Saturday, September 16, 2017

What I saw at the Metro Sidewalk Sale

It was my first time to visit a Metro Department Store ever and, boy oh boy, did I find a lot of goodies!

I was at BGC yesterday to get a check and because it's payday Friday pala (when you're a freelancer, you forget kinsenas), ang traffic! So nagpalamig muna ako ng ulo sa Market! Market! and sa kakaikot ko, naakit ako ng mga posters that said there's a big Sidewalk Sale sa Metro Department Store. I'm so lucky, mamas, because apparently Metro Malls all over the country have this sale once a year only and I happened to drop by on the first day!

Ang dami kong gustong bilhin, mamas!!! Look look look!

For the mama looking to spruce up her home:
Kitchen and storage stuff!
Bedsheets and towels and linens!
P2,099 for the biggest tree! What!
These are absolutely gorgeous colored vases and jars.
If you don't like colored glass, here's a collection for you.
This is the most beautiful thing and it's only P500!
I really really REALLY want these garden stools...
... especially these two!
Two-in-one: a divider and a shelf. Yes, you can remove the shelves!

For the mamas who want to update their wardrobe:

And because I'm a mama who needs to shop for new clothes for my boys because they are growing up so fast!
For their newfound interest in swimming 
Shorts and shirts and pants! 
Also, these super fun play tents for a steal!
Coloring sets that come out at P74.50 each!
A bike for Piero for only P2,800!
Because my family loves Adventure Time
The latest trend in athleisure shoes - woven material - for matching parent-and-kid OOTDs
And my most favorite must-buy: superhero-themed shoes!

Gosh, I miss doing posts like this! Just me taking random pics and writing random stuff and you and me having silly fun. But silly or not, blogging takes time. There was once a time when I had time, you know? Now, my days are a blur of fixing breakfast, preparing baon, doing the laundry, helping with homework, fixing lunch, attending meetings, meeting (missing) deadlines, picking up the boys from school, more homework, more meal preparation, bedtime stories (or bedtime tantrums from me), then exhausted sleep.

I'm not complaining, mamas. Now that the kids are in big school, I have found pockets of time for a mani-pedi, a haircut, a massage, and books. I'm finally coming up for air, and it is glorious. I am too near the infant-and-toddler years to miss those heart-warming yet soul-sapping and mind-numbing years. Right now I'm just excited about the hour or two I find for myself.


And yesterday, because of the traffic and the impossibility of getting a cab and an Uber, I found two hours to while away at window shopping. I had fun! I'm going back this morning because my husband approved of some of my picks for the kids and so I'm shopping today!!! Why??? Because I just found out from another mommy who was also at Metro yesterday that there is a BIG RAFFLE OF APPLE GADGETS!!! Because I need a new phone, I hope I win one of the six 32gb iPhone 7 phones they're giving away, although I'll also be happy if I win one of the six 32gb Apple TV, too!

If you're near a Metro Mall, drop by for their fabulous Sidewalk Sale! Everything is on sale and only this weekend! Up to 50% off, mamas! And hindi lang sa department store—pati yung supermarket on sale din pala so grocery items are now even more affordable! Me, I'm going there for the kiddie stuff talaga. I'll do another blog post showing you what I got. So if you see me, say hi!


For more information on The Metro Sidewalk Sale, please visit www.metroretail.com.ph. You can also like their Facebook page and follow their Instagram handle @themetrostores.ph.

This post is brought to you by Metro Retail Stores Group.

Friday, September 08, 2017

Frances Finds: Yummy Scott's DHA Gummies for my kids' brains!

We just survived the school year's first quarter, mamas! It wasn't so bad—it was only bad for me because I was sick almost all of August and could barely help my kids Vito and Iñigo review for their end-of-quarter tests. I was so worried they'd not do well because I seriously had to get as much sleep as I could (after chores and work) or else I'd get even worse. So I couldn't prioritise helping my kids study at all.

Well, mamas, I shouldn't have worried! They did well on their exams. As their mother, I'd like to think it's because they're smart. And they are! They make me so proud! But intelligence needs to be cared for. As a mommy, I need to nurture and cultivate and nourish and encourage their brain development with good books, documentaries, the right games and apps, lots of conversations (mamas, admit it: answering all those why's is not easy!), and of course proper nutrition.

And candy.
What are these healthy gummies???

Say whaaaaat?

Yes! I give my kids candy, too! All work and no play make my kids dull boys. So it's not all homework and study—we play a lot, too. It's not all fruits and vegetables—we eat fun stuff, too. But because I'm a sneaky mama, I make sure that some of the sweets they eat are good for them. So hooray for my new mama find: Scott's DHA Gummies!

While Vito practiced his Chinese strokes and his brothers drew, I surprised them with this!
Zoom in to Iñigo hahaha

I discovered Scott's DHA Gummies a few weeks ago at the KidDiscovery event at Glorietta. I really thought it was just multivitamins, which is cool, but when Iñigo and I found out it's actually gummy candies, we were like, "No way! And it's yummy, too!" We popped quite a few in our mouths during the event because, being candy, you don't have to limit yourself to just one. But, being candy, I still had to limit my kids' access to three a day—a reward of sorts for when they finished their homework.

So let's break it down, why Scott's DHA Gummies is good for kids (and for grownups, too haha).


1. It is full of DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid), an essential fatty acid for healthy brain development for babies in utero and for normal brain growth in children. 

I dunno if your obstetrician prescribed fish oil vitamins to you while you were pregnant, but mine did, because fish oil is a good source of DHA and she wanted to make sure my babies' brain development in my womb was fully supported. 

Now that my kids are outside my body, I still need to nourish those big brains of theirs! With DHA, their rapidly developing brains function better at learning, paying attention, holding memories, and solving problems.


2. It's perfect for kids who are lactose intolerant and don't like eating fish. 

As you might be aware, a lot of milk now are fortified with vitamins and minerals, yes, even with DHA. But some kids don't like milk, can't finish a full glass of milk, or are lactose intolerant. If this is your kid I just described, they can still get lots of DHA from fish. But some kids don't like fish either! What to do to get them DHA??? Through the yummy gummy candies that is Scott's DHA Gummies!


3. The gummies are soft, chewy and delicious!

No fishy taste. No medicinal taste. Just soft and chewy candy love! Scott's DHA Gummies are available in orange and strawberry flavors. Three gummies are all your child needs in a day because just three gummies provide 15% of the recommended intake of DHA+EPA daily. Each gummy is microencapsulated with a patented technology that locks in the goodness of fish oil without the unpleasant taste and smell. 

"Can I have mo' pweease?" "Just three a day, Piero!"

Heehee! The kids DID NOT POSE for these photos, mamas. They really do love their Scott's DHA Gummies and I do love how I'm such a good mommy—making them happy with sweets while promoting their brain development. Mommy of the Year!

Scott’s DHA Gummies is available in packs of 3 (a daily dose at P24.00), 15 (five days of healthy sweets at P117.50, and 60 (good for 20 days for just P433.00). You can find Scott's DHA Gummies at Mercury Drug, Watsons, and leading supermarkets nationwide.

For more information on how DHA helps your child's brain development, please go here: www.scottskids.com/ph. You can also like their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ScottsPh/.

This post is brought to you by Scott's DHA Gummies.


Thursday, September 07, 2017

Our yummy Inside Out Broccoli and Cheese Pizza recipe

Over the weekend, my kids were watching Disney Pixar's Inside Out and that gave me the idea of making the infamous broccoli pizza in Riley's new neighborhood. Because of the movie, my kids now had this idea that broccoli pizza wasn't yummy and I just had to prove that their two favorite dishes—they love roasted broccoli and they gobble up pizza—would taste great together. 

My boys LOVED it! This is such an easy and quick recipe to make that my cooking son, Iñigo, helped me make it and we were done in 30 minutes. Yes, quick and easy, yummy and healthy! Definitely what a working mama like me appreciates!

Here's the recipe, mamas:

Inside Out Cheese & Broccoli Pizza

1 medium head of broccoli, washed, dried and cut into florets
3 tbsp olive oil 
1/2 tsp salt 
1/2 tsp dried thyme
4 small store-bought pizza dough (or 1 regular-sized one)
1/2 cup bechamel sauce
1/2 cup grated California Cheese Cheddar, grated
1/2 cup grated California Cheese Colby Jack Cheese, grated

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. Season broccoli florets with olive oil, salt and thyme.
3. Place broccoli in a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 10 minutes.
4. While broccoli is in the oven, grate the cheeses. 
5. Spread bechamel sauce on the pizza bread.
6. Sprinkle California Cheese cheddar.
7. Take out the roasted broccoli and put on the pizzas.
8. Finish by topping everything off with California Colby Jack Cheese.
9. Place the pizzas in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes. 

Serves 2 adults or 4 kids so double the recipe for the family.


The great thing about this recipe is you can tweak it to suit your taste. You don't have to use thyme, for example. You can use oregano or minced garlic. I used bechamel sauce but you can use Alfredo sauce, maybe even a tomato sauce. And if you love cheese, then by all means pile it up! I think you can even make this into a four-cheese pizza!

Speaking of cheese, I used California cheese for this recipe. 

I found California cheese at the dairy section of Robinsons Supermarket, although they are also available in select supermarkets and S&R. They have ice cream ,too! Not cheese ice cream, though, but ice cream made from California milk! You can find this special ice cream at Landers Superstore and Royal Duty Free.

California cheeses and ice creams come in branded and unbranded variants. To identify if the cheese product is California-made, it should have the Real California Milk or Cheese seal.
For more cheese recipes and information on California cheese, like the Real California Milk Philippines Facebook page, and follow the hashtags #ReturnToReal and #LookForTheSeal on Instagram. You can also check out the website of Real California Milk. Hope you like our Inside Out Broccoli and Cheese Pizza, mamas!

This post is brought to you by Real California Milk Philippines.


Friday, September 01, 2017

Family fun biking at Emerald Ave on Sundays!

Happy weekend, mamas! What my boys like to do on weekends is play video games, watch movies, and go biking on their RoyalBaby bikes.

Now, biking in this city is not easy when you have three little kiddos. There are no real bike lanes, for example. The bike lanes that we do have are actually either part of the sidewalk or part of the street. Very dangerous. So we were happy to find out that on Sundays, Ortigas Center closes off F. Ortigas Jr. Ave (or Emerald Ave to us oldies), and people can jog, walk their dogs, skate, and bike throughout its whole stretch.

So for a few Sundays now, when the weather allows, we pack the kids and their new fantabulous and amazing RoyalBaby bikes into the car and go to Emerald Ave to bike!

Vito and Iñigo are very new to biking. Their first time to ride one was just this summer, when we went to Baguio and rented those cheap bikes at Burnham Park. They loved it and so my husband Vince and I decided we'll get the boys bikes.

RoyalBaby bikes are good for beginner bikers because its weight (it's heavier than other bikes) and wide tires make it feel more stable. Well, the bikes also come with training wheels so no need to worry about the kids toppling over yet!

It's also easy to mount it because the frame is lower, so little legs have an easier time stepping over. The seat height is also easily adjustable, to accommodate growing legs. The seat also has a handle, which makes it easier to lift into the car or for us parents to guide and push the kids.

We're so excited for the day when we can remove the training wheels! Right now, the boys are still biking slowly. We yell at them, "Go faster!" Speed helps with learning balance. But I'm going to be patient with my boys. I learned to ride a bike at 7 years old and I never needed training wheels—just an irresponsible adult who pushed me downhill and I had to choose between pedal or die.

More things we like about the RoyalBaby bikes: the chain is fully enclosed, which means  no oil splatters and no pants hem getting stuck in the chain; and a water bottle holder (water bottle included). All accessories are included actually—lights, bell, training wheels, water bottle, and decorative stickers. Really good buy!

And what does the littlest brother do while his brothers go biking? Well, he plays with the dogs trotting around on Emerald, and there's a lot of those pooches. All shapes, all sizes! There are cats, too, but they're not pets. But they're used to humans so they allow us pet them.

It's fun letting Piero run around and indulge his love for animals. But as soon as he sees one of his brothers resting from biking, he climbs up on the vacant bike and gives it a go. The RoyalBaby bike is meant to be for kids aged 5-8 years, but this doesn't matter to my 3-year-old Mr P! He likes biking so much that Vince and I have decided to buy him his very own bike.

Anyway, if you want to go biking at Emerald on Sundays but you don't have a bike, there are bikes for rent at the postal office. These bikes are old, rusty, squeaky, and the chains need a generous application of oil because it is so hard to pedal them—those chains barely move! The rentals arrive at 10am, too, so if you plan to go biking early, well, best to BYOB (bring your own bike!).

We got our RoyalBaby BMX Freestyle bikes a few weeks ago. Thanks so much, RoyalBaby! We love the bikes soooo much!

They came in huge boxes—a blue bike for Vito and a red one for Iñigo. The boys had fun helping their Papa assemble their bikes.

By the time they finished assembling the bikes, it was night time, but that didn't stop the boys from testing them out. So Vince raised the back wheels and let the kids have a go with pedalling. Piero kept asking, "Where's my bike?"

We explained that the RoyalBaby bikes are for kids 5 years and up, but being the stubborn little boy that he is, he mounted the blue bikes and proved that he's perfectly capable of riding a RoyalBaby bike. So we're now going to buy him one!


Mamas, if you're looking for a great bike for your kids, do check out the RoyalBaby bikes. If you have Instagram, you can see the bikes they have on @royalbabyph and @chaseractionsports. You can then get the bikes at the following stores: Chaser Action Sports at Glorietta 3 and Mall of Asia, and Toy Kingdom SM Megamall, SM Aura, and Virramall.

Thursday, August 31, 2017

Empowering mamas is what I want to do (plus, a giveaway!)

CONTEST CLOSED.

One of the best things about having a blog is I get to know a lot of other women and their stories. Many of my Loyal Readers tell me they're inspired by my own stories, which really surprises me because that's how I feel for my readers' stories! Many times, I seriously don't know how to navigate this life but many of you always give me advice, offer tips and tricks, and share times when you went through what I'm going through and then tell me I'm going to be okay. It's so nice that we help each other, encourage each other, and just cheer each other on with our experiences and wisdom. Thanks, mamas!

Empowering women (and men!) is why the Boss Bellas workshop series exists.

I think it's wonderful that we live in a time when we women are now more encouraging of each other. Women are always pitted against each other. We compete with each other on who's prettier, sexier, has the best guy, best nails, best kids, best bags, best whatever. I used to be that way—envious, petty and mean. I admit it and I regret it.

But now when I see posts on social media, it's not envy I see but a "You go, girl!" attitude. When we see other women looking amazing, we say, "You look amazing!" When we see other women making their dreams come true, we leave comments like, "You deserve this! Congrats!" When we see other women talking about feeling low, we always send virtual hugs and hearts. Of course, there are still trolls, but I see more love than hate, and I so love that women are now getting together and supporting each other!

On a more personal note, I'm seriously inspired by you all. Even when I'm whining or ranting or being maarte, you always always always cheer me up. Even when you disagree with me and what I write, you ladies engage me in such a way that either we agree to disagree or I change my mind! Thanks for inspiring me, encouraging me, and empowering me. I hope I do the same for you, dearest Loyal Readers!

Anyway, ang haba ng intro. I'm writing this — and this is not a sponsored post! — I'm writing this because Avon told me that August is when they celebrate empowered women everywhere. Now, I'm sure you all know Avon. Avon is a direct-selling company that attracts women because it allows women to earn from home. This has changed a lot of women's lives. Wives help their husbands earn, easing the men's burden to provide. Mothers get extra income for their families' needs. Mothers can quit their office jobs, be with their children, and still make money. Single moms can provide for their families — no men needed. A working woman is an empowered woman! And an empowered woman makes great changes in her family and in her society.

Avon celebrates the empowered woman in two ways: First, this video of their beautiful ambassadors, Ruffa Gutierrez, Jodi Sta. Maria, and Jennylyn Mercado, who happen to be working mamas. Avon believes that Ruffa, Jodi and Jennylyn will inspire other working mamas because they've overcome many struggles — failed relationships, career setbacks, vile gossip. Here's the short video:


Second way that Avon is celebrating empowered women is by offering four must-have products that will help all women stay on top of their game all day, every day. Thanks for sending these to me, Avon! Here are the photos and descriptions from the press kit with my own comments after (I was supposed to take the photos myself but, mamas, I'm so busy with childcare and household chores! Hindi na kaya. Ewan ko ba. I need to be empowered, too!):

Imari Bold
Described as a warm and sophisticated scent that evokes passion and control, Imari Bold’s captivating smell is the easiest way to add a touch of understated class to your look and stay confident all-day long. 

I love this! Imari is my second-ever perfume (the first one is Sweet Honesty, also an Avon scent). Imari has other variants now and I really like Imari Bold because it has a sweet fruity-floral fragrance. I bring it in my purse every day! I love that it's my favorite color, too. 

Buy it—now only P399!



Cassandra Underwire Cami Bra
Looking for a bra that literally changes depending on your needs? Look no further! Avon’s Cassandra Underwire bra with removable/movable high neck lace cami lets you wear it in different ways. And the best part? It comes in a beautiful purple shade that complements just about any other item you have in your closet. 


It's nice, no? You can wear it two ways—one for showing off cleavage, and one for covering it up prettily. Two bras in one!

Buy it—now only P479!



Love Yourself Bangle
A simple but gorgeous imitation-gold half bangle with the phrase “Believe in Yourself” that aims to serve as a daily reminder to all women to always appreciate and assert your worth. Buy it!

Okay, I love this. I want to make a lot in gold, silver, and rose gold and emblazon them all with empowering statements!

Buy it—now only P349!


Briana Shoulder Bag
A tasteful two-tone leatherette bag that can fit all your everyday essentials without sacrificing style, it’s also perfect for adding a pop of color to your ensemble. From work to play, this bag is the perfect companion for modern women who are not afraid of stepping out of their comfort zones in the name of pursuing their passion. 

A tote bag in my two favorite colors! It's nice and roomy, too, and adds a pop of color to corporate uniforms or, if you work in a creative environment, it's bright and fun. If you're a mommy, this is perfect for all your mama needs.

Buy it—now only P549!



GIVEAWAY!

That's why I'm giving away the Briana shoulder bag to one Loyal Reader! Just post on the comments below an empowering experience as a mother. I'll publish all the comments when I announce the winner* on September 4, Monday. Hooray!

Thanks, Avon, for sending me these wonderful gifts. God bless you more for empowering so many women all over the world!


CONTEST CLOSED!
CONGRATULATIONS TO ANGELIE CUNA!

Don’t have an Avon Representative? Shop online at http://avonshop.ph/. Visit www.avon.ph or like Avon Philippines on Facebook to find out how you can get in touch with a Representative. 


Want to order Avon on-the-go? Download the Avon Brochure application from the Google Play or Apple Store to start browsing our latest brochure today! The Avon Brochure app will connect you to a nearby Representative, so you can enjoy personalized service.

*winner must have a Philippine address that Xend delivers to. Winner may also pick up the prize at my home.