Mommy Ginger
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My Back-To-School Shopping Spree at National Book Store

As a child, I always had fun going to National Book Store with my mom. I was always excited, because that meant new stuff for the new school year. When I became a mom, I found out that it wasn’t as cool and exciting for grown-ups. Haha! But here’s the thing, I have managed to navigate my way around all of these back-to-school preparations, and I’m proud to say that I’m so efficient that shopping it’s actually fun for me.

I do my shopping early. I stock up on things that Zeeka, my daughter, might need. I even stock up on things that I actually might need for my business. As you know, I run two businesses, I blog and I take care of my child and home all at the same time, so whenever I go to NBS, I get all of the stuff that I need to get for all aspects of my life! Last week, I was so happy to have had the chance the complete my list of back-to-school materials that Zeeka needs for this school year last week. I went on a shopping spree with my other mommy friends and it was so much fun.

I love National Bookstore, because it has so many budget-friendly options. I love to stock up on things, so buying them in bulk at really affordable prices is perfect for me. For example, I bought a set of 10 notebooks with 2 pens and 2 pencils under Budget Bundles, and these only costed me Php 150. Another purchase under Budget Bundles was a set of 4 folders (one for monitoring Zeeka’s activities, one for Taxumo, one for Manila Workshops and one for my blog tracking). These folders were only Php 100.

Another reason why I love National Book Store is that they have so many choices, and these choices are for anyone in the family, anyone with a particular style or with a particular lifestyle! I’m the type of parent who spends hours inside groceries and bookstores. The reason why I spend a lot of hours inside National Bookstore is that I would like to be sure that I get the best value for my money. It doesn’t have to be “cheap”, but it has something that will be worth every penny.

An example of which was something that I bought last week when I did my shopping spree at NBS. I came across this aisle of colorful bags, pouches and lunchboxes called Zipit! I bought a lunchbox and a cute Zipit pouch with a pink monster design, that comes with an app.

My daughter downloaded the app, and she now always has fun playing with her talking MonStar. The pouch was worth it, since aside from keeping her things, she enjoys playing with it, too!

For my husband and I, obviously, we have different needs from our daughter. Most of the things that we use also for our own needs and businesses come from NBS. Check out the video of the other things I found in National Books Store during my shopping spree!

To give us more choices, National Book Store carries trusted brands too like Caran d’Ache School Line, the Swiss fine art brand that budding artists adore.

For high schoolers and college students who do drafting and sketching, Blackwing Pencils are the best of the basics and a long-time favorite.

The third thing that I love about NBS is that they understand convenience. I found these Grab and Go Packs that had things inside it that were packed based on what the level of your child is. This one, in the picture below, is for kids in the 4th to the 6th Grade. How convenient is that, right?

Another thing that NBS now has, compared to what I had when I was little, is that moms nowadays can just shop from their home. If you can’t find the time to go to the store, you can call the delivery hotline 8888-627, or shop online at their website, www.nationalbookstore.com. When you check out their site, you can directly go to the back-to-school section when you go to the NBS website. Materials are grouped according to grade level so you can immediately see the recommended supplies for each one. The site is very simple to use! Orders worth P1,000 or above get free shipping.

So these are the reasons why I love National Book Store (NBS). Back-to-School shopping, or even stock-up-again-on-supplies shopping is such a breeze at NBS. You can find mostly everything that you need there from lunch boxes, pouches with apps, mosquito patches, hand sanitizers, sophisticated pencils and hard-core art materials, kikay notebooks and folder, etc. You name it! NBS has it.

Want to join me shop again soon? Tell me your own reasons why you love National Book Store! For more updates, follow them on social media – @nbsalert on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube and visit the NBS Blog – blog.nationalbookstore.com.

Mommy Research: Make Sure that Your Kids Get the Right Care (RiteMED for Kids)

As a parent of an active and bubbly child, keeping her healthy and safe is my utmost priority. I make sure that she eats on time and consumes healthy food. But as a toddler, sometimes, she just likes to play, follows me a bit when I tell her to eat and ultimately just “gets it over with”. Event if I get too over-protective when it comes to her daily eating habits, I know that I need to supplement it with vitamins to give her enough of the daily requirements needed. What I use now is RiteMED for kids.

As kids, they don’t understand the reason why they need to take vitamins, but Zeeka loves drinking Vitamins. She thinks it gives her superpowers! With this, I don’t have a hard time giving her RiteMED Multivitamins + CGF Syrup: Food Supplement. But I also tell her that she has to take it to fight fever (natural immune booster) and to prevent diseases and illnesses.

My very bubbly and energetic little RiteMED kid!

Research shows that ideally, children should get their vitamins and nutrients from a well-balanced and healthy diet that includes dairy, vibrant and fresh fruits and vegetables, protein like chicken, fish, meat and eggs and most importantly, good carbohydrates like whole grains, steel-cut oats and brown rice.

According to the National Nutrition Council (NNC), approximately four million Filipino children are suffering from malnutrition due to lack of healthy food to eat and enough vitamins and nutrients in a daily basis. As the figure balloons daily, this continues to be a serious child health problem, with the Philippines being highly disaster-prone. As the malnutrition increases in the aftermath of emergencies, added the NNC.

So how do we address this problem? Simple. It should always start at home. Sometimes, healthy children get their best start from what you put and buy in your grocery cart. Currently, there are 13 vitamins and 14 essential minerals that a child needs in order to grow healthily and properly. These are:

● Vitamin A helps promote normal growth and development, healthy skin, eyes, and immune system.

● Vitamin Bs – (B2, B3, B6, and B12) It aids metabolism, energy, and healthy circulatory and nervous systems.

● Vitamin C ​ helps promote healthy muscles, connective tissue, and skin.

● Vitamin D helps bone and tooth formation and helps the body absorb calcium. The best source of vitamin D is sunlight.

● Calcium ​helps build strong bones and teeth.

● Iron ​builds muscle and is essential to healthy red blood cells.

Studies show that Megavitamins (large doses of vitamins) are not a good idea for children. It normally contains vitamins A, D, E and K, also known as the fat-soluble vitamins, can be toxic if
kids overdose on excessive amounts, same as with Iron.

But the risk of dietary deficiency is tremendously greater than the risk of overdosing on a multivitamin. Mostly, children’s daily dies are missing essential nutrients and taking one multivitamins daily has the potential to aid a nutrient diet.

How to get the Right Vitamin Supplement for Kids:

● Always check the label first – Make it a habit to always check and read the label carefully so you would know which nutrients are included and the amounts contained each serving. This is also to avoid consuming vitamins that will expire soon. I always trust RiteMED. I’ve shifted to this brand since February and I have been happy with using RiteMED Multivitamins + Chlorella Growth Factor Syrup.

● Percentage checking – Choose a supplement that provides 100% of the Daily Value (DV) because some nutrients like magnesium or calcium are not included, because if pharmaceutical companies include these, the pill/tablet will be too large to swallow.

● Get the essential vitamins and minerals – Most multivitamin preparations usually include the following vitamins and minerals: vitamin C, B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B6, folic acid (B9), B12, B5 (pantothenic acid), biotin, A, E, D2 or D3 (cholecalciferol), K, potassium, iodine, selenium, borate, zinc, calcium, magnesium,manganese, molybdenum, betacarotene, and iron. You can check out RiteMED Ascorbic Acid 100 MG Syrup and RiteMED Zinc-C Ascorbic + Zinc Syrup Food Supplement

These are from my personal experiences as a mom. Of course, don’t forget to consult with your child’s doctor, too 🙂 Do you have other tips on how to keep your child healthy and safe? Share it with me!

Have a happy week!

P.S. For more information about RiteMED for Kids products, please visit their website (RiteMED) or visit their Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/RiteMedOfficialPage/) or Instagram account (@RiteMedicine). RiteMed for Kids products are available na in Southstar Drug, Watsons, Rose Pharmacy, Negros Grace Pharmacy, ThreeSixty Pharmacy, St. Joseph Drug, at sa iba pang leading drugstores nationwide!

Mommy Research: Talc-Free Powder for Baby

I constantly have rhinitis. If I fail to take my anti-histamine tablet in the evening before I sleep, I would have bad allergies the next day. I took an allergy test two years ago, and the results were to avoid dust, and some chemicals that I don’t really think I come across every day. I still can’t figure out why this is happening. It must have been something in my youth that triggered this. When I was young I wasn’t breast fed. I was also always pampered and my nanny would use powder. I probably was too sheltered also that I didn’t get to develop my immune system for all of these things in our environment.

But I’m not blaming my parents, nor my nanny, because it was just how the world worked before. These were the information that was available, and so our moms, dads and people around us believed what they heard. Well, even in today’s times, we believe what we hear from the news, social media, etc.

So being a mom is really difficult. You have to decipher and do your own research on things. At times, I feel like I don’t do enough research on the things that I expose my baby to. So, I think, occasionally, I will share insights that I have seen through research. I will tag a post “Mommy Research”, because we moms should always ask the question “why?”

For today’s insight, I researched about TALC.

Talc is a mineral made up mainly of the elements magnesium, silicon, and oxygen. Its powder form absorbs moisture well and helps cut down on friction. This property and feature makes it attractive to use for babies to present them from having rashes, especially in the diaper area.

But there talc is also harmful to your babies. If your baby breathes and inhales a lot of it, it could clog the air sacs in your baby’s lungs. You need to be extra careful with bottles just lying around the house.

But being a mom, we’d rather always be safe, than sorry! In the Philippines, most baby powders (if not all) contain TALC. Imagine how happy and relieved I felt when I discovered that there is now BELO BABY TALC-FREE POWDER that is all-natural with 0% harmful chemicals available in the market?

This product is made from finely milled rice and maize powder that absorb moisture to keep baby’s skin soft and dry. It’s carefully formulated without harmful ingredients — talc, parabens, phthalates, dyes and the most common allergens. It’s hypo-allergenic and dermatologist-tested. I showed the product and had my toddler try it, and this is what she said…

Like my little lady, I loved the sweet scent, too. I tried it and it definitely feels soft and smooth on the skin! Especially now that it’s so hot, I love using it on my daughter. She still smells so fresh after running around. It’s really crafted with care for the most delicate skin, for the most meticulous moms. Each 65g container is at Php 219.75. Belo Baby Talc-free Powder also comes in a very cute packaging that already includes a soft puff.

Now for all of you meticulous moms out there (like me!), you deserve to try this Talc-Free powder from Belo Baby!

And I will send you one!

All you need to do is leave a comment below on what you like about being a mom and why you want to win this Belo Baby Talc-Free powder. Please leave your email address together with your submission. On May 27, I will choose three winners! Wooohooo! Kindly share and spread the word on social media using #BeloBaby.

Happy Mother’s day, fabulous Moms! For more information on the Talc-Free Belo Baby Powder, you can visit www.belobaby.ph, FB: http://fb.com/belobabylove, Twitter: @belobabylove, IG: @belobabylove Belo Baby Talc-free Powder is now available in leading supermarkets and department stores nationwide. You can also buy now here: https://tackthis.co/shop/Belo/category/belo-baby and enjoy FREE delivery until May 31 with a minimum purchase.

P.S. If you want to research more about talc, check out this link: https://www.carlsonattorneys.com/talcum-powder-cancer-lawsuit/

 

Speak Up with K! Speak Up with Kamillosan!

Over the weekend, we had an event called Boss Bellas: Mompreneurship 101. This was the first event that we (Frances of TopazHorizon.com and yours truly) ran to make our dream of connecting women entrepreneurs and aspiring women entrepreneurs with each other. In the Philippines, gender inequality is not really an issue, but nevertheless, in an emerging market like the Philippines, the desire to pursue one’s dreams of becoming an entrepreneur and having a business is strong. Both men and women feel the urge, but we believe that the challenges by women is quite different.

Boss Bellas: Building a collective voice for women entrepreneurs, both current and aspiring entrepreneurs!

Women are obviously expected to be the “light of the home” and the one who takes charge of the kids and everything related to running the home. So when a woman wants to pursue her own dreams, she may struggle in expressing that desire to go for things that she wants in her life. I, too, have felt that need to be more than what was expected from me, and to be honest, it was hard in the beginning. A lot of people were telling me to just stick to the job that I had and not to start a business. They would say that going into business is hard, and I may not be able to handle it. So, see? Women have to face and speak up. Speak up with K (*K for karapatan since it’s our right).

Kamillosan encourages you to Speak Up with K!

Speaking of speaking up, I love the new campaign of Kamillosan. It’s called the Speak Up with K! campaign and it encourages all of us to let our voices be heard. If we know that it’s the right thing to do, if it’s for the greater good, if we can help other people, support them and serve as inspiration, or if we can make a difference, we need to speak up!

For those unfamiliar with the brand, Kamillosan M Spray is a clinically proven all-natural sore throat spray solution. It has eight active ingredients that effectively soothe and relieve sore throat: Chamomile extract, Methyl salicylate, Peppermint oil, Sage oil, Anise oil, dwarf pine needle oil, Bergamot oil, Cineol.

Chamomile is an anti-inflammatory agent to reduce pain, swelling, and redness. Combined with the anti-bacterial effects of essential oils such as Peppermint, Sage, and Bergamot, Kamillosan M is highly suited for sore throat relief. I also love that it leaves a minty fresh sweet aftertaste (feels like you just brushed your teeth). It is so different from the other medicinal throat sprays available in the market today.

Kamillosan M Spray is available in all leading drugstores in the Philippines at Php 428 only. Each 15mL bottle is good for 104 sprays. Kamillosan M Spray is from A. Menarini Philippines, which belongs to one of the largest Italian biopharmaecutical groups, Menarini.

So, women, let’s unite and speak up with K!

Even if we feel unsure.
And even if we feel insecure.
Speak up with K!

You are not alone. We, women, are all in this together. If you need someone to talk to, or someone to bounce of ideas with, we will be here. We will have more Boss Bellas workshops and events, so we hope to see you there!

Preserving Memories with a Nomination Italy Philippines Bracelet

This morning, I was reading an article about how animals preserve long term memories, and how they use prions to do just that. Prions are infectious agents composed entirely of a protein material that can fold in multiple, structurally abstract ways, at least one of which is transmissible to other prion proteins, leading to disease in a manner that is epidemiologically comparable to the spread of viral infection. Source (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prion) Well, as human beings, obviously, we know that we store everything in our magnificent brains. We remember things that happened decades ago. We remember how situations made us feel. We remember how we loved so deeply or how we suffered from a love lost. We remember how it felt to have won something for the first time, or how exhilarating your first roller coaster ride was. Yup, we have all those memories stored up there!

And for the moments that we want to remember and cherish forever, we want to have some “thing” that will always make you remember all of these things. A wise group of mentalists that I have met before talked about having anchors for feelings. I don’t know if I still remember it correctly but anchors make you remember feelings and make you react to “how you remember it”. For example, some songs make you cry, and you may not know the reason why. Aside from the song probably being sad, it “maybe” because it was the background music being played in the restaurant when your heart was broken. So these are anchors.

But obviously, I don’t want to remember the sad stuff or the moments when I felt negative emotions. I want to remember the happy ones. So when I came across this brand, Nomination Italy Philippines, I really wanted to get one. To tell you honestly, I am not a person who like jewelry, because I always lose them. The only jewelry that I get to keep are those around my wrist. Haha! So anyway, I always loved customized bracelets. When I saw Nomination Italy Philippines‘ Facebook Page, I was ecstatic.

Frances, my super good friend, and I had a “work” date at Glorietta that day, and I asked her to come with me to the Nomination Italy Store in Glorietta near National Bookstore (2nd Floor). This is what happened (snippets of our visit!).


 

We got each other a Mother’s Day present! I got for her a bracelet that I think she would love and she got for me a bracelet that also had links that showed my personality.

The bracelet that we got was stainless steel, but there is an available bracelet in yellow gold and rose gold, too. The bracelets cost Php 700+ which I though was not bad. For each “link” or charm, the price starts at Php 1300+ and is dependent on the composition of the links. With this, I want to share with you the bracelet that I have!

The teapot represents my “business”, because I have to talk to and have meetings with a lot of people. “I Love Family” is there because my daughter loves saying “I love my Family” 🙂 Hope is there because it’s a main component of Grit. It helps me stay right on track on the things that I want to do in life. And the cute cartoon couple represents me and EJ, my husband. I just think the way it was drawn is so us — we’re quirky and fun even if we have a geeky business 🙂 haha!

So that’s it guys! If you do happen to start building you bracelet, please please please share it with me and Frances. Please tag these accounts on Instagram: @nominationph @gingerarboleda @topazhorizonblog

Talk to you soon!