baby spit out phelgm. Hay I feel so helpless everytime she coughs. This morning, she threw up breastmilk after coughing. And I can't contact my pedia! Grrrr... I'm worried. I'm searching home remedies for coughs because I don't really want Y to take so much medicine. Nag-aaway pa kami every time I gave her medicine, pati vitamins! I put some healing balm (Indigo Baby's Jar of Love) on her back and chest, hoping to help her a bit. Hayayayay.. what else do I need/have to do? Any suggestions?

The Baby.
Y's getting malikot and makulit na. Every morning, after her yaya changes her diapers and change her clothes. She knows it's time for her daily paaraw. Haha.. she would face and directs her body to the door, like telling her yaya, let's go na! She gets sungit when you disturb her concentration/peace on anything (when holding a toy, sleeping in a position she's comfortable, grabbing anything from her). Marunong na! Babies grow up so fast. I wish I'm a SAHM!

Have a great week! Only three days of work. Yay!

Lack of Post!

Sorry for the lack of posts! Been busy the past few days. With Y having cough, planning a birthday party, and everything in between, can't get to squeeze a post. Will be back soon!

Drowning Equilibriums x Penshoppe Giveaway

Aisa of Drowing Equilibriums is having a Penshoppe giveaway! I love their new collection. Maxi dresses, harem pants, cropped tops, all the trends now, they have! And it's super affordable. I've checked their store already and tried on some clothes. I'll go back there this weekend to have another look around!


Meanwhile, check their super sexy ads!

I want that green dress!!!
To join, click here! Sending of entries is until today!

BOS's Birthday!

BOS's (The husband, to those who are new to my blog) birthday is three two days away. I haven't bought his gift yet. He's the type of person who doesn't ask for anything. Well, he asked for a baby boy. Haha! But that is not happening! BOS, let's wait two years before trying again. OK? Hehe! So I have to think of a gift he'll appreciate. I already have something in mind, but I won't reveal because he reads this blog! Bleh :p I'm going gift shopping ha, BOS.

I plan to have spaghetti and fried chicken cooked by our helper. I'm cooking Seafood Laksa for him. It's been awhile since I cooked, so this will be fun! I already bought squid, shrimp, and fishballs. I have crabstick in the freezer. I just have to call my mom for her recipe. My brother claims it's good. Better than Tao Yuan's Singaporean Laksa version, which the BOS and I like. I hope I can replicate!

I'll post the recipe when I cooked it successfully!

Advance Happy Birthday, BOS! Y and I love you to bits!

Blog Love: www.divinemlee.com

I just have to blog about this. A friend of mine recently introduced me to Divine Lee's blog. She's hilarious! Kaka-adik basahin (Aside from Fashion Pulis!). You would not think that she speaks Beckimese (gay lingo?). Her Ask Anything is super enterntaining! I love looking at her travel pictures and outfit shots too!

Kelan kaya ako magiging kasing payat niya? Choz! (Haha, di bagay sakin, c Divine Lee na lang)


Gow!

Belated Birthday Shoes and Baby Oxfords

I got my London Tan Brogues last week. After seeing it at Manila Fashion Observer, I knew I just had to! It's BOS birthday present to me. Yeah it's late but I don't care, I LOVE IT! I found "the one" brogues at last! It's so soft and comfortable! You have to trust me on that, with my wide feet, I have to be maarte when it comes to shoes. I never learned until I met Anthology! I love Anthology! Cape Town and Tokyo, you'll be mine soon! I'm officially an Anthologist. Haha! 


Last month, my sister was bugging me to buy her stuff at UO! She told me pick anything I want, nothing over $50 (haha!), as my birthday gift! Of course, I picked shoes! And after a month of emailing Johnny Air and UO Customer Service because I put the wrong address, package finally arrived last week! Yay!


So presenting to you.. my birthday shoes!!!

Wore it yesterday to work!

plus my new Dwell Studio pouch and Grandma's Secret Spot Remover!

I saw this baby oxfords at Gingersnaps last month! I'm bit so tempted to buy one for Y but decided not to. Sayang lang kasi. Maybe when she's a bigger! There's also floral brogues! Ang dami ko gusto bilhing shoes for Y!

Cute! Sorry for the crappy pic, took it from my iPhone!

Mommy would just have to wait for awhile before buying you shoes again! On my list too are Stride Rite and Saltwater Sandals and Tom's for Kids.. Oh no.. I'm turning into a shoe-holic!


More on Grandma's Secret Spot Remover from Manila Fashion Observer.


P.S. I ordered my London's online and it was hassle free! I even ordered one for my sister. They ship for FREE nationwide!