TOPAZ HORIZON

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

I have a print ad, you guys! 😍 I'm with fellow moms and bloggers Nikki Tiu of @askmewhats and Jackie Go of @gojackiego in our @Biogenic_Alcohol ad in the June issue of Good Housekeeping. I'm gonna cut this page and clip it and tell my kids about it! 😄 #BiogenicAlcohol #MyBiogenicWorld #BiogenicMomsReveal #THxBiogenic

A photo posted by Frances (@francesasales) on Jun 18, 2016 at 12:45am PDT

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.