What is Your Children's Love Language?

Last night during our pillow talk session with the kids, I asked both my children two important questions.

1. Do you think Mommy loves you?

2. What makes you say that mommy loves you? (assuming, of course, that they answered YES to the first question)

Both of them said yes to the first question without hesitation. They were a little bit confused with the second question so I gave them choices based on the Five Love Languages.

Do you feel most loved by Mom when I:

a. Give you gifts (Gifts) - they both shaked their heads no, which is quite surprising for little kids who loves receiving gifts.

b. Say "I love you" to you (Words of Affirmation) - my 5-year old girl was quiet but my 8-year old said "Not really because anyone can say that"

c. Watch a movie with you or play with you (Quality Time) - to this my 5-year old girl excitedly said "Yes! Yes! Spend time with us! Family time!" and my son thought about it a little bit but asked if there were more choices.

d. Embrace you (Physical Touch) - my 5-year old girl said "I like that too!". My 8-year old son, on the other hand, just laughed.

e. Give you a bath or tutor you? (Acts of Service) - my excited 5-year old said "I only like it when you take a bath with me!" which leads me to think it was more quality time than acts of service. But what my 8-year old son said was quite surprising and enlightening to me. He said "I think that one! Because when you do something for us, it's not like you really like to do it. Like when you tutor me, you don't like it but you do it because you love me and you want me to learn"

My daughter's answers were pretty much on point.  She really loves spending time with us and looks forward to our weekly family movie time and bible study. Throughout these moments, she loves to cuddle with the entire family. So Physical Touch was also not a surprise too.

With Troy, I have always suspected that his love language was Acts of Service even when he was small. I noticed that whenever I get to feed him and give him baths during our family vacations or on weekends, he would always be so attached to me. But when I go back to the office and his yaya does most of it, he would gravitate towards her. It was not so much the time spent together but that he appreciated that I was making the effort to feed and bathe him. He would even ask me then if I also gave him a bath when he was a baby.

Troy is now 8 and do not need us to feed or bathe him anymore. Our acts of service now come in the form of teaching him his lessons (tutor), helping him build a lego project, or cooking something he likes to eat.

I learned so much from Gary Chapman's Five Languages of Love (that I shared on a post in 2012). I might read that book again now that I have identified my children's love language.

I encourage you to try the same Q & A with your children and zero in on their love language. Read the book if you want to learn more. Making your kids feel loved is always a worthy investment!

 

Read more...

Three Weeks with Belo

As shared in my previous post (read about the launching here), we have been road testing the new Belo Baby products at home. I say 'we' because I also tried it together with my children.

My 5-year old daughter instantly loved the hair and body wash after the first use. I guess this little kikay liked the idea of trying a new product in a cute packaging more than anything. She initially said "mommy, there are no bubbles!". When I explained that the ingredient that causes shampoo to bubble (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate - sulfates” or “SLS” for short) is not good for us, she readily accepted it with an "ooooh, okay" then continued enjoying her bath.

P219.75

I love love love the lotion. It's very lightweight and easily absorbs into the skin. Perfect for this hot summer weather. My kids are also not complaining of stickiness so it's safe to say it's kid-approved.

P224.75

They also have a bar soap for those who are not keen on using liquid washes. They are just as gentle, safe and natural. Perfect for kids and even adults with sensitive skin.

P79.75

 

I really like that Belo Baby is available locally and contains natural and safe ingredients for our family. I particularly like how affordable they are considering the excellent ingredients that were used.

Try it and let me know how you like it. I will be doing a giveaway of some Belo Baby products really soon so watch out for it!

You may purchase Belo Baby products at your favorite supermarkets, groceries and department stores. They are also available online through Lazada, Cudsly, and Zalora.
Learn more about the new Belo Baby Line through their website www.belobaby.ph and Facebook page . Follow them on Twitter and Instagram with handle @belobabylove.

 

Read more...

My 5 Days with Paleo

I have been contemplating on going gluten-free for a while now. After learning that I am allergic to a lot of grains and essentially gluten from my Food Intolerance Test last 2014, I have been challenging myself to go totally gluten-free and see its effect on my body.

 

So I searched online for a gluten-free meal delivery service since I am not yet that familiar with the different ingredients that contain gluten and may inadvertently include them in my diet. One that I found is from Paleo Manila. I signed up for a 5-day meal plan to test their meals and see if a week is enough to see the effects of a totally gluten-free diet.

 

Paleo Manila delivers your meals the night before. It comes in a brown paperbag with the meal plan for the day attached to it.

Each bag contains Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and two snacks. I usually eat the snacks as dessert after taking my lunch and dinner.

 

Unlike the usual meal delivery in Metro Manila, the Paleo Manila meal plan does not count calories. They usually cover anywhere from 1,300 to 1,800 calories a day. This actually worried me a little when I was starting with the program. I am a relatively healthy eater and my average caloric consumption based on my Fitness Pal tracker is around 1,500 a day. So going over my average intake might make me gain weight. But I pushed through with it since my goal was not to lose weight anyway. It was to see if going gluten-free has any tangible health benefits for me.

Omelette for breakfast, Roasted chicken with mashed sweet potato and grapes for lunch,
a serving of carrot cake for dessert

Beef brisket

The meals were pretty hearty, as expected, and they tasted good. Some better than the others. My only challenge was to eat the pork-based meals since I really do not like the taste of pork. Unfortunately, customizing your meals with Paleo Manila means adding another thousand to the weekly cost of P3,750. Too expensive!  So I just ate whatever pork came my way. Sometimes I only finished half of the pork meal. 

 

My favorite is Day 5 - they really saved the best for last.

Seafood with Cauliflower Fried Rice, Chicken Pesto, Vegetable salsa with egg

The desserts were exceptionally good except for the cookies on the last day which did not taste like cookies at all. They were more like caramel crinkles.

 

The Gluten-free Orange Nut Bread was the best! Should I decide to splurge and customize my Paleo meals, this would be my snack all week!

Gluten-free Orange Nut Bread

Five days into my Paleo diet and I lost 4 lbs!  I could not believe it! I went down from 108 lbs to 104 lbs by simply eating right even when I was technically eating more!  I felt energized and could even run 5km to 7km each day while I was on my Paleo meal plan. My digestion improved and I did not feel bloated at all. I think that was the biggest winner for me. I can finally conclude that Gluten is the cause of my bloating.

 

So is eating Paleo and the same as going Gluten-free? I have been reading about it and will share my findings with you soon. Stay tuned...

 

If you want to try Paleo Manila's meal plan, you may book with them by clicking here.

 

 

 

Read more...

Should You Exercise When You're Sick?

I try to workout every weekday. I skip some days when I lack sleep but not when I have nasal congestion or even a sore throat. For some reason, I feel that sweating it out relieves me, at least temporarily, of the stuffy nose and helps ease the sore throat. I was not sure if I was doing justice to my health by continually being active when sick so I googled to check what is medically recommended. And this is what WebMD has to say:

"A neck check is a way to determine your level of activity during a respiratory illness," adds Neil Schachter, MD, medical director of respiratory care at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. "If your symptoms are above the neck, including a sore throat, nasal congestion, sneezing, and tearing eyes, then it's OK to exercise," he says. "If your symptoms are below the neck, such as coughing, body aches, fever, and fatigue, then it's time to hang up the running shoes until these symptoms subside."

 

So the next time you are wondering whether you should continue to workout while sick, do the neck check. Symptoms above the neck should be fine. If symptoms are below the neck, skip it. When it comes to fever, you need to skip it.  With a fever, the heat is all over your body, hence if is categorized as above AND below the neck. Of course, at the end of the day you need to listen to your body. Even if all your symptoms are above the neck but you feel really tired and unwell, then it won't hurt to just relax and take a day or two off from your regular workout.

Read more...

Belo Baby: Safe. Natural. Gentle.

I am a fan of natural and safe products for our family.  So when a local company invites me to witness the launch of their new natural baby line, I go. Especially when it's the Philippine's skincare expert, Belo!

 

Last April 6, a group of bloggers witnessed the launching of Belo's new baby line.  Contrary to popular belief, Belo is not just all about beauty and reversing the signs of aging. The heart of the Belo brand is truly skincare. Belo has an extensive product line for women and has also launched a special line for men a few years back. This year, Belo takes it a step further and introduces a line for the most precious members of our family, our children.

(L-R) Fleur, Pam, Chessy, Me, Tina, Jackie, Cai



The Belo Baby line includes a face and body lotion, hair and body wash, bar soap, and three colognes.  

Dra. Vicki Belo's daughter, Cristalle Belo, talked about Belo Baby and her passion to produce a product that will be safe for her future children. I love that she's so charismatic and engaging all throughout the event.

Cristalle explained how a baby's skin is very permeable. This means that more particles can pass through a baby's skin compared to an adult's. So imagine how much toxic substance enters through our baby's skin when we're not careful with the products that we use. This is why it pays to read the labels and make sure there are no harmful ingredients in the products that our kids use.

 

Belo Baby's product line only has 100% natural ingredients. The products contain Cocoa Butter which has anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties to protect our baby’s skin from the harsh environment. They also contain Shea Butter which is known as a superfood for the skin. Shea Butter naturally heals common skin conditions like eczema and rash. Finally, they also have Sweet Almond Oil which is a natural emollient to lock moisture into the skin.

 

Belo Baby were not only cautious about the ingredients that go into their products, they were also very meticulous in reviewing which ingredients to leave out. They made sure that the products do not contain Parabens.  While Parabens are preservatives used to extend the shelf life of food and cosmetics by preventing mold and bacteria growth, they have also been linked to cancer and other skin disorders. They also left out Sulfates which strip the skin of its natural oils. Phthalates, which is a common ingredient in lotions was also taken out. This is because Phthalates is a chemical ingredient that is intended to soften plastics. Finally, they also made sure there will be no Tetrasodium EDTA. This ingredient is a preservative made from formaldehyde which breaks down the skin's protective barrier.

During the event, they also introduced Belo Baby's Mombassadors: Kelly Misa-Fernandez, Nicole Hernandez-de los Angeles, and Patty Laurel-Filart.


I am currently road testing the products and will share my review in about two weeks. But if you cannot wait any longer, you may do your own review and purchase Belo Baby products at your favorite supermarkets, groceries and department stores. They are also available online through Lazada, Cudsly, and Zalora.

Belo Baby is indeed crafted with care for the most delicate skin, for the most meticulous moms.

Learn more about the new Belo Baby Line through their website www.belobaby.ph and Facebook page . Follow them on Twitter and Instagram with handle @belobabylove.



Read more...

Umbrella Color Matters

There's an irony in my life that I am trying to reconcile.

I love going to the beach.

I love running outdoors.

I love picnics.

But I hate the sun.

I grew up with a lot of freckles on my face. While some find them cute and like having them, I don't. I spent years finding the best sunblock and doing research on the best way to completely eradicate them.

With that, I also own a handful of umbrellas that I always use whenever I need to go out of the office during lunch time. I am currently using my white Smiggle umbrella like the one below. 

www.pinterest.com

Summer is here and I recently noticed that I had to squint my eyes even under the shade of the umbrella. That never happened with my old navy blue one.  This got me to do a little research. Do the colors of our umbrella matter as far as sun protection goes?

Here is what Prevention.com has to say following a study done by the Emory University School of Medicine.

Researchers evaluated the abilities of 23 different umbrellas at blocking UV radiation, and found that all of the umbrellas blocked at least 77% of damaging rays. 

Another thing: When you do bust out the umbrella on the next nice day, you might want to opt for a black one. While all the umbrellas in the study offered protection, black models fared the best, intercepting at least 90% of the sun’s rays. “If you wear a dark-colored shirt, for instance, you get hotter because the color absorbs more UV rays,” say Dr. McMichael and Dr. Chen. “Black umbrellas, too, absorb more of the sun’s energy, so less of it is able to seep through the fabric to your skin.”

This makes sense. Looks like I am going to save this Smiggle umbrella for the rainy days bring out the darker ones for summer. You should too!

Have a great summer, everyone!

 

Read more...

10 Creative Recipes Using Just An Egg

Every Sunday is a cookfest in our home.  Since the start of the year, Dennis and I have created a new tradition with our children. The men and the ladies would alternately cook breakfast every Sunday morning. This means that one some Sundays, Dens and my 8-year old son would wake up extra early on Sundays to prepare breakfast for the family. On other Sundays, my 5-year old daughter and me would do it.  Three months or 12 Sundays later, I am running out of ideas.

 

So the past week I did a little research and found a video that is just what I'm looking for. 10 ways to cook an egg! I love cooking eggs for breakfast because it's (1) nutritious, (2) almost always available at home, (3) easy to cook most of the time.

 

Check out this fun video.  Forgive the coarse language and enjoy!

 

Read more...

Do Mosquitoes Play Favorites?

Are you always the victim of multiple mosquito bites? I am! Ever since I was little, I was very prone to insect bites. If we were a group of friends gathered around, guess who the mosquitoes will naturally draw to? ME!  It's very common for me to complain about the presence of too many mosquitoes in an area while other people around me are wondering 'what mosquitoes?!'

 

Well, science has an explanation for that. Mosquitoes are apparently more attracted to certain types of people. Watch this video and see if you're one of those that are prone to bites. Quite interesting to know that it's not just my imagination.

Read more...

Summer Activity Fair #ExpoKid2016



At the end of each school year, most moms begin the search for the best summer activity for their kids. As much as we want them to enjoy the school break, we also want them to be productive while they're at it. Unfortunately, our busy schedule sometimes inhibits visiting or call different activity centers and we usually end up with what is most convenient.  

 

Well, good news, moms! Mommy Mundo is bringing together the various summer activity options to one venue so that we only need one day to scout for the best summer activity for our children.

 

On April 2 and 3 (that's this weekend!), there will be a Summer Activity Fair at the High Street Activity Center (fronting Nike) in the Bonifacio Global City. Drop by anytime from 11am to 9pm and be ready for the #bestsummerever  ! 

 

Read more...