Monday, April 04, 2016

Game boys

Let me share with you a few of the thousands of photos we have of my boys. Only a few make it to social media! The rest we pore over obsessively, usually on those nights just before we go to sleep but the kids still aren't sleepy. So I show them their photos, I tell them the stories behind the pictures, and sometimes I make up silly bedtime stories a la comics style using their pictures.

Like this for example. We will call this story...

The Day Piero Became a Gamer

Once upon a time, there was a little boy named Piero 
who wondered where his brothers disappeared to. 
He found them in Papa's bedroom where they were battling evil foes.
"Holy macaroni!" Piero said. "Vito and Iñigo are slaying monsters by the hundreds!"
"And they're using these magic black things to be heroes."
"Mama, how do I get to be a hero, too?"
"Vito's going a bathroom break? He just said he needs to wee-wee? And that means..."
"Die! Die! Die!"
Piero: "What happened?!?"
Vito: "Mama, Piero made me lose my game!"
"Give that back."
"No!!!"

Heehee. Our stories are really super simple, nothing that will ever see the light of day (er, except for this silly one!), and the boys usually scroll through my photos and they'll pick a few from when they were babies or from when they were somewhere else, and then they'll beg poor, sleepy, exhausted me to tell them a story. And I do. And they're so easy to please. And they laugh and laugh over my nonsense stories till I finally tell them to stop their delaying tactics and go to sleep.

And they do, happy with new memories to dream about in their sweet sleep.

Aww, those pictures of the boys are nice. Maybe I can share with you more old photos every first Monday of the month? I really do have thousands upon thousands! These are from New Year's Eve. Our kids don't play a lot of video games actually, about twice a month maybe, and only during the day. But it was New Year's Eve and we wanted to keep them awake to greet 2016. But they tired of playing and off to bed they went. Fun photos from a night I had actually forgotten about. Thank goodness for photos!

Saturday, April 02, 2016

Engineering for Kids makes learning tons of fun!

Oh my goodness, it's summer!

Well, in the Philiipines, it's either summer season or rainy season so it's actually been summer for a while now. But because we just had a graduation, there's suddenly a clear line marking summer break. And there's just a ton of things to see and do for kids! Like trips abroad, holidays by the beach (our beaches are the best in the world!), activity centers, sports clinics, art workshops, and summer classes.

My kids recently got to try Engineering for Kids and LOVED it. They did. Iñigo even had a meltdown when it was time to go home (this came as a shock because Iñigo doesn't have meltdowns anymore!). Even Vito and Piero lingered and dawdled when it was time to go home. They had so much fun!

They made a moon from DIY play dough. This activity taught them about shapes, texture, numbers.
Waiting for snack time!
Enjoying snack time!
They made rockets to blast off to the moon!
Iñigo built Iron Man from giant Legos.

Now let me tell you a bit about Engineering for Kids. Engineering for Kids is an educational program based heavily on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). In a rapidly developing world, engineers and scientists are what's desperately needed but schools don't seem to devote enough time to these subjects, and when they do, maths and sciences are deemed both boring and stressful by students. Engineering for Kids makes STEM fun, challenging and hands-on. Kids learn how important STEM is to understand their world and how it works and to come up with solutions to many problems big and small. Very useful life skills!

If you're near the Katipunan Ave. area in White Plains, do check out Engineering for Kids. It's right by the gate of Blue Ridge, across Pan de Americana, the building with upside down vehicles. Here are their summer offerings:






Enrol in any of the programs and use my discount code: SMILE-0316B. Enjoy!

To learn more about Engineering for Kids and STEM curriculum, click here.


Wednesday, March 23, 2016

The results of my Physiogel Calming Relief 14-Day Challenge

This post is brought to you by Physiogel Calming Relief.

Hi everyone! I'm happy to report that my skin is soooo much better now and I have to thank the new Physiogel Calming Relief creams for that happy news!


Last month, I was at Bangkok for the launch of the Physiogel Calming Relief skincare line—Physiogel's first entry into face care. There I found out that my oily skin is actually dehydrated and sensitive. What a horrible combination!

I can't stress enough how I've been feeling down and insecure with my face. Maybe because I'm turning 40 this year and I just got depressed with the fact that I'm still pimply? Will I wrestle with bad skin for the rest of my life?

I'm not the sort of woman who stays in front of the mirror all day, obsessing over her face. Maybe I should, come to think of it. Maybe if I had cared more, I'd have better skin. But I was too busy chasing after my dreams, building my career, and taking care of my family to be overly concerned with my skin. As I keep reassuring myself, I'm already married anyway so somebody loves me, pimples and all. Plus, I told myself, my kids love me as is, too. What more can a woman want? Well, one of those aforementioned kids stared at me one day and said, "Mama, your face has lots of boo-boos. You should go see a doctor."

I cried! There it was—the reason why I needed to pay more attention to skincare! My son didn't think I was ugly; he thought I was sick! So I finally went to a dermatologist and I finally stuck to a skincare regimen, and that regimen included Physiogel Face Calming Relief. And I'm soooo happy with the results!

Here's my face before using the product:
Sorry for scaring you!

And here's my face after:
Much better!
Let's look at that again side-by-side.
No makeup on the after photo (okay, okay, I had to put on my eyebrows so I'm not too pangit!).

My skin feels hydrated, moist, plumped up. The flakiness and sensitivity drastically reduced. My face is no longer itchy. Pimples and whiteheads dramatically reduced. The only thing I need to deal with now is treating my dark and ice-pick acne scars!

Now I just want to say that Physiogel is NOT for treating acne. I'm undergoing acne treatment from a skin clinic. But the pattern of my treatment was facial - two weeks of rest - flare up - facial. So I really still needed to go back to the clinic every two weeks. But since I started using Physiogel, I haven't gone back. My skin got stronger and healthier, so my acne treatment became more effective.

Physiogel Calming Relief works by strengthening and repairing the skin's moisture barrier. When our skin's barrier is damaged by environmental factors (like UV exposure and pollution), unhealthy lifestyle habits (like smoking and a state of constant stress), and improper nutritional habits (like not drinking enough water and eating junk food), our skin becomes dry and sensitive. It literally cracks. We don't see it but these microscopic cracks mean bacteria, allergens and other harmful things penetrate our skin and cause irritation. Irritation can be anything from flakiness and redness to pimples. These cracks in our skin also mean we lose moisture and so our skin becomes even more dehydrated. 

The secret of Physiogel is its BioMimic Technology. Mimic means copy. Our skin is protected by a layer of lipids. Lipids are natural fat cells that keep moisture in and irritants out. But if we don't lead a healthy lifestyle and if we live in a stressful and polluted environment (hello, Manila!), that lipid layer becomes damaged. That's where the Physiogel BioMimic Technology comes in. This formula contains an advanced complex of lipids that are almost exactly the same as the lipids found naturally in our skin. So if our skin is damaged, the lipids in the Physiogel Calming Relief cream repairs the damage and then strengthens the moisture barrier. Skin is healed, hydrated, strengthened and protected. 

The Physiogel Calming Relief range is available at Mercury Drug and Watsons. There's a cream cleanser and a face cream. The Calming Relief Face Cream comes in two formulations: regular, Php 800, and rich, Php 850. I use regular in the mornings and the rich at bedtime so that my skin really drinks up the moisture. I'll do a more specific review of each product soon. Watch for it!

Monday, March 21, 2016

Vito's graduation #OOTD by Mango Kids

This post is brought to you by Mango Kids.

My first boy graduated from preschool last weekend and we're so proud!

Vito's been feeling emotional these past few months. He's excited to go to big school; he's sad to leave small school. He's thrilled he's a big boy now; he's afraid of going to be all alone in the new school. He's looking forward to meeting new friends; he's unhappy about not seeing his classmates every day. Yep, it's been emotional for all of us!

But last Saturday, it all culminated into one big day: Graduation day!

Aaaaand I couldn't resist—I went shopping for new clothes for Vito! He'll have two outfits: one casual look for the dance numbers, and a more formal get-up for the diploma ceremony. Here's what I grabbed from Mango Kids:

OOTD 1: Neon yellow shirt, Php 395. Jeans, Php 1,295

OOTD 2: Gingham long-sleeved shirt, P995. Navy trousers, Php 1,495

And here he was at graduation:

Soooo cute and stylish! And yet really simple and comfortable, which is just the way my boy likes his outfits.

You look adorable, Vito! We love you and we're so proud of you!

Mango Kids are at SM Mall of Asia, Ayala Center Cebu, BF Paranaque, Trinoma, Glorietta, Eastwood Mall and SM Megamall. Enjoy shopping, moms and dads! There’s a ton of super cute stuff for boys and girls. I'm shopping for summer staples next!

How to portion your meals

Ever wondered how much food you should actually eat but never got the hang of counting calories? Nope? Well, I have. This infographic that I got from Precision Nutrition is quite handy. Yep, pun intended!


Cool, right? This just convinced me what I already know: I eat too much carbs. I can polish off two plates of rice! In one sitting! So that's why I never could lose this soft big belly!

And I also realized what I've always known anyway: I eat too little meat, not enough vegetables, and a little too much fat. Add sugary drinks and, well, there goes my health!

Will definitely use these handy tips for my meals from now on. Must take care of myself since I have three little boys depending on me to stay alive to raise them!

If you're a man, just click the link to find out how to use your hands to measure your portions.

Happy Monday!


UPDATE April 9, 2016, around 3 weeks later: OMG THIS IS SO HARD. I CAN'T DO IT!


*images from PrecisionNutrition.com