My Personal Journey in My MiB Journal (#LindochinelovesMib)

I was listening to Amy Porterfield’s podcast the other day and she mentioned that one of the things that makes a blogger successful is consistency in coming out with content. I think this is what made me successful, too. MommyGinger.com comes out with fresh content almost every day. Enough though with the technicalities. Thinking about coming out with fresh content every day can stress you out though. Thinking about all of these technicalities WILL stress you out.

Do you want to know my secret?

My secret is (aside from the great love for writing) I consider my blog as a documentation of my life. When I pass away in the future, people will see how fun my life has been, urging them to cherish their life as well. Living is FUN!

#LindochinelovesMiB

#LindochinelovesMiB

Me with my daughter --- excited to start Journaling!

Me with my daughter — excited to start Journaling!

Martine of MakeitBlissful.com

Martine of MakeitBlissful.com

My Lovely Daughter holding Hey Kessy Materials

My Lovely Daughter holding Hey Kessy Materials

An event that made me remember and solidify why I love blogging is the Journaling event that Make it Blissful and L’indochine came up with (LindochinexMiB). Martine of MakeitBlissful.com invited me and other women for a light afternoon of just coming together to start our own journal. I know a lot of people who want to start a journal, but they think it’s so tedious to start and sustain. Here are some of my tips on how to sustain once you have started a blog or a journal.

1. If you don’t know what you’re first entry will be, notice the first thing that you think about and write about it. It can be a thought about building something from scratch, to your child’s doctor’s appointment, to cleaning your house later today.

2. During days when you feel uninspired, try to walk around and just rediscover the fascinating things that you see around you — how trees grow into certain weird shapes, how the sky changes in color especially during sunrise and sunset. Simple things like that will amaze you and inspire you!

The first page of my Journal

The first page of my Journal

3. Another way to start writing (especially when your mind is blank) is to write down everything you think of. Let me try it now…

I am sitting on a chair here in Coffee Bean and Leaf Burgos circle. I have no idea why I automatically gravitated to this branch tonigh. I could have gone to Starbucks Reserve, which was nearer to the place I live in. It must be this Moroccan Mint Tea Latte. I love this drink. Oh, currently checking out this lovely yellow dress of a woman who just arrived. Thinking that it would be perfect for me, since I love the color yellow. I think this color makes people happy. She’s also wearing pumps. I think I should start wearing pumps, too. I’m always in FitFlops or Sketchers rubber shoes. When I wear my Melissa flats, it’s already an indication that it’s a formal event. haha!

There you go, ladies and gentlemen. You could try this technique. As you can see, there are a lot of topics that you can now discuss or write about further — like how colors affect moods, proximity of places or why location of businesses matter, etc. You get the idea!

4. It doesn’t often have to be your own content (just as long as you quote your source). If a quote, lyrics of a song, a poem, a book, or any other thing inspires you then, write about it. The main thought doesn’t have to come from you. You can give your own opinion on things like these.

You can use pictures like these to tell people about the amazing moments in your life!

You can use pictures like these to tell people about the amazing moments in your life!

2015-11-11 15.41.44-1

5. It doesn’t always have to be written. If you have a journal written in a notebook, it doesn’t always have to contain words. Clippings, doodles, drawings, splatters, pictures, etc. will do. If you have a blog like MommyGinger.com, then entries can be audio recordings (which I have done lately because I just felt like making these), pictures or videos. Just let it go! (Now I’ve got that last song syndrome of Frozen).

6. This is something interesting that you can do if you are going through difficult times in your life. Write about it from a third person point of view. You can write about how you see it from an angle that moves you to be non-partisan and unbiased about it. This will make things clearer!

We enjoyed this event!

We enjoyed this event!

These are some of the things that I have been doing for the past years of blogging and it has helped me a lot with consistency. Being consistent has definitely made me successful at what I do. Oh, one more thing to remember and this one is really important.

This is your blog / journal. Don’t let anyone tell you what you can or cannot post in your blog / journal. Remember that this is a documentation about your life. Do you really want people dictating you what you can or cannot do with your life?

We got this beautiful bag from L'indochine's travel collection

We got this beautiful bag from L’indochine’s travel collection

 

We had fun at the #LindochinelovesMiB Gathering!

We had fun at the #LindochinelovesMiB Gathering!

This is what I like about the Make it Blissful events and also with the soon to be implemented Beauty Biz Bliss events and other events like the ones of our friends from Wholemom and Pursuit Manila. They make you feel empowered and inspired to take on life’s challenges, knowing that you have friends in the community. Your journey is just happier, brighter and more blissful!

Thank you to Make it Blissful, L’indochine, Gourdos, Stabilo, National Book Store, Hey Kessy, She Dreams Ink, Raintree Restaurants, Shop House Coffee and Hey Jow for supporting the #LindochineLoveMiB Journaling gathering! Looking forward to more gatherings like these!

Discounted Price for Co-Working Mompreneurs at Impact Hub Manila

I’m so uninspired to write today. I feel like I need to go out and talk to people. For some reason, my mind is blank. These are the moments when I feel I need to work at a coworking space. To add to that, it’s so hot here in the house. I feel like it’s a waste to open the aircon (but I think I will do that in a while), since i’m leaving for a meeting soon anyway. A lot of moms, especially mompreneurs, were asking me if they should sign up for membership at coworking spaces and my answer would always be, it really depends if you’re the type, like me, who easily gets bored at home and of course, if you have the resources to sign up for membership.

Impact Hub Manila

Impact Hub Manila along Chino Roces Extension

Here’s good news from my friends at Impact Hub. They are giving two moms the chance to Cowork with them! Get access to a great ‘Get Inspired’ packages, worth P20,000, for 6 Months so you can cowork and share your ideas with the hubbers!

All you have to do is answer this form: http://goo.gl/forms/PjjbJAl4lz and wait for the results after December 5, 2015

Impact Hub for Mompreneurs

What is Impact Hub Manila?
Impact Hub Manila is an incubator, coworking and events space for a membership community of entrepreneurs, activists, creatives, and professionals taking action to drive positive social and environmental change. Since their opening on June 1, 2015 they welcomed more than 3000 innovators, held over 50 events and count 100+ Hubbers. With 11,000+ members in 73+ Impact Hubs across the world and 30 in the making, the Impact Hub Network has become the center of gravity for people innovating a new kind of economy. Locally rooted and globally connected. Now, they are taking the next step to foster sustainable innovation and empower entrepreneurs. The Fellowship in Innovation in Mobility with LBC will be the first in a series of annual innovation and incubation programs.

What is Coworking @Impact Hub?
Coworking is an open work space that fosters collaboration among individuals and groups of people who wants to create positive change, world class furniture, high speed Internet and free flowing coffee included.

For more information, you can visit them on www.impacthub.ph and follow Impact Hub Manila (Facebook, Twitter and Youtube). They are located at: Impact Hub Manila, 5th Floor Green Sun, 2285 Chino Roces Avenue Extension, 1231 Makati, Philippines

 

Wilkins Circle of Trust Intimate Get Together

I think when I became part of  the Wilkins Circle of Trust, I feel like I became a more “intentional” mom. When I became a mom, I was so careful with every thing. I would see to it that she only uses clean “everything’. I exclusively breastfed her. I saw to it that she she slept, crawled and walked was clean and safe.

Then the time came when I got used to bumps here and there, insect bites here and there. I thought to myself, this isn’t so bad. Then I sort of just let go. Being in this circle of trust made me realize that there can be balance between being so paranoid and being so lax. We can actually keep our children safe while still enjoying motherhood. During the Wilkins Circle of Trust brunch that we had a few weeks back, the ladies and I got to talk about some mommy hacks that we can do to keep our children safe.

Wilkins COT

Wilkins Safety Hacks for Moms

It helps to know some Safety Hacks!

Let me share with you some of my personal favorites from the Mommy Safety Hack tips that were shared. Some of these hacks are things that I really do:

  • Toddlers love running around already and sometimes, they won’t take off their socks. What I do is that if she wants to keep it on, she needs to wear her “special socks”. Her special pair has her initials written below it using fabric paint that feels like rubber when it dries up.
  1. 2015-10-26 12.18.47
    Zeeka's Special Sock
  • We bought those soft cushion edges for sharp corners. They sell it in hardware stores. What I learned from the brunch from other moms is that you can us foam pipe insulation also.
  •  Our curtains are the ones with those long cords. I noticed that my daughter loves pulling it, and so what I did is that I tie it into a knot so that she isn’t able to reach it.
  • We also bought those plastic covers for the outlets. Ours came with plastic keys also so that you get to take it out of the outlet — and it’s the only way to take it out. If you have duct tape at home, this would be an alternative too.
Moms sharing their hacks at the Wilkins Circle of Trust Brunch

Moms sharing their hacks at the Wilkins Circle of Trust Brunch

Wilkins circle of trust brunch 2

  • She loves opening the refrigerator so I always check the refrigerator and keep the things that I don’t want her to reach out for. What is accessible to her are the bottle of Wilkins that she can reach out for and food like bread and fruits. Also, all breakable things in the kitchen are kept from her.
  • I post a list of emergency numbers on the fridge, so that everyone in the house will have access to it. Part of the list are also people whom I trust (my own Circle of Trust) which includes her grandparents, her titas and titos, yaya, pediatricians, OB/GYNS and teachers.
2015-10-26 11.09.56-2

Yours truly with my friend Lourdes, who is part of my own Circle of Trust 🙂 She makes great looking bento boxes!

 

Processed with VSCOcam with c1 preset

Yours truly with Mommy Gerilen, who is one of my blog readers! 🙂 She has her own blog too!

I had fun sharing tips and learning new things from my fellow mommies and safety advocates! hihi!

2015-10-26 13.23.43

I super love these ladies! 🙂 With Mommy Louise of MommyPracticality.com and Mommy Jackie of GoJackieGo.com 🙂

For more info on how to keep your family safe, visit the Wilkins Facebook page at facebook.com/WilkinsDistilledDrinkingWater today.

Why I’m Excited to Go to Kidzania!

It’s been quite a while since I have heard the news about KidZania opening here in BGC. I, of course, was stoked since it’s near and you know how moms like us are about traffic and about going to far places with our children. I really wanted to go with my daughter, but I have hesitations of going since she’s only 2.5 years old. The website says that it will be better appreciated by kids from 4 onwards.

Anyway, I still plan to go to KidZania soon and i’ll share with you my reasons later. For those who don’t know what KidZania Manila is, it is basically a kid-sized city built for children that opened at Park Triangle Mall in Bonifacio Global City. It allows kids between the ages of 4 and 14 to get hands-on experience on their dream jobs. Super, right?! I think if I were still of that age in this present time, I would be one of the frequent visitors!

I think the concept of KidZania is a brilliant idea. Here are the reasons why (as an adult / parent) I think (based on what I have read and seen through pictures) you should have your kids try it out:

1. KidZania will teach them about the concept of being a part of a community.

KidZania PaZZport

KidZania Manila teaches the concept of being a good citizen. Here, kids can apply for a paZZport to become naturalized citiZens and fully enjoy the benefits of belonging to this great nation. What I like about it is that KidZania teaches that even if they are still young, they can contribute as a part of a group or community.

They can enroll in the B•KidZanian program that has three Citizenship levels. With each visit, KidZanians accumulate stamps that allow them to upgrade their citizenship level and thus unlock privileges, earn more kidZos (the currency in this “world”), and have more fun. They can even get their own PaZZport.

2. KidZania will teach them about going for careers that they like and enjoy.

Farm House Store

There are a lot of professions to choose from at KidZania (and I heard that there are over 1000 jobs). Each child will go through an orientation first that will help them identify their strengths and careers that fit them. What I love about it is that each one is encouraged to go and do the thing that they love the most. I hope that we have an assessment like this in real life for adults! haha! Kids get better direction in the jobs that they wish to pursue inside the city after consulting the employment office.

3. KidZania will teach them about Peace and Order.

I am fond of watching shows like How to Get Away with Murder and CSI. But I don’t know if I want to be a Crime Scene Investigator. Haha! But for kids who dream of helping keep the peace and order in the real world when they grow up, KidZania has its own law and order institutions, such as a Court House, a Police Department and a Crime Scene Investigation establishment. They will get to play detectives investigating and solving cases, and participate in trials at the Court House.

KidZania Career

4. KidZania will teach them to give value to health.

KidZania: Being Part of a Community

My daughter wants to become a doctor when she grows up and I know that she would want to be a surgeon or a veterinarian even for a day. In KidZania, they will perform simulated procedures, which will give them a glimpse of what it is like to save lives for a living.

7. KidZania will teach them about earning and saving.

kidZos KZMNL

Inside KidZania Manila, kids will learn the value of their hard work. Kids earn kidZos, KidZania’s currency, for every job they perform. Through this, they get an introduction to financial literacy through basic transactions involving their earnings. They can use their kidZos to buy items from stores and avail of the services inside the city. KidZos earned from other KidZania facilities are accepted at KidZania Manila after having them exchanged at the bank. This leads to another fun learning opportunity for kids that entail managing their finances.

Bank

On their first visit, kids can open their own personal bank account and will be given their own personalized ATM card which can be used at any of the city’s ATMs to withdraw their kidZos. Kids learn about saving money by apportioning their earned KidZos and enrolling for a savings account that will earn interest.

These are the reasons why I think that we should let our kids try out KidZania. Have you experienced sending your children to KidZania. How was it? For more information, visit manila.kidzania.com.

 

A Wonderful Christmas Collection from #MyMelissaHoliday

I only have a few shoe brands that I love since I have weird shaped feet. I have bunions that make my feet look awkward. Don’t get me wrong! I love my feet, so I really spend time on choosing shoes that will make me feel comfortable and confident, and Melissa is one brand that never fails to cheer me up!

#MyMelissaHoliday Launch

#MyMelissaHoliday Launch

I recently went to their #MyMelissaHoliday launch and I was mesmerized by all the styles that they have! I love the colors, too. Everything is so “blissful!” Check out the picture above! The one that I’m wearing is called the Melissa Boemia. The Melissa Boemia is perfect for the young trendsetters as it marries the classic design of hippie sandals with a lovely modern color.

The Melissa Boemia

The Melissa Boemia

What I actually got was the one on the left. This is the JW Charlotte.

Melissa JW Charlotte

The Melissa JW Charlotte is from the Jason Wu Collection. What I love about it is that it looks so comfortable. It also looks like it will go well with anything that I wear! I love the unique design, too!

Love the unique design of the Melissa JW Charlotte

Love the unique design of the Melissa JW Charlotte

This Brazilian shoe brand has gained a loyal following all around the world thanks to its sultry heels, fabulous flats and chic platforms, made with patented MELFLEX technology, a hypo-allergenic, recyclable, and extremely flexible material. This is great news also for ladies with sensitive skin like me! What I like about Melissa is that even if we talk about their high-heeled shoe designs, these are still very comfortable to wear. If you want to look fashionable this Christmas season, the #MyMelissaHoliday collection will have something perfect for you.

#MyMelissaHoliday Collection 3

#MyMelissaHoliday Collection

#MyMelissaHoliday Collection 2

 

Some of the designs from the My Melissa Holiday (#MyMelissaHoliday) Collection were created by some of the world’s most talented designers such as the Campana Brothers and Vivienne Westwood, you will be assured to find the perfect heel, flat or sandal to help you step out of your home in style.

Campana Barroca, the latest line designed by the renowned Campana brothers, was inspired by Baroque Art. When you look at it closely, you will see the resemblance to the said art. It’s so cool since the design features are “carved” into the malleable material of the shoe to create a wonderful and interesting texture.

Melissa VW Scribble

 

As for Vivienne Westwood, she helps in designing the Melissa Scribble. She injects her signature style using an interesting mix of lines and planes, and on top is a whimsical pattern “buckle” design.

Of course, our Mini-MEs also have lovable shoes that they can wear. Melissa made sure of that!

2015-11-10 13.51.01

Look who enjoyed shopping with Mommy!

2015-11-10 13.51.07

She couldn’t choose!

She finally picked the one with Minnie and Mickey Mouse! :)

She finally picked the one with Minnie and Mickey Mouse! 🙂

I wanted her to choose this though! Haha! Star Wars fans, check this out! Aren’t they the cutest! My daughter wanted to get Minnie and Mickey though since she enjoyed watching them kiss! The style was so cute!

for the Star Wars Fan!

for the Star Wars Fan!

Mini Melissa

That afternoon was also the launch of Mel, the kids and teens line of Melissa. Mel offers an edited collection appropriate for your budding fashionista. Now, you and your mini ME can go out with matching Melissa shoes!

Matching shoes

Matching shoes

Melissa and Mel Shoes!

Melissa and Mel Shoes!

For the sun-worshippers who relish the sight of powder-soft sand and waves, catch a sneak peek of the SS2016 Collection that pays homage to the cool, laidback lifestyle of Rio de Janeiro. Blowing its wide range of colors from soft pastel hues and mint green, as well as basic black and white, Take Me to Rio encapsulates the joy and optimism of the vibrant city. I am so excited for this collection which will be available in February 2016.

Melissa Philippines: Take Me to Rio 5 Melissa Philippines: Take Me to Rio 4 Melissa Philippines: Take Me to Rio 3 Melissa Philippines: Take Me to Rio 2 Melissa Philippines: Take Me to Rio 1

 

Follow #MyMelissaHoliday to see the other designs. The collections (except for the Take Me to Rio Collection, which will be released Feb 2016) will be available starting this holiday season on November at the following Melissa stores: TriNoma, Glorietta 3, Greenbelt 5, SM Mall of Asia, SM Megamall, SM Aura, Alabang Town Center, Robinsons Magnolia, UP Town Center, Shangri-la Plaza East, Marquee Mall and Centrio Mall.

Don’t forget to follow Melissa and their well-loved jelly flats at @MelissaPhilippines or visit www.melissaphilippines.com