Mommy Ginger
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A Not So Ordinary Event — Lots of Love for Sanicare!

Recently, I’ve been feeling a bit stressed with everything that has been happening at home at in our business. It’s mid-year and we need to give more effort and push more to get more clients for our business (Taxumo). For things at home, we need to make things work financially. As you know, my husband and I are “all in” in running the business that we have. We have freelancing gigs on the side, but we both don’t have day jobs and we are working with whatever we get from the business and from our side gigs.

Between this and being a parent, there’s a chance that we’ll go crazy anytime soon! It’s not easy (for both of us) to keep calm, stay strong and keep sane, but we have to. We need to be all of these things for our child and our employees (who we consider to be our other “kids”).

One day, I was invited to go to a Sanicare event. I thought it would just be another event. Amidst all of the things that I was thinking about, I decided that I needed a break from thinking and planning. Plus, I really wanted to have a Sanicare Play Day (#SanicarePlayDay) with my daughter. I decided a play day would be good for us. I missed spending quality time with her.

In the event, there were a lot of nice and really cool activities.

Sushi Making and Creating your own Headband Stand

Zeeka got a bunch of cotton, wrapped it on Nori-looking paper and decorated the top with cute designs! After creating “pretend” sushi, she created a headband stand. She has a lot of headbands at home and this DIY-headband stand will be great for keeping her accessories. After playing, she automatically got some Sanicare wet wipes to clean her hands.

Obstacle course and Playing at the Mini-Playground

This little girl loves exploring. We actually did all of the activities at the #SanicarePlayDay. There was a part with a wooden obstacle course and a wooden seesaw. She played happily in this area, as I watched and wondered on how big she has gotten! I still remember the time when she was still learning how to walk and talk. Now, she’s a brave little lady with her own mind, making her own decisions.

Playing with Sand in a Sandbox

We then played together with sand in the sandbox. I hid things under the sand and she would look for it. She loves treasure-hunting.

Singing in the Rain Photo wall and Frame your Hand Print

We then had our photo-taken and she also did the activity where you get to frame your hand print. She covered her palm and fingers with paint and pressed it against a Sanicare paper towel. It was then framed and we took it home as a keepsake. It was so cute! I loved this the best.

I also loved that all around the venue, there was an ample supply of wet wipes and paper towels to keep out little one’s hands clean.

While having our food, there was a program. I really thought that this was just another event for me until, I heard some things that struck me while Lea (Sanicare Marketing Communications Director) and Bianca Gonzales – Intal were talking. They were talking about Lea’s Sanicare story. She said that when they were kids, their mom would continuously hover over them and would go crazy chasing after them, so as to keep their hands clean while they play.

With Sanicare’s products, parents will have one less thing to worry about (#OneLessWorry) as they won’t need to stress over sanitary worries like these. Then I began to get emotional a bit and think about my situation now. Haha! I stopped myself as people would think that I’m crazy for sobbing in an event with wet wipes, toilet seat covers, paper towels and tissues (then again, there were boxes of tissue all over the place.. haha!).

I think we all just need time for ourselves. This is when clarity comes. We need time to keep sane. It’s nice to know that products like Sanicare go that extra mile to not only to create “functional” products, but also go to the extent of thinking of the situation of different moms and dads — thinking about how to help them keep sane. Being a parent is a huge responsibility. Imagine having that responsibility of forming a human so that they grow to up to be independent, smart, driven, generous, kind-hearted, God-fearing, loving, healthy, etc. It’s hard.

Then imagine having that responsibility and on-top of it all, the responsibility, too, to building up resources to make you capable of presenting that “bright future” to your little one. We, parents, work hard (be it to have a day job, or to build a business or to find clients for your freelancing career, or to grow your profession) in order to provide the best for our children. The “best that we can do” equates to the resources that we build to open up opportunities and to be able to make their dreams come true in the future.

This is what made this ordinary press event into a “not-so-ordinary” event. I went their with my daughter to have a Sanicare Play Day, but I came out stronger, knowing that there are people and brands cheering you on. The universe believes that WE can do it. We just have to trust. There’s something comforting about that fact that we all go through challenges and circumstances, and we know that we will all get through it! We just need to be there for each other.

So, to Sanicare, lots of love to you, too! We’ll be behind you, too, cheering on!

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Sanicare or Sanitary Care Products Asia (SCPA) Inc. went through different challenges from the Asian financial crisis in 1998, the burning down of their main factory in 2012, and the flooding of another facility in 2014. They’ve survived and they’re still standing strong! Read more about Sanicare’s story here: http://business.inquirer.net/217905/sanicare-weathers-storms-with-gods-grace

 

5 Tips for Stress-Free Meals During the Christmas Season (with a Sanicare Giveaway!)

The biggest holiday of the year is just a few weeks away, and this is a particularly hectic time for mommies like me. Apart from working on my businesses and blog, there are friends to meet, reunions to have, and shopping to do. On top of that, there’s the usual family activities, like play time and study time and, of course, meal time. And while it’s easy to eat out, nothing quite beats a yummy meal at home for family bonding, even though it can be tough to make time to prepare and serve food when there are so many other things to do.

If, like me, you still want to make the effort, though, here are a few tips to make your life a little easier:

  1. Batch cook and pre-portion.

Freezer meals are often a busy mommy’s best friend. There are so many recipes you can find online for dishes you can make ahead and serve days, even weeks, later. As an extra step, make sure you portion these out before freezing so that, on busy days, you can just heat and be ready to eat in minutes.

  1. Share the load.

Having someone to help you around the house is a godsend, but don’t just rely on yaya all the time. You can also get your partner and your kids to help with the meal preparation. In fact, having your child help prepare the food she eats is one tried-and-true way to reduce the chances of her becoming a picky eater. When she has a hand in making the food that goes on the table, she is more likely to want to try her creations. Plus, it’s a great life skill to teach early on.

  1. Clean as you go.

Keep the kitchen clean as you cook, and don’t let dishes and cookware pile up after meals. While it can be tempting to procrastinate, a dirty kitchen isn’t just an eyesore, it’s a breeding ground for bugs and bacteria. To liven up the cleaning process, I’ve been using Sanicare’s special edition Christmas print towels, which also have the benefit of prettying up my kitchen counter.

  1. It’s not a sin to order in.

Of course, there will be days when you run out of freezer meals and are just too tired or busy to take time out to cook, and that’s fine. That’s exactly why there are so many food delivery options to choose from. Plus, these days, you’re not limited to fast food for delivery. You can get meals from your favorite restaurants just by making a call or using an app on your mobile or on a webpage.

  1. Dress to impress.

By this, I don’t mean that you can’t come to the dinner table wearing your comfiest pambahay outfits. I mean that you can level up your meal appeal by making the effort to prettify your table. Even when you’re serving takeout, use real plates, glasses, and cutlery. Pick pretty placemats and add decorative table elements. One thing that’s on my dinner table is my Sanicare Liwanag Christmas Box, which holds tissues for easy access and features a pretty design by artist and MovEd founder Alex Eduque.

In case you haven’t seen them yet, they’re super pretty and showcase designs by an up-and-coming local artist.

One design is inspired by parols, or star-shaped Christmas lanterns. This is uniquely Filipino and, according to the artist, is a symbolic representation of a sense of promise and unification.

The other design is inspired by the stars. Alex Eduque herself says that this is “a constant reminder that we share the same sky and, despite the stark differences and circumstances in all corners of the world, that each one of us has a star shining brightly within.”

Isn’t that a great thing to remind ourselves of, especially at Christmas?

Anyway, if you haven’t picked up a Liwanag Christmas Box yet, here’s one reason to do so the next time you’re at the supermarket: Sanicare is having a promo! The grand prize winner will get four all-day passes to the Dream Play and Lunch buffet at The Café at the Hyatt City of Dreams Manila. Ten consolation prize winners will also receive P2000 in Sodexo gift certificates.

Here’s how it works:

  1. Take a creative photo featuring the Sanicare Facial Tissue Liwanag Series Box.
  2. Post it on your Facebook timeline. Start your caption with the phrase, “My Christmas is extra bright this year because _____!” and make sure to use the hashtags #SanicareLiwanagSeries #Sanicare and #SCPA
  3. Tag three other friends in your post, then publish.
  4. Go to the Sanicare PH Facebook promo post then click on the link provided to submit your entry.

The promo runs from November 22, 2017, to January 1, 2018. Winners will be announced on the Sanicare PH Facebook page on January 15, 2018.

Good luck and happy posting!