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Wednesday, March 26, 2014

PART 1.2 Make your own Kiddie Party by Manila Workshops

Okay, so I already shared with you the first part of the workshop I attended last March 22, at Insular Life building Makati. You may read more about it here: Part I.Make your own Kiddie Party

The third and fourth part of the workshop was very much related. Part IV was entitled "Let's go to your favorite local grocery and bookstore" and Part V was a group activity.

The speakers talked about how paying a visit to the grocery and the bookstore can be very helpful in designing parties. All you need is the imagination and creativity to make it fit your theme. They shared different examples such as loofahs being a butterfly designs and paper straws as pick-up-sticks in a party. They also had a bunch of stuff with them that they bought from the grocery and bookstores as sample. Then we had a group activity where we were to create our own party centerpiece with the stuff we have. The first part was to look into the materials available. There were different things such as pad papers, stickers, vases, bedsheets, etc. Then we had to go back to our group and conceptualize a design. Our group thought of doing a Little Miss Sunshine theme because we saw colorful materials that we can use. After conceptualizing we were given about 2 minutes to get our materials and fifteen minutes to do our concept.

The Little Miss Sunshine Group
We used gold and red bedsheets,yellow and blue vases, paper straws,
candies, lollipops, flower curtains, colored pens and tags.


The second group created a Pajama party where they designed under the table. It was a unique idea because it looked like the kids had their own special nook inside. They also provided activities inside for the kids.
Photo

The third group won the activity which is a travel themed centerpiece. It was well thought out and their designs were fully detailed. They made use of the stickers as decors and used scrapbook papers as placemats. No wonder they won the activity.

The last group had a Morning after honeymoon theme. It was very minimal in design but what caught the speakers attention were their DIYs. They made flower cut outs out of the materials and covered the ballpens with tape. It was a unique design. They also won second place.

The last part of the workshop was the speakers sharing their suppliers to us. They shared that they only had six suppliers but these are the ones that they have tried and tested. Two of the six ones were even at Divisoria. It was such a breathe of fresh air knowing that I could really find good stuff in Divisoria because it means that its less expensive and "pwedeng tumawad".

The stores they shared were: 
Buy and Sell Philippines - OLX.ph

Entrepak
FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/Entrepak

Delightful Miss Joyce

KidiKrafts
FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/woodenkiddiestools

168 Mall

Edeng Toys Center

Will try to provide more posts about this suppliers as soon as I finished this three-part blogpost.:)

Hope you had a good read!:) 

Monday, March 24, 2014

PART I: Make your own Kiddie Party by Manila Workshops


This is a photo of a fun filled workshop by the Manila Workshops with speakers from The Event Architects. I could not really express how I LOVED not only the workshop but also the speakers, suppliers, and the staff of Manila Workshops. Though I was a shy type kind of audience, I maximized the time I was there and truly learned the basics and more of party planning. 

This is the first part of my three part post about How to make your own Kiddie Party. 

For all the raves I used in this post and my previous post (Click here to read my previous post) it's time for me to stop complimenting and start sharing.:) I hope I got you all excited with it. 



The workshop was composed of 6 parts. Each part discussed the different considerations and processes to take in planning and styling a party. 

Part 1: Let's get started.


"Any party would not start without you."

This was for me the message of the first part to us participants. That whether it's our kids party or our own, the party will start with us. Recognizing this is important because our state or feeling before, during, and after the party will have an effect on it. It was something I did not really consider before. I was not that aware that whatever I feel during an event will be felt by the entire party. What they were actually pointing out is being stressed while planning or during the event itself. It was important, as they say, to keep calm because it will set the feel of the party and even our child's state. 

This is something I need to keep in mind because I have that tendency to panic when planning or during the event itself. Good thing, my hubby's the calmer guy. He knows how to calm me down so I think I'm in a good team here.:) 

Part 2: Set the Mood
This part's my favorite among all the parts. Though I love them all, this one's my one true love. In this part, the basics of party planning (that I skipped in all parties I did) was the topic. They summarized the lesson by giving an acronym using their company name which is TEA. What does TEA stand for? *drum roll please*

Things to consider under Theme are: number of guests, age and interests, venue, typeface, and colorway. This is where a dream or vision board comes to play. This is very important to do because it will help you visualize if the concept and design match or go together. With the vision board it will be easier to direct your efforts and waste of resources and time will be prevented. 

Things to consider under Expenses is: Kiddie Budget and Adult budget.



Things to consider under Atmosphere is Hear, Smell, and See
The atmosphere of the party will pull out everything together for your guests and even for your kids. If the theme is safari, sounds of tigers, lions, and other animals in a safari will help create that feel. Smelling, plants or sweet flowers will help create a princess-y feeling to a princess themed party. Seeing is putting castles or plants for a princess or safari theme respectively. This concept is just like providing your guests a 4D feel of your party.

These are three things to consider when planning for a party. Though it seems so basic some of those things I actually did not pay attention before. These could have been the culprit for some of my the downfall of my parties in the past. It's so basic that I often overlook it or did not really knew it has a big impact on the overall success of the party. Having listened to this part of the workshop was a proof that the time and effort I put in attending this workshop were all worth it. 


Will continue with the parts 4, 5 and 6 of the event in my next post. Please continue reading!:) Thank you!:)

Ready, Set, Kiddie Party: A "How to make your own Kiddie Party Workshop" by Manila Workshops

Last March 22, Saturday I attended Manila Workshop's "How to make your own Kiddie Party" at Insular Life, Makati City. And I must say, I came home more than satisfied. It was an excellent event hosted by outstanding event stylist. I have nothing but good things to say about the experience.

So let me share with you happened in the "How to make your own Kiddie Party" by Manila Workshops.

I came 15 minutes late because I rode the bus and was not able to get off at the right bus stop. It sucks because I was so close but because I was not aware of the new bus stops route I had to walk two blocks to Insular Life. Good thing that the event was just starting when I came and there were still seats available in front. It was one of my worries while walking along Ayala because I thought I would not get a good spot.

The program started with the introduction of the speakers from The Event Architects, Ferdi Salazar and Czarina Ledesma. They also showed a video of their past event styling and I was truly impressed. It was a Filipino version of events I see on Pinterest. I was amazed by how detailed and fabulous their works are.  I knew I was going to be hearing a lot of great things from them just by seeing their video.

I'll be doing a three part post for this event because that's how much I learned from them and I want to share it with everyone tips to make our parties, and I mean not just Kiddie parties fabulous ones.

Part I: The Party Workshop
I will share what happened during the workshop and what I learned in the process

Part II: The Wonderful Party Suppliers
The workshop included different party suppliers during the workshop which I also enjoyed too. There were a wide range of products made available in the workshop like decors, crafts, and even food ideas. So if you're looking for something for your event one of them might be your bet.

Part III: My Dream Party
This was a question to start the whole workshop last Saturday. I had a concept with me eversince my baby boy was six month old and I'd like to give you a little teaser on it.

So, read on and I hope you'll get a tip or two from it.

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For more workshops like this, visit: www.manilaworkshops.com

Manila Workshops

For more information on The Event Architects (TEA), you may visit their fb page and click this link: https://www.facebook.com/TheEventArchitects

 

#RealBeautyisNatural with Godiva Natural Skincare

As moms we have a lot to juggle at a time. Whether you're a working mom, work-at-home mom, or Stay-at-home mom, we need to take care and protect our skin from all the damages our lifestyle brings to it.
As fabulous moms, we want to fulfill all our duties but still look great in the process. Keeping our skin soft, smooth, and white is really a challenge.

Luckily, Godiva Inc, has the right products for us fabulous moms. Being a pioneer for natural skincare, Godiva has formulated an all natural skin whitening products. Now they are introducing their Natural Skincare set that uses only purified licorice extract (glycyrrhiza glabra) with the highest glabridin content. Glabridin whitens by suppressing the formation of melanin, the pigment that gives color to the skin. Over time, the old layer of the skin is replaced by whiter, creamier skin. This makes licorice one of the most effective all-natural skin whiteners known to science. And because it is made of all natural products its safe for pregnant and breastfeeding moms as well.

So whether we take care of our kids, go to work, pay the bills, or have a date with our boyfriends or husbands, Godiva natural skincare will take care of our beauty - naturally.

Photo taken from www.godivaskin.com.ph


Godiva Natural Skincare range safely and effectively whitens the skin. 
Their skin care range includes: (from left to right of photo)
1. Godiva LicoWhite Whitening Lotion with SPF15
2.Godiva LicoWhite Whitening AntiPerspirant Deodorant
3. Godiva LicoWhite Whitening Soap
4. Godiva LicoWhite Whitening Facial Wash
5. Godva LicoWhite Whitening Facial Toner
6. Godiva LicoWhite Whitening Facial Cream

All these are available at selected SM Departmen Stores, SM Supermarkets,
Savemore and Watsons store all over the Philippines.
All local customers can also beat the hassle of shopping in malls by ordering online on their facebook page.
For international orders, products are sold in their website.

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For more information, visit their site at: www.godivaskin.com.ph
You may also see them in FB and Twitter account: Godiva Skin
Or follow them on Instagram @GodivaSkinPH

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Party Ready with Manila Workshops on March 22


When I first worked as a work-at-home Mom, I came across Manila Workshops site. I was looking for workshops and seminars I could attend as I have so much time on my hand that time. Recently, I learned of their new workshop which is totally timely for what I was doing few weeks before. (I've always believed in the Alchemist by Paulo Coelho that " The universe will conspire to make it happen." I think this is the universe conspiring to make my baby's first birthday party a success!:)

On March 22, 2014,  Manila Workshops will host "How to Make you own Kiddie Party" at the Insular Life Multi-Purpose Hall, Insular Life Makati Building Ayala Avenue corner Paseo De Roxas Street Makati City, form 1:00-5:00PM. What is also unbelievable is that it only costs P150.00! It's a good deal, right!?

So, why not sign up now and let's get started with creating the best parties for our kids!

For more information, you may visit Manila workshops site, or click "How to make your own Kiddie Party Workshop. Join now, and hope to see and meet you there!:)


Wednesday, March 12, 2014

#100happydays: The First 25 days

Yes, I rode the bandwagon and joined the #100happdays challenge that has been viral all over the world wide web. I used instagram as my social media and it has been filling up since I started it. Clap! Clap! for me because I already hit the first quarter of the challenge, and it's true what they say that you feel a lot more better recognizing simple happiness everyday. So here's my first 25 #100happydays, are you doing yours? Comment below so I can follow you and let's journey together to the 100th day!:)
Day 1: Start of #100happydaysofjho
Day 2: My little Cupit
Day 3: A different kind of Valentine at DLSAU, with songs and prayers
Day 4: A day spent with my baby is a day well spent
Day 5: Homemade sweets become sweeter because they are made with love
Day 6: Songs bring me comfort. I think my favorite bands know exactly how I feel and write it the best way possible
Day 7: Being a wife has given me the right to cook even if I dont really know how cause I have someone who will finish it whatever the taste is.



Day 8. Kids. Happiness. Need I say more?


Day 9. My Pick me up stuff. "People will stare at you, make it worth their while."


Day 10. Preparing food for my baby is priceless. 

Day 11. The people who accepts all of me. I love them to bits. 

Day 11. My hundred days are already filled because of you. Your every smile, laugh, and milestones are my happiness. I love you baby!

Day 12. His works speak to me much needed wisdom I lack or might have forgotten in my life struggles. Thank you for saying the right words at the right time. 

Day 13. Creative juices are pouring. Look who's excited. 

Day 14. Appreciate and celebrate the little things.

Day 15. Health is wealth.

Day 16. Happiness is my kikay kit.

Day 17. You teach by what you say, you teach by what you do, but most especially you teach by who you are. Blessed to live my passion. 

Day 18. 10 minutes of jogging non-stop

Day 19. I think I found my hair heroes. 
Day 20. Yummy sweet potato for my growing boy. 

Day 22. Finding and having the time to blog. PRICELESS.

Day 22. Lost 2.5kgs for almost 1 month of calorie counting, no rice diet at night and cardio workout. Kaya to!

Day 23. Live Jesus in our Hearts, Forever. 

Day 24. Dirty ice cream. Can you guess the flavor?

Day 25. Dominic's first birthday and photobooth booking. 

Such a good feeling summarizing the first 25 days of my #100happydays challenge. It makes me count my blessings and it is such a great feeling to be able to share it to others. 

Let's all start and do this happiness movement all the days of our life.
Spread love. Spread happiness.



Tuesday, March 11, 2014

A 6 month Milestone: Preparing Baby Foods

As a mom, I have been waiting for my baby to turn 6 months because I wanted him to start taking solids already. I downloaded a lot of e-books online so I would be aware of what, when, and how to feed my baby. Thankfully there are a lot of free e-books that are informative and easy to understand.

So here's a sample of how I prepare my baby's food:

1. Boil sweet potato until very smooth and then scoop out a small portion. Babies usually eat only the same size as a teaspoon at first then gradually increases their intake. 

2. Mash the sweet potato or camote in your baby's food container. I chose a container with cover so it can be placed in the fridge for another meal in a day. I also use it exclusively for my baby. 

3. Put a little milk formula on the sweet potato then pour water. If you are breastfeeding, you can also use your breastmilk to make the potato soft in consistency.

4. Tada! A natural and affordable food for your baby. 

You can also opt to use Pumpkin and just mash it because it has a very smooth consistency so no need for formula milk to make it into a puree. 

Here's my baby eating his sweet potato.


While eating his favorite Pumpkin for merienda. 

Do you have other baby recipes you do? Please share them below so I can also try it with my baby, it will really mean a lot!:) Thanks in advance!:)





Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Ash Wednesday 2014 Reflection

Today is the start of the Lenten season, so I'd like to share with you my daily reading from the book "Everyday Blessings: 365 Stories about God's Grace in our Everday Living". Praying that you will be inspired like I am this start of Lent.
Feeling Abandoned
I am in pain and distress; may Your salvation O God, protect me. -Psalm 69:29
           I'd been feeling sorry for myself. It was two months after I'd moved from Hartford, Connecticut, where I had lived for twenty years and made close friends, to a smaller town on the shore. I move around Christmas, so I could understand when people failed to keep in touch. After all, it was the season: People couldn't keep up with their own schedules, never mind mine.
               But now it was Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent, the darkest season of the year. I'd relied on my friends to get me through those short midwinter days. This year, no one was calling. And I was miserable.
               I brooded, I cried, I shouted at the phone, I whined to my mother. But I didn't call the friends whose voices I so longed to hear. That just wasn't an option. After all, I'd supported them during their trials and tragedies. They had to know this move would be difficult. Where were they when I needed to talk, when I needed a little support?
              I arrived home from church, marked with ashes, to a message from one of the offending friends on my answering machine. Mary had just returned from the hospital, where she'd waited alone while her husband was in surgery. Listening to her forlorn, aching voice, I knew that two months ago I would have waited with her at the hospital. I also knew that she still needed me.
             Then I remembered something my mother had suggested - and I had immediately rejected - when I complained about my unfaithful friends. She said they were giving me room to make a new life before trying to fit themselves into it.
             I picked up the phone.
       
It's funny how I can relate very much to this reflection. As a friend, I would always do things or support my friends on anything they do. When they need me, I make sure that I am there for them. I would always make and find time to make them feel that even in my busy schedule or any personal struggles I may have I am there for them. 

But many times, I feel hurt and abandoned by my friends. I feel that I am not cared for or loved as much as I have loved and cared for them. Many times I feel they do not pay attention to me or that they would not go that extra mile for our friendship. It was a one-sided friendship on my part. I have been hurt by people I consider friends because I feel taken for granted. 

Though this was true for a long period of time, last year was my eye opener. I realized that people have their own life and they have business to take care of. I've learned to accept the kind of friendship that is given to me without complaining. I have come to know that people or my friends will keep me as friends if they want to  and that is a decision they make, not mine. 

Though I have lost people I consider friends in the process I have been given more time and energy for friends and people that truly matter. I also come to understand my friends better and wait until they find time to share with me their lives. 

I am not abandoned, I never was and never will be as long as God is with me. 
Jesus, when I feel abandoned because no one seems to be reaching out, help me remember how You reached out and forgave those who truly abandoned You. 

                                                                                                            - Marci Alborghetti

Life Lessons I Learned from the Little People

Even before being a mom myself, I have been taking care of my nieces and nephews alongside their parents. Now that I am a hands-on mom to my six month old baby boy I have learned a lot mostly about myself, my personality and my life in general. Yes, you might think I’m overreacting but as a very reflective person, I know that moments in my life with these little people have turned me into a better person.
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I’d like to share with you my Top Ten things that my kid, nieces and nephews taught me about parenting and life.

1.      Dance and Sing like Crazy

       I gave birth to my son this August because of the song Harlem Shake. Funny right? It was the night of August 20, and my hubby and I with our little niece and nephew we’re playing and we decided to dance to the song Harlem Shake. This song has become so viral that we had our own version of it. So we were really dancing like crazy. Can you imagine an 8 month old pregnant girl dancing to it? Well, I was doing that. We had so much fun and the kids were laughing really hard so it was kill joy to stop dancing. I think we danced for a whole 1 hour.  Morning of August 21, I had my labor pains and was brought to the hospital to give birth to my son, Enzo.

      It was such a fun experience and I always tell that story to my son even if he does not understand me yet. I am so lucky to have met my husband who’s also game for such craziness. Now with our baby we often sing and dance to him either to lull him to sleep or just play with him.

      Being crazy around kids does not make us a lesser parent, aunts, uncles or grandparents. Kids are kids and they learn through singing, dancing, and all those craziness. So spend time with your kids and put on your crazy hats, your kids just might surprise you.

    2.  Life’s full of challenges
       
I learned a new version of this during my pregnancy and now while taking care of my baby. I am actually very lucky to have a very smooth pregnancy. I don’t usually feel morning sickness, cramps, etc during my pregnancy. Even my labor pains were not as long and painful compared to some Moms I know. I was also very blessed to have a normal delivery and to have a great doctor who helped me all throughout the pregnancy. But anyway, I learned as a new parent that every day is a challenge not only for me but mostly for my son. I could not imagine the hardship he was experiencing while delivering him because he already was in cord coil. 
            
The first few months was an eye-opener for me.  Before having my baby, I knew I was good with children but I found out it was a different story. I realized that taking care of newborn babies is a lot different from taking care of toddlers. I was very much challenged but luckily my son made it a lot easier for me to cope up.


Up until now, I expect to be challenge every day in every different way. There are days that go smoothly but there are also days that are nerve wracking. But all of those days are filled with happiness and worth it.
         
 3.   Listen with your heart

 Whether you have newborn babies, toddlers, teens, or adults as children, listening and not just hearing is very crucial. As parents there is a need for us to give them our full attention and heart when they are talking or even in their silence.

 My husband and I used what we learned from our friend which is the secret language of babies that was shown in Oprah.  It was our simple miracle. I guess it’s also one of the first practices that parents should learn to truly listen to their children.

 As children grow they’d learn to speak and share stories. They’ll speak their minds, sometimes it’s  going to be silly, sometimes it’s going to be long, sometimes it’ll be full of question but what matters is that they feel heard. That we hear them however busy the world is, that we make them feel that the stories they share mean something to us. I also think that only through listening with our heart can we really teach our kids.

           
4.  Keep in mind the memories of your childhood.

There are times that as parents we try to control our children. We control the way they behave, the way they talk and sometimes even the way they think.  In my opinion, this is the main culprit of our frustrations. We try so much to make them into our own ideal vision of what or who a child should be that sometimes we forget that we also went through that phase. That as parents we need to remind ourselves that we were once kids. That our children will make mistakes, behave inappropriately, get stains, get bruises and all sort of other things we try to prevent and that it's okay. It is okay to be a kid and its okay for us parents to let go of some of these things. Just like us, lets give our children the space and time to grow and learn things by themselves. 
         
 5. It’s okay to make mistakes

 "Nobody is perfect" Even us their parents. I feel that it is only realistic that our children will see us  make mistakes. To hear us apologize for something we did wrong. Or to see us laugh at our bloopers. As parents, let us not give our children the idea or impression that everything we do is right. This is because they will think the same way with themselves when they grow up. If they feel their parents cannot say sorry or apologize then they will do the same. Saying sorry take a lot of guts  from us parents and it's one of the biggest lesson we can teach and show our children. 

 6.  Dream a bigger dream
   
 I once had a facebook conversation with a friend in Canada. We were talking about how it felt for  me as a new parent. He also asked me what I wanted my son to become when he grow up. I told him that I will just support my son whatever he wants to do in his life. I also told him I want to be able to help him grow up to be a good and principled man. I thought I had the best answer I could give and that somehow he would agree with me. But I was wrong. 

 He told me something that I would bring for the rest of my parent life. He told me to dream a bigger  dream for my son. Hoping to have a good, educated and principled son is not enough to call me a good parent. He told me that I should dream for him, help him to be that dream, give him all  possible options but also give him the final decision. He shared with me how his parents were when he was choosing a career and that he felt that he could have been guided more. 

I am deeply grateful for this short but meaningful conversation that will probably change my son's life forever. At present, I want my son to be an engineer and I will try to give him opportunities to discover what he wants. If in the end he does not want to be an engineer I will be happy because I know that he has made his choice. 

7.  Be a friend but be a parent first.
    
I have always envisioned myself as my children's friend or barkada like in those teeny bopper shows I  watch before. That my children will talk and confide to me everything about their life. I wanted to be the  first person they go to, to laugh, to cry and pour their angers out. I wanted to be their friend. Although this is true, I've read in a parenting magazine before that it's easy to be our children's friends but difficult to be their parents. We should learn to recognize when our children need a friend and a parent. For  instance, when our children make mistakes, we need to be their parent and to not be afraid for them to not like or hate us in that moment. After we make our point it is our time to be their friend again. I think there are moments where we need to switch on our parent buttons and switch off our friend button and  vice versa. On which occasion to do so, is in our own judgement. The point is that we learn to be a friend but be a parent first. 

 8. Save Early

 Saving is truly in my character as a person. When I was a little kid I had a piggy bank or should I say a    Tweety bird bank which I carried until present. From the moment I knew I was pregnant I started saving  for my baby. I've always wanted to be able to provide for my children with the quality that they deserve. A quality healthcare, education, celebrations, and opportunities in life. My hubby and I have started saving up for many things like his 1st birthday party, his schooling and some other stuff we would like to have for him.
  
  The future we want for our children will need money. However hard we try to say that "Love will keep us     alive", it is far from reality. Love can never put food in our children's stomach, or put them in a comfortable   bed at night, or send them to school, etc., etc. This is practicality and it's as simple as saving. 

  9.       Taking the inconveniences.

 "A Lazy person cannot love." Learned this from a book I borrowed from a friend about marriage and I     think it applies to being parents as well. As parents we must learn to put our conveniences at the end of the    list and put our children's needs and conveniences on top priority. This means sacrifices on our part, on          letting go of things that makes our life comfortable to make way for our children's sake.  

10 . Growing up and getting better

Parenting is a lot of work and trial and error. We choose to learn from our everyday experience as parents. Let us allow ourselves to be taught by our children and to embrace that they have something we do not have. Growing up with our kids also means getting better people with them. I am grateful to have been surrounded by children who have taught me so many things about myself and life in general. 


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