The Working Mom: Making Moments Count

How do you make each moment count? By creating special memories that your child will never forget.

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The Wonders of Reading + Look It's About Me Review

Whisk me away to a magical dreamland!

I am a self-confessed book addict (veering away from the name "bookworm" so it doesn't sound too dorky. Hihi). I love books. I carry them anywhere, everywhere I go. I could literally sit on one corner for hours on end and finish a good book or two. See, I have always been fascinated by the wonders of books and reading. Books have this special power of taking you to places within and beyond your imagination (and sky is the limit if you let it be!). They capture a certain sense of adventure, magic, and wonder that nothing else can replace. 

With every book I read, I know that within every page is an adventure waiting to come alive, a story waiting to begin, and a mystery waiting to be unfolded! Books are just one of the greatest things in the world.

This is why at a very young age, I am determined to share my passion of books and reading with my son. I have loved Dr. Seuss all my life! His works were actually one of the first few books I got for my son. Read more about it here. 

Whenever things start to feel a bit gloomy, I always look to Dr. Seuss for some inspiring words of wisdom.

See, one of the things that made me love books and reading even more is that there is no age limit to it and you only need your eyes and your sense of imagination and wonder. Children are never too young and adults can never be too old to go on an adventure. These thin sheets of paper creates a wondrous portal that provides every reader a very unique experience.

Now, this is somewhere I wouldn't mind getting lost in!

Affirmative Parenting

I guess I never really thought about "Affirmative Parenting" until a friend commented on how so close my son and I are with each other and how we effectively communicate. I was practicing affirmative parenting without actually realizing it.

She commented on how happy, cheerful, and contented J seems. He's never been a difficult child (from pregnancy til now), he's just cheerful most of the time and smiles/tries to communicate with everyone he meets. She mentioned something about J and I being so connected and communicate effectively as I understand and quickly respond to his needs & cues.

See, I bring J everywhere I go- whether to work, events, spontaneos strolls, and of course, to mommy-baby dates. A lot of the people we meet comments on how cheerful and laid back the little man is.

Since he doesn't know how to talk yet, J and I communicate through body signals, cues, and through his little "baby words". As an infant, he would wave his hand when he wants to nurse. At 2 months old, he started speaking "baby words"/phonetics. He would say "Bababa" when he wants to nurse. He'd raise his arms and mutter "Geegeegee" when he wants to cuddle and take his nap. When he does something naughty or starts being impatient, instead of reacting negatively, I give him positive/affirmative words. Take for example when I am working and he wants to play-- when he gets impatient, he would start muttering words and express his frustration. I would tell him, "Sweetheart, please let me finish working first then we can play." As soon as I finish, I'd tell him, "Thank you for patiently waiting. You are such a good boy!" then play with him. Keeping him happy is easy as he knows how to actively communicate and express himself.

Sniffles and Boogies: BabyComfyNose Review

J is and was never a sickly child. I owe it all to breastfeeding and I am so grateful that he's never been ill since birth—given a couple of fevers from his initial vaccinations. He never got fevers with the succeeding shots. 

Since he has started eating solids, I gave him a whole egg for breakfast and he developed allergic symptoms that night. He was feeling so uncomfortable and kept waking up in between quick snoozes. He finally got so frustrated  gave in, and cried. He was crying so bad due to sleepiness and the discomfort caused by the allergic reaction that his nose started to run. His runny nose added to the discomfort which caused him to get even more frustrated and cry—and so the cycle goes.

I have 2 bulb nasal aspirators—a regular one in grey that came with his Safety 1st First Aid and Grooming Kit and a white American Red Cross-certified aspirator with added features such as a safety stopper (to ensure that it doesn't slip through your child's nasal canal) and a draining chamber. I have tried using both and I must say it's quite annoying and frustrating to use. It doesn't effectively extract/suction out mucus.

Our Bulb Aspirators: Safety 1st (grey) and American Red Cross (white)

Every Single Day...

It's almost the end of another work day. I anxiously watch the clock's every movement 'til it strikes 6.

I hastily grab my things and scramble to pack it all together as quickly as I can.

I can't wait to look into those bright, round eyes as I hold you in my arms.

I can't wait to ask you, "How was your day, love? What did you do? Did you have fun? I love you, sweetheart!"

Give Your Kids an Amaize-ing Day of Play

Kids. They just love to play, sweat, and get gritty-nitty down right dirty. For them, playing is a form of learning—which I strongly believe in! They achieve holistic learning through the mental and physical stimulation of playing. They are like tiny sweat machines running on curiosity, excitement, imagination, and wonder. Play is such an amazing, magical, and wonderful part of a child's life. When I say "Play", I mean the kind of play we as kids enjoyed—playing in the streets, getting dirty, stinky, and sweaty—because every kid likes to play and they really love to sweat!

Sweat. It's every mother's worst enemy. Not only do you get dirty and stinky kids, there's also a chance of them acquiring coughs, colds, and skin diseases.Chuck away your "bimpos", "lampins", and wet wipes. You can now chill out and relax cause there's a new and Amaize-ing guy in town to put all your "sweat fears" to rest.

To The Little Man Who Deserves It All

Dearest Little Man,

As millions of moms celebrate Mother's Day today, I could not think of a single reason why I deserve to be honored on this day, without thinking about you and how much you deserve this day as much as I do.

Sweetheart, I will always be grateful for having an amazingly wonderful little man in my life. No words can nor ever will be able to express how truly grateful and privileged I feel to have you in my life.

You have taught me unimaginable strength—fortitude that only a mother can truly understand. I can be the strongest and most fearless woman, yet I cringe in fear at the mere thought of you getting hurt. I am weak to your sweet little giggles and smiles.

Nursery Room Makeover + Handicrafts, atbp. SUPER Giveaway

In my previous entry, I was working on several design ideas for our baby's nursery room makeover. With so many design ideas to choose from, I found it a but challenging to pick one (as I loved all of them!) so I decided to go with my beloved Dr. Suess!

If you are a regular reader, you would know how much I love Dr. Seuss! I've been reading his works since I was a kid, up to now that I have a child of my own. Isn't it so great to get to share with your kid the wonders of your own childhood? I also wanted to impart with little J the magical benefits and value of reading, and incorporating Dr. Seuss' works into his environment would be a great start!

Check out the mood board I have come up for our super baby's Dr. Seuss-inspired nursery!

Our Very Own Project Nursery

Nursery rooms, babies, and room makeovers, doesn't that sound so exciting?! I don't know about you but whenever I hear the words: room makeover, renovation, design, and nursery together; thoughts come racing in and they turn into flashes of designs and oh-my-god I get all giddywiddy zoned-out like a kid on LSD!

Err, someone got too excited for a second there! See, what I told you?

Well, the little man is turning 5 months old next week, and as a form of tradition, we have been celebrating his birth date every month. This time, we wanted to give him a special gift that's practical and will last him through his toddler years.

Challenges and Answered Prayers

The little man is being quite a challenge these past few days. He's not one to be fussy nor high maintenance. A few days ago, as I was starting to get frustrated I suddenly realized something really funny.

A few years ago, I asked the Lord to give me more patience. In return, He gave me a little guy who would teach me how to be patient and more.

I asked the Lord for strength and He gave me a little man who would be my rock, as I would be for him.

I asked the Lord for prosperity and He gave me hands and a mind to create things, which in turn helps me earn a living.

I asked the Lord to teach me about love and He gave me a little man to love and nurture.

I asked the Lord to teach me about forgiveness and He gave me people who have proven to be quite a challenge.

What's In Your Diaper Bag?

Along with motherhood comes exchanging your make up bag/vanity kit for a diaper bag. It's an essential part of your "baby bag" so it's important to have your complete kit ready for those spontaenous days when you just feel like taking your baby out for a stroll.

A diaper bag need not to be so bulky and overloaded with diapers, rash creams, and other products. You also need not buy a special diaper bag or expensive changing kits. As long as you've got the basics covered, a tiny bag or purse will suffice. And come on, who would want to lug around huge bags while going about town with your little one?

No. HECK NO. I will not be caught dead carrying these.

Holistic Parenting: A Healthy Child is a Happy Child.

When it comes to protecting your child, how far would you go?

Last February 23, we were invited to Mommy Mundo's launching event called PLAY, a disease awareness raising campaign at the Playdium at Fun Ranch, Frontera Verde Pasig; along with 24 media moms and their children. PLAY stands for Protection, Love, and Activities for Young kids. It's about expressing your love for your child in a holistic approach-by providing your child with a happy and healthy environment.

How do you provide a happy environment for your child? By spending quality time with him through enriching and stimulating activities that promotes parent-child bonding. This is what the event taught us moms (and dad- hi, Marc!) through the fun activities they prepared for us. There was a parent and child amazing race/treasure hunt, a word scramble, and a puzzle game, among others.

When the Going Gets Tough

Being a (new) mom or a parent sure isn't a walk in the park. You have to always take into consideration your child's needs above all when scheduling activities. You also have to always keep yourself in check as you are now responsible for another person. You are now in-charge of taking care of someone else other than yourself.

A lot of first-time moms have such a difficult time when it comes to adjusting to their new lives. Giving birth and adjusting to a new routine requires a lot of energy that you rarely get to have time to even shower and do household chores. This is where hiring a yaya comes in. Personally, I am not against it. The idea just doesn't seem appealing to me. I am a first-time mom so I'm very curious and excited about everything baby and motherhood-related. I want to be as hands-on as much as I can, growing and learning along with my little man. This doesn't mean that the idea never came to mind. Daddy J have actually been bugging me to enlist the help of a yaya/housekeeper, so I won't have to do everything on my own. As a mompreneur, my instinct would be to save, save, SAVE. I instantly dismissed the idea and moved on. 

The Best Gift: Gift of Knowledge

I had some "me time" today and went on a whim and bought books for baby dragon. I got him my beloved Dr. Seuss books! Oh, happy day!

I really want to impart my love of reading and Dr. Seuss to my little man. Hey, it's never too early to start learning! I believe that the Gift of Knowledge is one of the best gifts a parent can give her child. 

Teaching Your Baby Sign Language (A Guest Post)

Teaching Your Baby Sign Language

Many parents who are interested in supporting their child’s development use baby sign language from the age of eight months and sometimes even earlier. This is the time where their babies become more active and more entwined with the different sounds, symbols, as well as hand gestures they see. There may be no assurance that your children will learn immediately but they will certainly keep a part of this experience and learn from it in due time.

12 Months of Baby: An Early 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway!

Moms and dads, ninongs and ninangs, are you looking for a unique gift for your little ones this Christmas? 

Here's a great Christmas gift idea: Cool and Unique Onesies and Statement Tees for babies and toddlers from a mommy-owned local company called In the Crib.

Pretty Printed Top and Pants

Baby Talk: Calming and Understanding Your Baby with Baby Language

As all new parents would say, the first few days, weeks, or months with your baby could be a bittersweet mix of pure bliss and insanity. Holding your baby for the first time, bringing him home, and sharing his "firsts" is such a precious moment for parents. Then there's the sleepless nights, endless crying, and (if you're a breastfeeding mom like me) the on-demand feeding.