Mommy Ginger
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8 Locally Sourced Gift Ideas for Titos and Titas

When it comes to shopping for Christmas gifts, we mommies can often find it easy to shop for kids and find it hard to shop for the titos and titas in our lives—especially as we become titas ourselves. Recently, though, I’ve been embracing the idea of the #lovelocal movement, where we are encouraged to support local businesses who in turn support local communities.

So I thought, why not make a list of Christmas gift ideas guaranteed to make titas of Manila like me happy? Plus, if you check out my list below, you’ll notice many of the gifts can be bought in bulk, which is a great way to get your Christmas shopping done in record time.

For the fashionistas

*From the Renegade Folk website

Who says footwear can’t be comfy, high-quality, and fashionable? Certainly not the people behind Renegade Folk, who sell leather footwear designed and handcrafted by local artisans from Marikina.

Check out the Renegade Folk website for more information.
(https://www.renegadefolk.com/)

For the eco-conscious

If your tito or tita talks the talk and walks the walk about being more eco-friendly, one thing you might want to gift them a set of reusable straws, the better to help them reduce their use of plastic on a daily basis. The stainless steel straws from Go Zero can be ordered with tikog pouches made by Leyte locals.

Visit the Go Zero PH Facebook page to learn more about their products and order a few sets.
(https://www.facebook.com/GoZeroPH/)

For those who like to keep things organic

*from the Human Nature Facebook Page

Social enterprise Human Heart Nature doesn’t just work on helping Filipino communities who need it; they also have created an extensive line of organic personal care, beauty, and home products perfect for titos and titos with big hearts themselves. Check out their Natural Hand Soap and Coffee Body Scrub.

Check out the Human Heart Nature Facebook page for more information.
(https://www.facebook.com/humanheartnature)

For chocoholics

Who doesn’t love chocolate? And even if the tito or tita on your Christmas shopping list is watching their sugar, you can still gift them with unsweetened options. And the products from Davao brand Malagos Chocolate aren’t just delicious—they have also won multiple times at the Academy of Chocolate Awards in London, UK.

Check out the Malagos Chocolate website for details on where to buy their products.
(http://malagoschocolate.com/malagos-chocolate/)

For coffee addicts

*Image from Bo’s Coffee website

If your favorite tito or tita can’t face starting the day without a freshly brewed cup of coffee, why not encourage them to go local with premium coffee beans from all over the Philippines? You can easily source packs of barako beans at the supermarket, or you can head to your nearest Bo’s Coffee branch to buy a bag of their Philippine-origin beans from Sagada, Benguet, Mount Matutum, and more.

Visit the Bo’s Coffee contact page to find the branch closest to you.
(http://www.boscoffee.com/contact-us/)

For the health conscious

Snacking can be tough if you’re watching your weight, your cholesterol, your salt intake, and more. Which is why the snacks from Founding Farmers are such a godsend for anyone looking to eat healthier—something we should all be doing this coming year! While the original product, their Mixed Veggie Crisps, are still a best seller, you may also want to try their Shiitake Mushroom Crisps.

Visit the Founding Farmers website for more information on their products.
(https://www.foundingfarmerssnacks.com/shop)

For the kikay titas

*Image from the Happy Skin Website

Happy Skin makeup and skin care products are sure to please any kikay tita, with the local brand’s unique formulations for sensitive skin and oh-so-cute packaging. Their Disney Princess lippie line is perfect for grown-up princesses, though their Shut Up and Kiss Me Matte Lippies are great too.

Go to the Happy Skin Cosmetics website to learn more about their products.
(http://www.happyskincosmetics.com/)

For those who need a break

Is your favorite tito or tita always on the go? Treat them to a massage package at a spa with branches close to their home or work. Or, if you’re a little shy about offering them a full-body massage, why not treat them to a mani-pedi somewhere convenient, such as a nearby Nail Tropics branch?

Learn more about Nail Tropics via their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pg/NailTropics/

Got other local gift suggestions for me? Please leave a comment and tell me all about them!

Photobook Worldwide

I’m so worried that one day my computer may not work. I have so many files in my computer that I need to transfer most of it to a cloud storage so that my computer can function well again. And if you have seen my house, it really needs a LOT of decluttering and cleaning. The “ber” months always remind me that I have to fix things before the next year starts. KONMARI actually helped a lot (at least our cabinets and drawers for clothes are organized).  My main concern though is really where to keep pictures and other keepsakes. I have so many nice pictures that I want to print out everything and put it in frames. Having so many frames though will then again be an issue.

So my problem was how do I be reminded of the pictures that I love while keeping my place still organized. I searched for a solution and came across a site called Photobook Worldwide. This gave me the idea that I could actually “store” pictures that I love using functional products that I use on a daily basis (like mugs, bags, etc.). In Photobook Worldwide, you can create mugs, serving trays, clocks, calendars, pillows, tote bags, etc. with the pictures that you love as the design.

What I love about the site is that it’s very simple to use, and they have a wide array of products that you can choose from. Also, even if the products come from outside of the Philippines, I received my orders in just 2 days! It was really that fast.

To order the product, all you need to do is choose the product that you want to order (just like this). Then, click on personalize.

You will then be taken to a page where you can edit the product that you chose. Using this tool is very easy. You can upload pictures and drag and drop it to where you want to put them. You can add text or change the text.

I never imagined that designing a mug, tote bag, calling card and a photobook can be so much fun. This must be the reason why my friend is addicted to creating these things. Having a photo book for all the things that you have done during the past year is a good remembrance of the nice moments that happened. Also, when guests visit your home, you can just grab these from the shelf and share these moments with them.

So for the past few weeks, I have been busy making these. These are the products that I had made. I have a favorite photo of our family that our friend Louie Arcilla, professional photographer took when our daughter was one year old. I really love this photo, so I decided to use it as the photo in my personalized mug, instead of putting it on a frame. I have coffee in a daily basis, so I use this mug and it makes me happy! 🙂

Another thing that i’m excited about is co-founding a group called BFF or Beauty Fun Freelance. A group of women freelancers came together to talk about beauty, skincare, wellness, fitness, health and make-up. Because of this passion, we started a community and page on Facebook just recently. We now have close to 1000 followers.

Now, since this is a project that makes me happy and excites me, I had the logo of our group printed on a tote bag by Photobook Worldwide. Here it is in the picture below. Ain’t it nice! I feel that I can design stuff with the Photobook tool even if I know I have ZERO talent for the arts. Haha!

I also had my calling cards made at Photobook Worldwide. I often forget that I have MommyGinger.com as a “business”, too. This year, as a mompreneur, I plan to fix everything at home and at work. It was so great that I got to do all these things at the Photobook Worldwide site.

Do you want to fix some things, too? Also, these are great gifts to loved ones! For those who want to visit PhotoBook Worldwide, this is the link: http://www.photobookworldwide.com/

I am giving away a special surprise.

You can order anything at 60% off by using the code GINGER before checking out!

Cool right? What are you waiting for? Hurry and grab this great offer! Share what you have created with me, okay?

#LoveSnR during the Love Month

Did you have a sweet Valentine’s Day? Don’t fret because going to S&R Membership Shopping can give you the right amount of sweetness that you crave for! We did our monthly grocery shopping at S&R and I took note of the products that you might be interested in having or in giving this Love Month.

  1. These cookies in these cute bear tin cans can melt anyone’s heart.

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2) Looking for the perfect gift for mom this love month? Check out these three products from Ariete: The Ariete Popcorn Maker at Php 1599 from Php 2199, The Ariete Hotdog Maker at Php 2199 and the Ariete Cotton Candy Maker at Php 3299 from 4299. These stylish and vintage looking equipments are sold at lower prices at S&R.

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3) For mallow lovers, this Trufettes de France Orange Mallow Dark Chocolate – Chocolat Noir will be perfect!

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4) If you have not tried this, you are missing out on life, sister! This Pepero Double Dip is one of my favorites! A big box has 8 packs and I can finish 3 packs in one sitting. This is available at S&R for only Php 299.95.

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5) The Classic Brown & Haley Roca Collection is one of the most loved and sought after chocolates! The boxes includes these two flavors: Almond and Dark Roca.

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6) My daughter loves this! I think other kids will love it, too, since these M&Ms in tubular containers doubles as a wand for them! haha!

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7) This Witor’s Il Boero Chocolate is to die for. In this classy container comes little pieces of chocolate that makes every calorie worth it! Forget about the calories, this dessert is to die for!

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8) Now the first of the simple looking desserts is the Talenti Gelato. The packaging is very simple, but it’s super yummy! Try the Salted Peanut Caramel Ice cream and tell us what you think!

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9) Now, the second very simple looking dessert, but is super yummy, too, is Holly’s Yoghurt. This is also one of my favorites! It’s not too sweet. It had the right amount of tartness. This is something that you must buy!

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10) For those who love milk, lemonade and coffee, these drinks from Califia are amazing. I also love the shape of the bottle! I bought Almond milk and it’s perfect for snacking!

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11) If you’re not one to express feeling through words, then this gigantic cookie may help you out.

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12) For the men in your life, a bottle of wine will show them how much you care!

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These are some of things that can make your Love Month sweeter than ever! Head over to S&R and try out these things! Let me know which ones are your favorite by using #LoveSnR and #SnReveryday! Visit the S&R Member Shopping page for more information on discounts and promos!

Christmas Decoration DIY for Toddlers: About Gifts and On Hearing “Observations”

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Christmas is just around the corner and so are family reunions and seeing relatives whom we haven’t seen for the longest time. With these celebrations, even if we try to avoid them, we will hear a lot of “observations” (under judging stares) from people around us. We will hear a lot of advice from other who think they know more that we do as parents.

I have been a victim of this and sometimes, these statements make me doubt myself.

In my family, kids being chubby meant that they were getting the proper nutrition. Now here is where the observations come in. Ever since she was a baby, my daughter never grew chubby or fat, so in the eyes of some people, they think she’s unhealthy. Proudly, I would say that my daughter has never gotten gravely ill. We give healthy food to eat, ask her to sleep early during the weekdays, and we give her vitamins like Propan TLC that contains ingredients that help her stay healthy (Propan TLC contains Lysine and B-Vitamins to help boost and maintain appetite, 100% RENI Vitamin C for stronger immunity and Vitamin D to boost height and for stronger bones).

I think I am doing pretty darn well as a mom, and I am sure you are, too! Be confident and take their advice and observations with a grain of salt.
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Today, we will share another Christmas decoration DIY for Toddlers activity that I did together with my little girl. We wanted to create our own DIY ribbons for a gift, but unfortunately, we didn’t get to make one. We still had fun though wrapping the gift for her cousin Noah together. She was excited to tie the ribbon of the gift.

Here is the link to our video! Hope you like it!

That’s it for today’s Christmas countdown and sharing another activity for Christmas decoration DIY for Toddlers. Aside from that, never doubt yourself as a mom. I’m sure all of us are trying to be the best mom that we could be. We all want what’s best for our child and that is all that matters!