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.

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!

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!

These photos are from Vince's birthday last February. He really doesn't like being celebrated so he gets all bothered on his birthday or Father's Day. Vince thinks it's all one big hullaballoo over something so common (because everyone has a birthday) or over something all fathers should be and do (fathering should be normal, not extraordinary).

But I like to celebrate him anyway, us and the kids, because we love him so very much. We would be absolutely nothing without him. He's a great husband and such an amazing father. He's the fun parent, the smart parent, the cultured parent on top of being a hands-on parent, too. My boys are the fun-loving, happy, intelligent, endlessly curious, and even sophisticated boys that they are because of their Papa. They're exact replicas of him!

I knew I was lucky when this guy fell in love with me and insisted on marrying me. But when we had kids, I was off-the-charts amazed with him. I've been with him 11 years before we became parents so I knew him pretty well, but when we had kids, I saw even more love, wisdom, patience, gentleness and compassion from Vince. He is a better man every day, and every day I fall more in love with him.

Our boys can't get enough of him, too! Their whole world is all about making their Papa proud and happy. They jump on him, clamber all over him, compete and demand for his attention and approval. They're just all over themselves. It makes my mama heart swell with happiness.

We're so lucky to have this man in our lives! What a gift, a blessing, and a treasure. I love him so very much!

Happy Father's Day, Vince. God bless you and God keep you. My heart is overjoyed that you love me! And I'm beyond grateful you gave me children and that you love and care for them 24/7. Parenting is a hard job but I'm having the adventure of a lifetime because I have a true partner in raising our kids. Thank you for being there!

My Facebook feed is exploding with updates about ToyCon and I just need to tell you that my family had the fun adventure of trekking to SMX to go to our first ever ToyCon Manila!!! Thanks so much to SMART for inviting me and my boys—big boy and small boys haha—to ToyCon. I swear my life's become really so much more fun ever since I became a SMARTie!

Anyway, we were so excited to go! Toys toys toys! We left early to get there early, but it seems there were more people even more excited than us because the place was already packed with pop culture fans, nerds, cosplayers, and kids. My boys and I are still talking about it! Here's what we saw and what we did:

Voltes V! This was really big—20 feet tall—even though it doesn't look so impressive in this photo. Because it's its 40th anniversary, it was the centerpiece of the event and it towered over everything. I just don't know why it was encased in those scaffolding. It didn't look safe to approach as a result.

The exhibit that we enjoyed the most was the Stan Lee Excelsior!. Stan Lee is Marvel and Marvel is Stan Lee, and this is his personal private collection of Marvel memorabilia.

As a mom of boys passionate about Avengers, I of course had to bring the boys in to check it out. There were vintage comic book covers, artwork, movie props (some signed by the actors!), and other collectibles.
They didn't just check it out. They climbed all over it! Buti na lang napaka-stable ng Iron Man Hulkbuster na yan.

There was a lot of musical performances lined up for the three-day affair. When we went, Japanese musicians Eletric Ribbon, Yanakiku, and DJ Kasu were live.

I must say these Japanese performers are so enthusiastic! And kinareer talaga nila mga outfits nila.

Pero ang kinareer namin ng asawa ko is to catch Game of Thrones star Kristian Nairn. Sana naka-costume din siya like the other people with him! LOLz

We are still reeling from his final appearance on the phenomenal HBO series (naiiyak ako right now just thinking of it) so it was so nice to see him... alive! Hehe.
Here we are at SMART's big booth! These are toy boxes and you pose inside and pretend you're a toy in a box. So smart! Here are my boys as Kai of Ninjago. They loved it!

They're huge fans of Ninjago. I remember having to write down all the names of the ninjas, villains, et al when they started their obsession with this Lego show. Haaaay, mom life!

Yes, as a mom, I do have a few suggestions for future ToyCons so that the experience for families will be better:

1. More light.
We couldn't see anything, guys. It's hard to appreciate toy collections and toys for sale if we can't see the merchandise. The whole venue doesn't need to be lit up like a mall—just the selling areas. I gave my husband and kids a budget. A big budget, too. How much did we spend? Wala pang 2K dahil wala kaming makita!!!

Plus, it's the age of social media. Lahat ng tao there was selfie here, selfie there, picture with toys, picture with cosplayers. But it was soooo madilim. Kailangan pang i-mega filter, mega-brightness lahat ng photos bago ma-post sa Instagram. Huhu, more light please!

2. More room.
SMX is huge. In the middle was the stage. To the left was crammed the selling area, the food area, and the exhibit areas. To the right was practically nothing. So there was definitely lots of space, just not utilized well.

That was another reason we weren't able to shop. The space for shoppers to walk through was like 2 feet wide. There's no space for shoppers to dawdle, look through bins of comic books, check out the toys, haggle. People were pushing each other forward. Super siksikan! Dapat sobrang luwag sa shopping area, at least 2 meters, maybe even 3! There were people with kids, with strollers, on wheelchairs, in elaborate costumes with capes and horns and wings! Two feet?! Really?! Ilang beses kami natusok-tusok ng mga sungay at spada at guns, guys.

3. Real booths.
Real booths and not tables or shelves the sellers had to bring themselves. Yung parang mga tiangge sa Greenhills na may tents and walls so that the sellers are clearly identified and separated from each other. For example, SMART had a really nice booth. Okay, they're a brand so of course they had a nice space, but the organizers sana made the sellers' spaces more pro. Mas masaya ang shopping experience pag mukhang shop!

4. More seating.
Look at my kids sitting on a window ledge. Cute hehe. Anyway, back to my point! Please please pleeeeease provide benches and chairs. A place to rest! We sat on the floor a lot and we had to eat standing up, too. We wanted to explore more but we were so tired from all the standing and walking that we went home earlier than planned. Sayang! We wanted to do more and spend more!


Just four suggestions! Everything else was amazing. That Walking Dead exhibit was unforgettable. The cosplayers were intense. The crowd was fun! It was fun to be around nerds! So congratulations on the successful event, ToyCon! Jampacked with lots of great attractions, stars, musicians, and toys toys toys. Good job!

Because it's Thursday, I'm listening to old songs while I look through old photos for, you know, Throwback Thursday. Because that's what people do now when it's Thursday!

But first, another story before I get to what I'm going to really talk about.

This afternoon, while Vince and I were stuck in traffic, I wondered aloud, "I'm wondering aloud what makes men finally decide that this is the girl they're marrying. I mean, George Clooney and Amal. That's, like, of course! He'd be dumb to let that one go! But what about Vic Sotto and Pauleen Luna? I mean, she's okay but it's not like he didn't have amazing girls before her. What made him decide to marry her?"

Vince said it's really simple—a man marries the one he really loves. I said that these guys were in a relationship with other girls for years, surely they must've loved them. And he said, "No, love demands a response. If you really love someone, you marry her."

So that made me think, kinda guiltily because I never wanted to get married, why I delayed marriage to Vince when I knew—cross my heart and hope to die!—that I loved him. I did and I do, but why did I delay the response? Well, I finally admitted to myself that it's because I loved myself first. I needed to prove something to myself and to others first, that I was going to make something of myself first. Vince has always shrugged off this huge issue of mine (my insecurity in overdrive!) because he knew he was never going to hold me back from my dreams anyway—whether we were married or not. But it was an issue for me.

Still, because he loved me and wanted to marry me, he waited. I guess that's a response that love demands, too.


It didn't help that I knew he loved me. I knew it, I knew it, I knew it. Very early on, Vince knew he was going to marry me. We met on a rainy Monday in April. A month later, he asked me, "Do you want to be a June bride?" I laughed, "No," but I knew he wasn't teasing me. He was serious.

Have you ever looked into someone's eyes and saw your future in an instant? I did. I've met many boys who promised me the moon and the stars but no one promised me tomorrow. I only saw a future in Vince's eyes. He had a whole wonderful world planned for us but I wasn't ready to go into that world just weeks after meeting him. That's one of the most cowardly things I've ever done, not jumping down the rabbit hole after him. But I guess because I knew he already built that world for me, I had the luxury of time to dawdle, to get ready. I knew he wasn't going to do that for anyone else anymore, which allowed me to be selfish. It took me seven-and-a-half years to get ready, and I don't regret it and neither does he because we were practically husband-and-wife anyway in all those years. But marriage does do something to a relationship—it makes it more than love, more than happiness. It makes something fleeting and tremulous solid and real. It makes it about life and death.

Vince and I have loved each other for 17 years, been married for 9. The best years are the married years. It's not all moonbeams and roses—there have been days of thorns and harsh daylight! But even on the worst of days, I hold something dear in my heart: the promise of tomorrow. Tomorrow, we'll work this out. Tomorrow, we'll be better. Tomorrow, we'll try again. I can look forward to tomorrow. And that hope is a comfort and joy.


Which brings me back to my first sentence! Who remembers this song? I soooo loved this song and always hoped I'd find a guy that would say these things to me! And I did!!!



I did not realize that he had such a whiny voice!

Happy weekend, everyone! May you have bright tomorrows with the one you love!

I talk about loving my life so much, some people have said (jokingly, I hope) that my life is either unbelievable or fabricated. First, it's all real. Second, an amazing life can be totally believable!

A huge reason why my life is so good is because my family is always together. We're ALWAYS together! My husband and I work from home. We're with our kids 24/7. When we're not togther because we have to work outside the house maybe once or twice a week, or because Vito, my first boy, was at his little preschool in our condo complex, the hours apart are so short—just 3 hours!—we hardly felt the separation.

But this year, this week, in fact, Vito started in big school. For the first time ever, as a family, we'll be dealing with daily traffic. We've been stuck in major traffic before, sure. Maybe twice or thrice a year? Traffic just never figured in our family life really so we'll be in for major adjustments (time, financial, emotional, mental!) this year. I mean, just this week, we've already dealt with traffic twice. Na-quota na kami for the year in just 4 days!!! Malaking adjustment talaga ito.

Such a big boy na! I'm so proud!

One of the biggest sources of my anxiety now that Vito is going to big school is that Vince and I are not a few steps away from him. We've always been within running distance of our kids. Now, we're not! It's so strange!

My second son, Iñigo, is also going to school for the first time next week. He's going to the preschool downstairs so, yey!, he's just downstairs. Still, Iñigo has always been attached to me and I—I hate confessing this—I suddenly can't imagine him having a world separate from me! He's my sweetheart. All my boys are, okay, but Iñigo's always been the one clutching at my arm. Next week, he won't be clutching at me anymore, and that feels very strange. I should be relieved. Instead, I'm anxious. So I guess this is what they mean about savoring the baby days, the days when the little ones drive you crazy with their neediness, because one day they grow up and then they don't really need you anymore.

He got a "Good job!" stamp! I'm so proud!

So now that Vito and Iñigo will be away, I've done a few things to assuage my mommy fears:

1. Made them memorize important info. 
Well, I'm still working on our address and phone numbers, but the boys know their full names, their parents' names, and their birthdays. This is information they must never forget!

2. Taught them which strangers they can talk to.
I never believed in stranger danger. Statistics show that some of the most dangerous people around our children are people they already know. Also, in case of trouble, I want them to know that they can approach strangers for help.

What we've done is tell them to avoid suspicious strangers. Grown-up strangers will never ask children for help, never ask them to make them feel better, and never ask them to keep secrets. Examples: "Hey, sweetheart, my dog got trapped in my car. Can you come help me get him out?" "Hey, little boy, I have candy in my house. You can come over and I'll give you some but don't tell your mommy, okay?" "Hi there, I feel so sad. If you give me a kiss, I'll feel better."

So I've told them to approach moms with kids. Vince told them to ask help from security guards. Those are safe strangers. We also taught them to trust their gut. If their tummy tells them something isn't right, run away!

3. Packed them their own care kits.
Because there's no Mama and Papa to clean them up and kiss their boo-boos away, they'll have to take care of themselves. I made them their own care kits that have the following: wet wipes and Biogenic alcohol for cleaning their hands or chairs; tissue for wiping their mouths after eating; bandages for if they get into little scrapes; and an extra change of clothes.

4. Lovingly left our presence everywhere.
I ironed their uniforms. I sewed on the name tags and tightened buttons. I labeled their things, wrapped their books in plastic. Vince carefully picked out new shoes and socks for them. He chose their lunch boxes and drinking tumblers.

I just think that if we take care of their things and the kids feel our care, even when we're not there, they'll still feel we're around. Just like how Harry Potter's mommy covered her son with her love, which protected him till Harry grew up!

5. Given them to God.
Well, despite my fictional example, only one Being can cover my kids with protection. So I pray to God to watch over my sons, to keep them from harm (Psalm 121:7), to hide them in the shadow of His wings (Psalm 57:1), to always provide a way out (I Corinthians 10:13), and to strengthen, help and uphold them (Isaiah 41:10). There are so many verses in the Bible promising protection over those that God loves and this I am sure of—God loves my children more than I could ever love them. So my fears are put to rest, I will trust in God's protection, and I will enjoy my children's new adventure!

Vito's school requires a portable care kit in a plastic envelope. Iñigo's school says we can leave his Avengers kit there.

There you go, mommies and daddies! My five steps to helping me deal with separation anxiety! It's really difficult to be away from our kids, and for me and Vince especially because we don't even have a yaya. We've always been the ones taking care of our kids. Now, suddenly, we have to entrust them to the world. It's so scary! Thank goodness we can rely on good people (like teachers, other moms, and security guards), good products (like Biogenic alcohol!), and a good God to keep our kids protected from harm.

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 #BiogenicBack2School.

But first, a confession: I had no idea that ToyCon was a big deal in this country. I'm not a toys kinda girl so it just was never in my radar. But my husband is a toys geek and a few weeks ago, he brought it up. ToyCon. He was wondering if he and our sons should check it out. Yes, my sons are toy geeks, too. We discussed it a bit, then I forgot about it because diba nga I'm not really a toy person. But I am a Game of Thrones fan so when Vince said, "Hodor will be at ToyCon!", I was so in!

We're going to ToyCon, people!

Superheroes ready to go to #SmartTOYCON 2016!

But first, pizza. Because even superheroes need super fuel. See you at #SmartTOYCON!

Halloo everyone! This month's monthly update on the SalesVIP boys sees the three kiddos Vito, Iñigo and Piero visiting Kidzania for the first time. (Wait. A monthly update on my boys? Yes! Just because my readers are asking for it so let's try to do one every first Monday. Sulitin na natin habang hindi pa 6 years old si Vito!)

First thing we learned is Kidzania is pronounced as Kid-ZAH-nya. Not Kid-ZAY-nya, as we've been doing all this time. (We still actually say it incorrectly heehee.) The next thing we learned is it's a huge space fashioned to look like a small town for small people. There's a bank, a hospital, a gas station, a fire station, a newspaper office, a tax office, and lots lots lots more. It was so cute (and a bit surreal) to see all these tiny people working. I mean just look at these adorable construction workers!

We were at Kidzania to attend the launch of the program, Kids for a Greener World. It's a collaboration between H&M Conscious, Century Tuna, Shell Philippines, and Kidzania. We were specifically there to check out the Upcycling Workshop of H&M Conscious.

The workshop encourages kids to bring old clothes to donate to the program. They'll see how their clothes will be recycled. The clothes will then be cut into strips then made into new things. Vito made a bracelet.

Here are a few photos of some moms I love who were at the event with their kids:

Cosmopolitan fashion director Donna Cuna Pita with Amara and Mateo

Manila Bulletin columnist Kim Reyes-Palanca with husband Santi and son Lucas

Unilever's Agoo Bengzon and Andre

Lifestyle blogger Jenni Epperson with Aryanna and Dylan

Eat, Drink and Be Married co-host Nicole De Los Angeles with Jaime Aloncito

Sparrow Fragrances's Cathy Cantada-Dizon with Damien

Beauty blogger Shari Macainag with Selene

If you're planning a visit to Kidzania from now up to June 15, do remind your kids to look through their closet and pick out an item they'd like to donate to the H&M Conscious Upcycling Workshop. This is right in the town center of Kidzania so you can't miss it. There they can make fabric bracelets out of their recycled clothes. It's a fun way to learn about saving the environment so do get your kids to participate. As a bonus, every kid who participates in the workshop gets a 15% discount voucher to shop for H&M Conscious clothes. H&M Conscious is a label that uses recycled fabric, a green addition to your sartorial picks!

H&M Conscious is available at all H&M stores. H&M Conscious Upcycling Workshop will be at Kidzania until June 15.