July 2014 - Mommy Ginger

Ginger Arboleda July 29, 2014

Wildpack from Okiedog Philippines

Zeeka has a new car. It’s not a real car (She just thinks it is). It’s actually a new trolley that I got for her. It’s such a cute trolley that she thinks it’s a toy! It’s from Okiedog and they already have this brand here in the Philippines. Yey! I’ve been dying to see the diaper bags and these bags for kids in the stores here in the Philippines.

What I love about Okiedog is that their diaper bags don’t look like diaper bags at all. They are so chic and so stylish. Also, for the kids bags, the designs are so fun. Zeeka even mistook it for a car! Okiedog Philippines has started bringing in the Wildpack collection for kids into the Philippines. Check out these cute designs!

What I got for Zeeka was the Tiger Trolley, but it was so hard making the decision. I loved the Wildpack Elephant bags since they have ears. Zeeka is an avid fan of owls, but then she has so many pink stuff. I love the Tiger design because the colors are so vibrant! We ended up getting the Tiger Wildpack Trolley and I’m glad we did.

Okiedog Wildpack Tiger Trolley

First of all, Zeeka had fun using it. I was observing her and she really thought it was a car that she could ride.

First, you open the door…

Next, you clean it…

Then, check your seat…

Then, you’re off! Bye-bye! 🙂

Also, she has been playing with the Okiedog Trolley everyday since I got it. It’s very durable! Also, the exteriors are made from a water repellent shell. It also has that inner pocket where you can place additional stuff.

If you want to know more about the Okiedog Philippines products, please visit their Facebook page: Okiedog Ph You can find Okiedog in the following stores:

Toys R Us Galleria

Toys R Us Rockwell

Toys R Us Greenbelt

Toys R Us Trinoma

Animaland BGC

WellWorth

Rustans Makati

Rustans Shangrila

Rustans Alabang Town Center

Fisher Mall

Landmark Makati

Do you have your own Okiedog product? I’d love to see it! Please use #OkiedogPhilippines so I could check it out!

Ginger Arboleda July 28, 2014

Kate Quinn Organics now in the Philippines from A.Ka

I have been so busy last week that I have forgotten to pick up my blood test results that would determine allergens causing all of these skin irritations that I get. I also often have rhinitis, which is really very uncomfortable. I hate the feeling of sniffling and trying to breathe during meetings. I also have urticaria, which are those red patches that you see on your skin. I have that after taking a shower, carrying a bag, after rubbing my skin, etc. Then after a few minutes, it disappears. With Zeeka, I am seeing that she may have taken after me in that department. Her skin is so sensitive, too! One time, when she was a baby, I placed this mosquito repellent (that you rub on the skin) and I saw some discoloration already on her skin. Pretty sensitive, huh?

With this, I really have to be careful on what I place on her skin or even on what she wears. I read somewhere that even the materials used to create fabrics nowadays contain toxins. If I have the choice, I would go for all organic clothing. Which reminds me of the dress and the towel that I got recently for Zeeka.

I got her this cute Kate Quinn Organics dress through the recently launched site called A.Ka, which sells luxury baby products. I also got her a wash cloth, which was also of the same brand.

Why did I chose this brand? It’s one of the best organic baby clothes from US. What Kate Quinn Organics uses are certified organic cotton grown using sustainable farming practices which maintain and replenish soil fertility without the use of any toxic pesticides and fertilizers. I love this fact since Zeeka has very sensitive skin; so with this, I’m sure of the quality of this dress. You’ll also notice how soft the cloth is (It really feels nice!). It is made out of organically produced cotton certified by Control Union Certifications (formally SKAL), a USDA Accredited Certifying Agent.

If you see the designs of Kate Quinn Organics in A.Ka’s site, you will love the different patterns. They all look so elegant and chic. What’s good too is that they colored the fabrics using low environmentally impact dyes. See, I love this brand! They really thought about everything!

Check out how Zeeka looked wearing her dress!

So hurry and check out the stuff at A.Ka. Sign up at their online store and get a Php 200 voucher that you can use! Here’s the link to the shop (CLICK HERE). I’m so excited to see what you have purchased! Do share it with me! Feel free to leave a comment below.

Ginger Arboleda July 27, 2014

Support Breastfeeding and Join Hakab Na 2014

I always support any activity that promotes breastfeeding. I am a breastfeeding advocate (although not that hard-core) because there are so many benefits of breastfeeding your child. I always encourage my expecting family and friends to try to breastfeed for as long as they can.

I breastfed Zeeka for almost 13 months. I didn’t think I could last that long, but it just happened. There were times that I wanted to give up, but I would think of the benefits to Zeeka’s health and I would just continue to nurse her. It’s really hard to ‘decide’ to breastfeed everyday and that is why a support group is very important. I was part of the Facebook group called Breastfeeding Pinays (BFP) that really helped me continue on with my journey of breastfeeding.

In celebration of the National Breastfeeding Awareness Month in August, the Facebook group Breastfeeding Pinays (BFP) will organize a half-day breastfeeding activity called Hakab Na 2014. The event seeks to promote the importance of providing proper support to all breastfeeding Filipino mothers and their families. Hakab Na 2014 will be held simultaneously in Manila, Cebu, Davao, Bacolod and Iloilo on August, 2, 2014 (Saturday) at 9:00 am.

The venues for the event are as follows:
Manila: Philippine Army Officers Clubhouse in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City
Cebu: Ayala Center Cebu Active Zone in Cebu City (hosted by the Cebu Breastfeeding Club)
Davao: Stockbridge International School (formerly Tumble Tots) in Davao City (hosted by Breastfeeding Pinays – Davao)
Negros Occidental: Santuario de la Salle, University of St. La Salle in Bacolod City (hosted by the Bacolod Mom and Baby Club and the Institute for Negros Development)
Iloilo: Iloilo Provincial Capitol in Iloilo City (hosted by the Breastfeeding Ilonggas)
In Cagayan de Oro, Hakab na 2014 will be held at the Ororama Cogon on August 1 at 9pm, to be hosted by Mommy Bright Side.

Hakab Na 2014 will be held in coordination with the Big Latch On – an international activity where mothers will latch on their babies from different locations around the world at the same time. In 2013, a total of 14,536 mothers in 845 locations in 28 countries participated in the event.

This will be the second year that the now 25,000-strong BFP group will be staging Hakab Na. BFP expects to surpass last year’s record of more than 225 mothers who simultaneously latched their babies, including 100 mothers in Manila, 90 in Cagayan de Oro and 30 in Davao.

In the Manila event, BFP will be conducting a talk on Breastfeeding Babies Beyond 6 Months. A minimal registration fee of P150 will be collected for every mother and baby/child pair which includes a baby souvenir shirt, snacks and loot bag and P100 each for companions seven years old and above to cover snacks.

Interested parties may register at http://bit.ly/HakabNaMnl2014

Ginger Arboleda July 26, 2014

To Homeschool or Not to Homeschool?

Zeeka’s (my daughter) is already almost 1 year and a half. I already get questions on where will I send her for pre-school? Just yesterday, my mom was already urging me to check out schools, which I really plan to do anyway. In the Work-at-home community that I am a part of though, a lot of the moms their homeschool their children. Then there are progressive schools.

In the past years, Homeschooling has already become an option because in truth, you, as parents, we are the best teachers for our children. Also, the tuition fees of traditional school has gone up and is steadily increasing at around 8-10% per year.

From what I read, Homeschooling is really not for everyone. It takes a lot of dedication and heart! Homeschooling is a choice and you have to really commit to it once you decide to homeschool your child. I actually haven’t decided yet on whether to homeschool Zeeka or not. I want to explore and research about it more. That is why Manila Workshops and the Learning basket is holding the second Homeschooling Conference entitled Educating for Life on September 6, 2014. This is supported by the Homeschool Association of the Philippines. This conference is also co-presented by Unilab.

You can register by going to the Homeschooling Conference Website: http://homeschoolingconference.com/register-now/

In this day and age, a lot of choices are now available to us, parents, which is actually great! There are so many choices on how to educate our children and sometimes it can be overwhelming. What we can do is research and try to observe our children, too. As early as when I was still pregnant with Zeeka, I was already researching about homeschooling, progressive schools and traditional schools. I plan to continue learning more about these forms of education until it’s time for Zeeka to really go to school. How about you, mommy and daddy and guardians, have you thought about your child’s education? Have you checked out the different forms of education?

BTW, I was impressed with this young lad speak at Ted Talks.

Learn more about homeschooling and attend the Sept. 6 Homeschooling Conference!

Ginger Arboleda July 25, 2014

Basics of Investing

I had a chat with a friend the other day and I asked her what her investments were. She said that she didn’t invest because she was afraid to put her money in the stock market or the foreign exchange (forex) market. Investing seems to ‘technical’ for her. I told her that there are other ways she could invest her money. I also told her that stocks and forex are actually the more complicated ones, but then these are actually simple, too. My explanation, I think, made her even more confused. Haha!

I am not expert in explaining investments (case in point – my confused friend), but I know of a friend who explains investing really well. He is also having a workshop on Investing for Beginners this coming August 2, 2014 at Slate Creative Studio in Boni, Mandaluyong City (Right across Rizal Technological University). The workshop will be from 10AM to 3PM.

This workshop has a lot of hands-on and interactive activities that will help you understand the different types of investments that are available in the market. It includes a discussion on time deposits, bonds, UITF’s, mutual funds, the stock market and even real estate.

After the workshop, you will go home with a personalized investment portfolio design, and a concrete, practical work plan on how to manage it to reach your financial goals.

Here are some questions that you’ll be able to answer after the workshop:
1. What’s the difference between an asset and an investment?
2. What are things I need to do before I can become an investor?
3. What is the biggest mistake that people commit when investing?
4. How do bonds, stocks, UITF, mutual funds and other financial instruments work?
5. How do you make money from paper assets?
6. How do I build, diversify and manage my own investment portfolio?
7. How can investments help me buy my dream house?
8. Where should I invest to secure the educational needs of my child?
9. How much money do I exactly need to retire?

The instructor is my good friend, Fitz Gerard Villafuerte, RFP. He is a civil engineer who decided to quit the corporate world in 2003 to pursue entrepreneurship. In 2014, he became a registered financial planner.

His blog, entitled, Ready To Be Rich, has already received several recognitions including the Best Business and Finance Blog at the Philippine Blog Awards for two years in a row. Moreover, an international finance publication, Wise Bread, has likewise ranked his website as among the Top 100 Personal Finance blogs in the world. Fitz has also been recognized by Moneysense Magazine as among the top 12 most influential people in Personal Finance in the Philippines.

So for those of you who want to sign up, please CLICK HERE and join this workshop.

Wildpack from Okiedog Philippines

Kate Quinn Organics now in the Philippines from A.Ka

Support Breastfeeding and Join Hakab Na 2014

To Homeschool or Not to Homeschool?

Basics of Investing

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