Friday, May 25, 2018

4 things our kids need for a healthy and happy childhood (+1 they don't need)

I'm not a pediatrician so I feel weird when people ask me what multivitamins I give to my kids. On one hand, I love sharing my mom finds. On the other hand, I still think mamas should ask their child's pedia first before giving kids any supplements. But if gusto niyo talaga malaman, I give my kids probiotics (sometimes), iron supplements (with great difficulty but I have to because the kids are anemic), Vitamin C with Zinc (for increased resistance to germs and faster healing), and multivitamins (for general good health).


Their vitamins now is my new find, FERN Kiddimin. I just discovered this new product this summer when I was invited by my friends at FERN C to check it out. Because of my mother n law, my husband Vince and I have been taking FERN C for about 8 years now. So when FERN C kidz came out mga two years ago, we got for our kids. Yes, loyal FERN C family! Yun nga lang, walang multivitamins ang FERN so when I was told na meron na, of course I got for my kids! That's how much I believe in FERN, mamas!

Yes, bilib talaga ako sa FERN C. Joke yan lagi ni Vince na kaya kami nabuntis kasi binibigyan kami ng FERN C ni Mom. Okay, hindi fertility pill yan, ha. What he meant is I've always been a sickly girl. Underweight, asthmatic, in the hospital once or twice a year—that's me! Si Vince din, because of stress sa work and unhealthy habits, he also didn't feel like he was in top form. Kaya siguro hindi kami nabubuntis. Then Mom gave us FERN C and after mga 3 months, we not only looked and felt better, nabuntis pa ako! So if you see me gushing over these vitamins, it's really because we feel we owe them a lot!

Anyway, back to FERN Kiddimin! At the intimate event for mom bloggers at Museum Café, the FERN family treated us to a really enlightening talk by Dr. Rita Paz Rowena A. De Guzman, Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrician. She's such a good speaker, mamas! Nakinig talaga kami sa talk niya. Ramdam na ramdam namin na she cares for kids and for parents, too, that she's a partner talaga in raising healthy and happy kids.

Dr. Rita discussed with us how we can make our home a wonderful environment for our kids to flourish in. And, mamas, may mga points siya na natamaan talaga ako. Here they are!

FERN Kiddimin has a tasty orange flavor. Doesn't taste medicinal.

1. Time: quality or quantity? 
It shouldn't be a contest! For example, I'm a working mom so I'm with my kids a lot. But because I'm doing chores and working on articles and blog posts naman, I'm not actually spending time with them. Other parents naman, because they work all week, every weekend bakasyon grande to compensate for the time they don't spend with their kids. Beach! Staycation! Hong Kong! Or mall buong araw at mega shopping. Pagod ang buong family, magastos pa. 

Our kids need our time and presence. They don't need us to be there 24/7, but one day a week isn't ideal either. Let's try to spend an hour or two with them, talking with them, reading books, playing games. Simply sharing a relaxed and hearty meal every day is great!

2. Talk, talk, talk!
Dr. Rita said our kids need to hear (exchange?) 30,000 words a day to develop a good vocabulary and to learn comprehension and the ability to express themselves. So we need to talk with our kids! My kids LOVE to talk so I usually sit in when they're chatting and insert my opinion here, correct grammar there, define a word here, answer life questions there. Then there's my husband who loves to read books to the boys at bedtime. So 30,000 words? Check!

3. No screen time! 
For kids 2 and below, no TV and mobile devices because it is linked to speech delays. Why? Well, when kids are just watching, they don't speak. When we don't engage them, they don't learn to talk.

Me, because I'm with my kids a lot, I let them watch TV and play games on the iPad, and then I guide everything. "What's happening to the princess? Where's the hero? What color is the dragon? Why is the villain angry?" For games and apps, it's "Turn right! Jump up! Go down! Tap all the color red! Let's sing ABC, too!" I guess that's why my kids are so madaldal because I was there all along talking and talking with them!

However, now that they're older, I'm seeing bad behavior when they're on the iPad. They fight mainly. So we're lessening the iPad use anyway.

4. Play, play, play! 
For kids, play is work. That's when their muscles and bones develop, their balance and agility honed, their reflexes sharpened. Now, we live in a condo, and our playground and recreation areas are under renovation for 2 years. So the kids have been indoors for months. I feel so guilty about this! I know sometimes when they're super magulo sa bahay or they fight a lot, that's because hindi nagagamit ang energy nila. 

Bringing kids to Kidzoona or to ballet class isn't enough, however. Dr. Rita says the kids have to play outside. Kids (and parents included) these days belong to what is called the "indoor generation." We play in indoor playgrounds. We exercise in gyms. We use tanning lotions to get a tan. We need the sun! Sunlight is needed to produce Vitamin D. Sunlight also improves our mood. Behavioral problems, depression and other mental illness are eased when we are out in the sun.

5. Eat healthy.
We all know that everyone needs a balanced diet. Every plate at every meal should have a combination of fruits, vegetables, protein, and grains. This is not easy! Especially when you're a busy mom with busy kids. Meal times are such a challenge for me because I try to serve vegetables but the kids pick at them. Or if bigyan mo ng banana or mango, akala mo lason ang pinapakain mo. Sobrang ayaw ng fruits and veggies! Nakaka-iyak siya! 

To make sure their nutrition isn't compromised, I have to give them vitamin supplements. Hence, my happiness at dicovering FERN Kiddimin! It's a food supplement with Vitamin B Complex, Lysine, Vitamin D3, Chlorella, Vitamin A, and Taurine. All of these vitamins and amino acids help our kids have a healthy appetite, develop and strengthen their bones, and promote mental acuity. So my kids will be "Magana, Matangkad, and Matalino" with FERN Kiddimin! Plus, my kids love the orange flavor.

Since Vito is 7, he takes 2 teaspoons of FERN Kiddimin every day.

So what do our kids need for a healthy and happy childhood? Time, talk, play, and good food. And they don't need screen time! Good luck to us, mamas!

FERN Kiddimin is available in 60ml (P88.00 SRP) and 120ml (P158.00 SRP) bottles at drugstores, supermarkets, and FERN kiosks nationwide. For more information, like their Facebook page or visit www.fern-inc.com. 

*This post is brought to you by FERN Kiddimin.

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Thursday, May 24, 2018

5 Ways Blogging can Bring in More Income at Home

As you all know, a chunk of my income comes from blogging. I've even registered my blog business with the BIR and pay taxes through Taxumo. I'm very proud of this, mamas. I think everyone who's turned their hobby into a legitimate income-generating venture should celebrate that fact and also encourage others to do the same. After all, as the adage goes, "Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life!"

That's not true. Work is still work haha! It can still get exhausting and frustrating many times. But at least since it's work that you enjoy, then it doesn't hurt so much! 

Blogging brought me many opportunities I'll always be grateful for.

A lot of mommies ask me how to earn from blogging, too. Aaaaand that's why I have blogging workshops! Well, I haven't done any this year yet. Too busy with my work as beauty editor at L'Oréal, but I do miss doing blogging workshops. It's so nice sharing with other people how to make money from blogging. I want my success to be every blogger's success! Especially if it's a mommy blogger. Any income is always welcome to moms, right? And if it's enough income that lets you stay home with your kids, then it's the best kind of income!

Since I'm not doing a blogging workshop soon, let my guest writer Clarissa Caouette share with you 5 ways blogging can earn you extra money. Take notes, mamas! 

* * * * * * *

Is your budget a little tight at home? Perhaps you aren’t working right now in order to take care of kids and there’s only one wage earner in the house. But you want to contribute to that take-home pay. How can you do it? Taking a job outside the house kind of defeats the purpose. It means paying for gas and parking, lunches out, new clothes and shoes, so that income can be eaten up in added expenses. What you really need is a way to earn money at home.

One way to make some cash at home is blogging. Yes, you can make money at it, although it is certainly not guaranteed. But if you want a flexible method that lets you stay home, this one fits. So first thing to do is to set up your blog, then we’ll talk about how it can bring home some cash. 

Getting Started 
This is the short version, so make sure to check out a more in depth tutorial if you need one. First two things you need: your own domain and a web hosting service. Often the hosting company will offer domain registration as part of their charge, so factor that into your research. Make sure you get a domain that you own, don’t go with a free hosting service with a tacked on name. Either you control your site or someone else does. Free sites can be shut down at any time and have many restrictions on how you can make money from them. Take control, you’ll be glad you did. 

Now install WordPress, it’s by far the most common blogging platform and very easy to use, and a framework. Consider a premium framework, they aren’t very expensive and come with a much better design which is easier to use and more powerful. Choose your topic and your schedule and start writing. You’ll need some articles posted, content as it’s known, and some readers before you can really make much money from your blog. So post useful articles and draw as many people to your blog as you can. 

Affiliates 
Once you’ve got some readers, you can start with one of the easiest ways to ‘monetize’ your blog, affiliate marketing. Simply put, you sign up for an affiliate program for a company you like and direct your readers to it to purchase things there. If they do, you get a commission. Your reader doesn’t pay any extra, the commission is directly from the affiliate. A common example is Amazon. Reviewing or recommending products that are available through Amazon lets you earn that commission if your reader uses your link to buy the product you talk about. 

Pretty simple! Make sure you would honestly recommend the product or you may lose readers who feel you are simply pushing those items to make money. And be sure to disclose that you are an affiliate and are earning a commission. It’s best to be upfront and honest about that. 

Digital Sales 
Another great way to go is to create a digital product, an eBook, video seminar, or artwork for example, and sell that through your blog. Digital is a great way to go since there is only the initial cost of creating the item and you don’t have to manufacture it each time to sell it again. Be sure the product is something worthwhile, something valuable to your audience. One way to convince people to buy is to offer a free item first. A short eBook where the only cost is signing up for your mailing list for example. Then market your longer books later on. 

Physical Sales 
If you do crafts or are willing to buy items wholesale for resale, you can sell physical items over the internet as well. Be sure to budget in shipping costs, but as long as you set it up properly, you can still manage most of this from your home. Another option is setting up a system where you take orders then have them drop shipped directly from the producer to your customer. Selling physical items does have some extra expenses associated with it, shipping, inventory, materials, etc., but if you are willing to invest in those you can make it work. 

Memberships 
If your blog itself is enough of a draw, you can charge a membership fee for people to access it. This is usually a way to earn from either a very popular site, or one which has a great deal of expertise and experience behind it. If you happen to have experience or training in a field you could set up a members only site for your most useful articles. Some pay sites will allow any reader to see the first few paragraphs but ask for registration to see the rest. As with any of these tips, there are several ways this could work. 

Advertising 
Finally, there is simple advertising. Placing ads along the border of your blog is an easy and low maintenance way to bring in some income but be prepared for it to be small. Click through ads only deliver a small amount each time a reader uses them, and CPM ads need huge numbers of viewers to return large amounts of money. Most internet users pay little attention to ads, although if an inappropriate one appears on your site you will probably hear about it. Be sure to screen the companies on your ad feed to prevent offensive content. 

As you can see, all five of these allow you to stay at home and work from there. There is a fair amount of work to be successful, though. You may need to spend several hours a day researching and writing your articles, so don’t over commit to your blogging schedule. If you can only manage one post a week don’t say you’ll do more. Missing your schedule is worse than having a relatively long update cycle. Now that you know what to do, get to work! Set up your site and blog!

* This is a guest post, with my edits. To place a guest post, email frances@topazhorizon.com for my rates.

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Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Why we switched Piero to pull-up pants

I'm a mommy of three boys and the third one, Piero, is still not ready to be toilet-trained. We've talked about it, been super enthusiastic, tried bribing—nothing's working. What worked with his two older brothers is not working this third time around. So we need all the help we can get, mamas! Leave your toilet-training tips in the comments below!

"No toilet until I'm 5, Mama!"

One tip I saw at the start of summer was to use pull-up pants, or training pants. I've not used pull-ups before because my first two kids took to potty training fast. Like so: "Hey, you want to use the toilet now like a big boy? Yes? Great!" Three days later: "We're done! Good job!"

With Piero, it's taking a bit more time and tools so we got BabyLove Premium Gold Pants (you can check out my reasons for switching to BabyLove here and my review of the Premium Gold Pants here) to help us out.

If you're wondering how pull-up pants help with potty training, it's really for two simple but big reasons:

1) Pull-up pants mimic the pull-up/pull-down action used with briefs/panties. Once your kids know how to pull down their pants to go weewee or poopoo, they can transition faster to the real thing; and

2) Pull-up pants make babies feel grown up. That change in mindset is what's essential to transitioning them from diapers to real underwear.

Piero loves his BabyLove Premium Gold Pants so much. He likes them because they're soft and smells good and has "cute dwawings on the fwont and on the butt, Mama!" I'll update you when we finally successfully potty train my last baby. So wish us luck!

If you want to try out BabyLove diapers, too, there's a current promo now at Shopee. From May 21-24, 2018, the first 100 customers buying any BabyLove diapers will also receive a free sample of a preschool milk as well as a voucher discount for the next purchase of other milk supplements with the value of P350.

 Shop here!

Check out the Facebook page of BabyLove Philippines for more info!

*This post is brought to you by BabyLove Diapers.
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Monday, May 21, 2018

My favorite moments from Harry and Meghan's oh so perfect wedding

Yes, perfect wedding! It's the most perfect wedding I've ever seen. Everything about it was Harry and Meghan. It was deeply British and very African-American. It was royal and Hollywood. It was traditional and modern. It was so elegant and stylish. Every moment was studied and yet also candid. How is this wedding so amazing?


They're so happy! And so adorable!

Okay, I have too many favorite moments. Like, I can't count! But here are a few that were documented by my favorite Instagram fan account of Meghan and Harry, @meghanandherprince.

Meghan walking down the aisle on her own. You know that I am such a huge feminist so to see a woman walking alone to the man she chose with no need for approval from any other man in her life is so empowering! And then I loved when Charles got her halfway. On one hand, he was making her sundo for his son; on the other hand, he has always wanted a daughter. In fact, when Harry was born, Charles was disappointed and Diana said something in her died that day.


Harry meeting Meghan.
A post shared by Harry and Meghan❤️ (@meghanandherprince) on 


When Harry unveiled Meghan. Apparently, this is the duty of the father of the bride. But since Meghan's dad wasn't around, it was Harry who had to do it. Check out when he said, "Hi!"


Harry playing with Meghan's ring! And staring at her the whole time! Hoy, makinig ka sa sermon, Harry!


Ehem ehem. Tigilan niyo nga yan! #kilig


This scene straight out of a James Bond movie except that in this story, the guy married the girl!


I also loved Bishop Michael Curry's sermon. It was so apt for a couple who have devoted their lives to public service, human rights, and love for fellow man.



It called to me so much to forgive, serve and love. Love lang talaga! Ang hirap kaya niyan in this world of hate and fear. But I heard you, Bishop Curry, and I will follow the way of love. As his chosen verses said, "Beloved, let us love one another for love is of God and everyone that loves is born of God and knows God. He that doesn't love knows not God for God is love." (I John 4:7-8) So let us love one another. Always choose love! Just like Harry and Meghan. Through everything that happened in their life, they always chose to respond in love.

I'm so inspired this weekend, mamas! If you follow me on my Facebook page, you'd know I'm on a royal wedding fever high. I'll blog again about other things this week. Let me just get down from my happy loved-up cloud.

Please follow @meghanandherprince for more updates on Harry and Meghan!

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Thursday, May 17, 2018

How a great vacation can inspire your home décor

My favorite holiday ever will always be in London, UK. First, it's the first country I traveled to all by myself. A solo trip—even though that trip was for work—is always unforgettable. Second, it's the city where Vince and I spent our honeymoon. That's why London will forever be my favorite foreign city, and I like to keep mementos of my time there around my house. For example, these throw pillows that baby Piero is resting on.

Everything in this picture sparks joy!

This is a guest post, by the way. I think my working mama readers will like this topic because Filipinos are such tourists and we love putting souvenirs of our travels all over our homes. Enjoy this little post!

* * * * * * 

If you are someone that likes to travel, you may already be intertwining your travels and memories with your home décor. Traveling to different countries can be an excellent source of inspiration. People have varying ideas and cultures that may make their indoor spaces unique and invite. By taking some of those ideas home, you can incorporate your memories and experiences into your living spaces and, ultimate, your lifestyle. Here are some of the things that you can do to let your vacations inspire your décor. 

Souvenirs 
During your vacation, you may buy some items or artifacts to remember your trip. Naturally, you would want to put these items on display. By adding some relevant décor, you can accentuate the personality and atmosphere your souvenirs provide to your living space. If you, for example, bought a little replica of the Statue of Liberty during your time in New York, you can draw some attention to it with a framed photograph of the Manhattan Skyline.

Culture 
There are many different cultural aspects to interior decorating that you can apply to your own home. Feng Shui, for example, originated in China and claims to harmonize you with your living space. You may gather some ideas that you may like that are engraved in a society’s lifestyle and use it as inspiration for your décor. 

Prominent features or export products like oriental themed décor and patterned rugs can transform your room into the place that you came to know and love. 

Plants 
As far as décor is concerned, you can hardly go wrong with some plants. It is also the perfect way to use your vacation as inspiration for your décor. If you spent some time at, say, a tropical beach, you may find a nursery that sells plants that grow in those areas and use them as décor in your living room or even your home office. You can also compliment the plants’ presence with wallpaper that has floral or bamboo themes or even a souvenir that you bought like a lay or a portrait of a fish or a beach landscape.

Patterns 
Many countries have decorative patterns that are unique to their societies and lifestyles. Scandinavian pine tree patterns can, for example, easily be incorporated into your interior space’s features and décor. Simple patterns like squares or V-shaped patterns may seem conventional but can change the atmosphere and personality of a room completely. One of the best ways makes patterns part of your décor is to make use of rugs, wallpaper, or curtains. 

Functional décor 
One of the more practical ways your vacation can inspire your décor is with functional pieces such as serveware, woven baskets, or racks and hooks. Trays, bowls, and plates can be the ideal way to bring your vacation into your décor. Some countries have little teaspoons that many people like to collect. Storage accessories such as wine racks or hat stands can also traditional to a place that you visited during a holiday. 

Color schemes 
Sometimes, interior spaces are dominated with the same color scheme. If you like a particular color scheme or hues, why not use in your room’s decorations? Tropical destinations with ocean views and sandy beaches have typical blue, light brown and sap green elements that you can easily bring into your home with natural elements. 

You may also have to use features that are already available in your interior space like a window with a view over a garden or a big piece of blue sky. By simply adding one or two additional decorative features, it can establish the color scheme that you saw and experienced during your vacation. 

Interior decorating styles 
There are many different interior decorating styles all over the world. Whether it is mid-century modern, industrial, minimalistic, or Scandinavian, chances are that you will find a style that has prominence at the place where you had your vacation. The French are known for their love of shabby chic, and when you do a little research, you may find a lot of attributes to a particular style that looks familiar and inviting. 

Many times, modeling your décor to a specific style will inspire you to incorporate the things you experienced during your vacation into your interior space.


*This is a guest post by Clarissa Caouette. To place a guest post, email frances@topazhorizon.com for my rates. 
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