Mustela Mamas & Bébés

I love how the kids still smell like babies after bathing with Mustela :)

Berry and Xavi are Mustela users since birth (check out Berry's Glossy to see what I mean). It's a staple not only during bath time, but throughout the day, and wherever they go, be it at home, at school, or at play.

 

I personally cannot get enough of their cologne, especially now that I am pregnant and I can't stand the smell of strong perfume. Musti and Mustela's Baby Cologne are just perfect for me and my pregnant nose.

Over the years, our Mustela line-up has expanded into all of these, from our initial bath time essentials, not counting the ones I use from the 9 months line!

With the third Little One coming soon, my current pregnant state, and with these new Mustela products just launched recently, I know for sure I'm adding more Mustela to our daily routine. 

I already swear by Mustela's stretch marks products and their new Stretch Marks Care Oil really ought to be beside every expecting mom's bedside table. 

For all my three pregnancies, I make it a habit to slather on lotions, creams and oils as early as the first trimester, when my skin hasn't fully stretched yet to prep it for further stretching. I have had no problems with stretch marks thanks to this practice, and I guess my genes too. Heehee.

Both Berry & Xavi have never had a problem with diaper rash too, and I credit it all to Mustela's Vitamin Barrier Cream. That's why I am stocking up on these for the newest Mr. Dychiao!

As soon as my babies put on a diaper, yes even as newborns, we slather on the Vitamin Barrier Cream right away. It's protection from urine and poop and I honestly wouldn't wait for rashes to erupt before you start using this. I swear I don't even know what diaper rash looks like, thanks to this wonder product.

We have been using Mustela's After Sun Spray already, but with a new product added to their Sun Protection Line, I am looking forward to trying their Very High Sun Protection Lotion. Very High protection talaga at SPF 50, which means 500 minutes of sun protection. 

I am such a huge fan of Mustela that when they asked me to talk about how Mustela has helped me as a mom, I didn't even have to think about it. I said yes right away!

with fellow Mustela mamas Shen Cala-or and Nicole de los Angeles

It was the least I can do for Sharleen Cu-unjieng and Tammy Tancinco, the mamas who brought Mustela to our shores, and who have become my friends over the course of time since I started buying from them, because I cannot imagine how I would have to hoard Mustela abroad if not for them.

Seriously, before Mustela Philippines, I had to pack bottles of Mustela products whenever we had to go to Manila for a visit, because there was no other way to get it here then. So thank you Sharleen and Tammy for making this mommy's life so much easier, and my babies, smelling so much sweeter! Wala pang diaper rash!

And with that, I leave you with the video where Shen, Nicole and I talk about our motherhood experience, and why we love, love, love Mustela!

For more on Mustela Philippines, visit their website, and Like their Facebook Page, https://www.facebook.com/MustelaPhilippines.

Mustela has kiosks at most major malls. Contact +639178959988 for the store nearest you!

"Name Your Grapevine" Facebook Contest by Welch's

So, I heard via my mommy grapevine that Welch's is giving away The Spa GCs and Welch's Gift Packs weekly until April 7, 2014!

Yessireee! It's for realz. If you're a mom, you should join. If you aren't, just tell your mommy relatives and mommy friends, you've found an easy way to treat themselves and the girls in their lives with some pampering time at The Spa, or over glasses of Welch's Grape Juice at least!

Here's how to join, so simple really:

1. Like Welch's PH on Facebook.

2. Post a photo of your personal grapevine of mom friends and tag everyone in it on the Welch's Philippines Facebook page.

3. Type the name of your Grapevine and include the hashtag #mywelchsgrapevine

That's it, and next thing you know, you might be on your way to enjoying a relaxing time with your favorite girls at The Spa!

Welch's Grape Juice FAQs:

Q: What is Welch’s Grape Juice made of?

It is made from Concord Grapes which have a natural tangy flavor and benefits unique for a grape.

Q: Why is Welch’s a healthy juice drink?

It is rich in Polyphenols, antioxidants that help keep your cells and body healthy and high in Vitamin C which helps strengthen immunity. 

Q: How is Welch’s grape juice made? 

The whole grape is squeezed to make sure none of its grape goodness gets lost. 

Q: How many servings of fruit do you get from welch’s grape juice? 

One daily fruit serving in only ¼ liter consists of 40 grapes in a single glass. 

Q: How is it different from other juice drinks? 

There is no added sugar, flavoring or colors just like mother intended. 

For more information about Welch’s, please visit their website: http://www.welchs.com/

Let's Do An EPSON LabelWorks/PictureMate Giveaway! CLOSED

Prezzzzure! Ok quick background story.

EPSON recently launched a great array of handy dandy portable machines for labeling and photo printing - perfect for moms, crafty folks, and just about any person obsessed with organizing.

 

First is a line of portable labeling machines called EPSON LabelWorks, which are just so perfect for labeling anything and everything that needs to be sorted out in life - be it household files, kitchen drawers, sporting equipment, first aid kits, crafting supplies, and such. 

The EPSON LabelWorks LW-300

Another is the PictureMate PM245, a mobile printing station that allows you to print customized photo prints right in the comfort of your own home. Or wherever you want to take it along.

It's so fantastic, you don't need to go to Kodak to have photos printed out. It can print out your favorite photos, even ID, passport, and visa photos without a PC, straight from your camera even.

That is why, I am so excited to share that EPSON is doing a LabelWorks OR PictureMate Giveaway on mommy blogs, for the benefit of our blog readers. But here's the catch. I am going to need your help for me to host it here in the blog. It's going to be our collective effort, dear readers! EPSON is choosing 3 bloggers to host a giveaway, and they'll be choosing based on who has the most number of reader comments in an EPSON blog post. *More on that later.*

Of course, I want to be able to host an EPSON giveaway here for you because the prizes are amazing!

During EPSON's launch, all the guests got to take home the EPSON LW-300 LabelWorks printer and I set about having the time of my life tinkering with it.

I made sticker labels for Berry's folders, and I love how I got to personalize her stickers with a strawberry symbol (there are in fact 23 symbol categories like Food, Sports, Occasions, Electrical, Zodiax, Safety, Office, etc to personalize your labels with)...

Because the LW-300 can print on ribbon too, I played around with making a personalized gift ribbon for Berry, which she can use when she gives gifts to her teachers and friends.

While looking for ideas on designs for personalized ribbons, I realized that we can even do awareness ribbons with the LW-300.

For this Breast Cancer Awareness Ribbon, I printed out Strength, Courage, Hope.

Because EPSON ribbon cartridges come in an array of colors, we can also use it to make special occasion ribbons for wrapping gifts with - from gold on red Valentine Ribbons, to black on gold Christmas Ribbons, to gold on white Wedding Ribbons.

The deal clincher that sets apart EPSON LabelWorks printers from other label printers in the market today is their iron-on sticker label for clothes!

Just change the label cartridge with this Iron On cartridge, and you're good to go.

I made a sticker label for Xavi's blanket, just to practice.

I just ironed it on, et voila! Even if Xavi accidentally leaves this blanket somewhere, or lends it to someone, there's no denying it's his! The label is washing machine and dry clean safe.

Best of all, LabelWorks printers can be used while plugged in to an electric outlet, or cord free with 6AAA batteries.

It's a must-have, trust me. I have always wanted a label printer, but have been putting off the purchase. Thankfully, I got this and I am just so lucky I ended up with the most versatile amongst all the label printers I have researched on so far. And that is why I would love one of you to win this!

Or this. The Epson LW-400 which works like the LW-300, but has more extra features than the basic model.

Or this. The EPSON PictureMate PM 245 which uses smudge, scratch, water and fade-resistant Epson Claria™ Photographic inks, wherein the vibrancy of photos can last up to 200 years* under test conditions. *Visit www.wihelm-research.com for more information.

See how nice our photo turned out here?

The EPSON LabelWorks line and the PictureMate PM245 + accessories are available at select retailers in SM Megamall Cyberzone and online at www.printers2go.ph.

But then again, why buy when you can possibly get one here in the blog, for free! Here's how:

Leave a comment here in this blog post with the phrase, 

“I WANT PICTUREMATE AND LABELWORKS + the reason why i.e. 

“I WANT PICTUREMATE AND LABELWORKS so that I can creatively feature my baby’s milestones on the scrapbook I am making for her.  

When I do get to become one of 3 bloggers with the most number of comments in an EPSON blogpost, I will be raffling off either a PictureMate PM245, LabelWorks LW-400 or a LabelWorks LW-300. Which only means, 1 of you dear readers will bring home either one of these three!

Game na? Game na! Please leave your full name and email address in your comment please. No Anonymous commenters so I would know how to get in touch with you should you win. 

Exciting! Now tell me how you will use these new toys! I bestow the power for this giveaway to happen, in your hands! ;)

Multiple comments from the same reader will only be counted as one. Comments are accepted until 11:59 pm of March 21, 2014. Contest is open to residents of the Philippines only. Winners will claim their prize at the EPSON office in Ortigas. For winners who reside outside Metro Manila, EPSON will ship the prize via courier.

Mompreneur Summit 2013

Calling all entrepreneurs and aspiring mompreneurs!

Want to have a productive Saturday? I would recommend that you check out Mompreneur Manila's 2nd Mompreneur Summit, happening at the Blue Leaf Events Pavilion at McKinley Hill in Bonifacio Global City this Saturday, September 14, 2013.

The theme this year is Passion and Purpose, which aims to encourage and inspire mompreneurs to create and establish businesses created for a cause and founded with heart. These two driving forces are the keys behind every successful business—both of which are values innate to every mompreneur. 

The summit aims to help mompreneurs develop these values, helping them re-discover the passion to achieve something on top of being an active mom and successful homemaker, and uncover a greater purpose and a deeper, more meaningful motivational drive in finding fulfillment in their businesses through its impact on other people’s lives.

If you want to discover and further develop your passion and also find purpose in your trade, this is for you. Featuring a workshop on finding the meaning behind one’s business, this year’s summit will discuss points that go above and beyond entrepreneurial success.

The 2nd Mompreneur Summit features speakers to provide valuable learnings and insights. Following is the programme line up: 

Doing Well while Doing Good
AMOR MACLANG 
Director of PR and Communications, Geiser Maclang Marketing Communications

Positioning a Brand for Success: The Havaianas Story
ANNE ARCENAS-GONZALEZ 
Managing Director, Terry S.A., Philippines

Big Biz or Small Biz: Purposeful Branding
AJ and AUDREY DIMARUCOT 
Founders, Googoo and Gaga Clothing

Harnessing Passion Towards Success
JENNI EPPERSON 
Lifestyle Blogger, Media Personality, and Stylist

Using Multiple Intelligences to Make a Difference
JOY ABAQUIN 
Founder, Multiple Intelligence International School

Participation Fee to the 2ND MOMPRENEUR SUMMIT is P3,000/ person
*fee is inclusive of a conference kit, lunch, and morning and afternoon snacks.

For inquiries, email info@mompreneurmanila.com.

There's a Day Care for moms with kids in tow! Just advise via email that you will bring the kids so that organizers can register them.

Ready and raring to go? SIGN UP FOR THE 2nd MOMPRENEUR SUMMIT HERE! Limited slots are available. 

Furthermore, this year’s summit’s main highlight is also the 1st Mompreneur Awards, where the hard work, passion and innovation of successful mompreneur-led businesses will be given recognition. During the event, awards will be presented to the most admired mompreneurs in the following categories: Brand Positioning and Strategy, Brand and Product Innovation, PR and Word of Mouth Marketing, Web and Social Media Marketing, Social Mompreneurship and Advocacy.

Mommy Issues & Virtues

Two Mother's Days ago, I wrote a post on the lessons that my mom taught me. Re-reading it made me appreciate my mom even more, because now that I am a mom to two kids, I realize how difficult it was for her to raise 5 kids, while her husband, our dad, was away most of the time on field assignment.

Let me tell you about my Mom. She sounds frivolous and out of touch with reality at times, but she taught me so many valuable life lessons, that I will share some with you today aka Pamana ni Nanay:

Marrying for love.  One huge thing that I thank my parents for is that they let us grow secure in the fact that they love each other. They have been together for close to 50 years now and they are proof to me that people who love each other will always make it work.

My parents, in their 30s. Taken at their friends' home in Vidalia, Georgia

For one, in this day and age when a long-distance relationship sounds like the scariest thing on earth, my parents carried on a 7 year long-distance relationship (pre-Skype/Face Time/Viber/Whatsapp, etc yan ha) before they tied the knot. I don't know how they managed, but they did. While studying in Manila, she would write long love-letters to my Dad who was then a PMA cadet in Baguio. My dad would reply, writing "newspapers" = letters written in Manila paper with Pentel pen. Telegrams (kids, ever heard of that?) were exchanged. It was romantic stuff. When I was ten, I would pore at their love letters, feeling a mixture of kilig and cringe factor levels. My Mom went on to work in the US for a few years after graduation, before getting married. At the time my Dad was already in Mindanao, living in the jungles, heading a small platoon of soldiers. He would regale us with stories of being in battle, bullets whizzing past his head, he and his soldiers bravely dodging enemy fire, saying it was like a scene from a movie...

Unflinching faith and prayers. If I were in my Mom's shoes, the thought that my fiance was risking life and limb each day would have scared me shitless. But my Mom said she put my Dad in God's hands and prayed and prayed and prayed for his safety every single day. This went on from the time my Dad was a scruffy, ill-fed lieutenant up until my Dad reached the peak of his career as CSAFP. She supported my Dad's dream to be a four-star general, and took the backseat, gamely giving up her career to be an army wife, raising five kids while my Dad was busy serving the country.

Taking on responsibility wholeheartedly. She's the 2nd of four live siblings. Her eldest sister passed away when my Mom was 26, and she suddenly found herself thrust in the role of eldest child. Something that she probably wasn't prepared for, but she stepped up to the plate and took on the responsibility, valiantly. When my grandparents grew old and got sick, she was the one doing the hospital rounds, while managing a household. Even at that, she still found time to drive us to and from school, bringing us piping hot sinigang for lunch, to the envy of my classmates who by then had cold, wrinkly hotdogs in their lunchbox.

Quality over quantity. When I was 7, my Mom, my sister Trina, and I visited my Lola Imas in San Francisco. I remember my Mom only ever shopped twice for herself. One, to buy a strand of Mikimoto pearls and two, to buy a Nikon SLR camera. Quality > Quantity personified. Which reminds me of this lady who was struggling to stuff her bag on the overhead compartment on our flight back to Manila. My Mom tried to help her but she wasn't nice to my Mom because she was being careful daw about the oranges and apples in her carry-on luggage. Baka she had corned beef packed in her maleta too, along with clothes from K- Mart. Uy joke lang ha. Just taking a dig at that nasty woman. Yes, 30 years later and I still can't forget how that lady's mom forgot to teach her good manners and right conduct. Sya na nga tinutulungan, sya pa yung galit. Plus, nobody talks to my Mom like that, ok? Sorry Mom I wasn't able to defend you and give that lady a piece of my mind. I was only 7 then. But I already knew that was no way to treat a stranger, especially one who was only offering to help.

Which leads me to this - we all are a reflection of the people who raised us. And I think, the best compliment a child can ever give a parent is when a child shows his/her appreciation not just in the grandest of gestures but in the sincerest, most heartfelt words ever. Because a grateful child is a constant recipient of God's graces, and will always be a blessing not only to his/her parents but to others as well.

With that, I leave you with this touching video from Ceelin of five children who went beyond their way to show their moms how grateful they are for all the sacrifices and lessons that made them who they are today. Here's what they did to thank them on Mother's Day.

I can only wish my kids will be as proud as me, and will see me not just as a Mom, but a friend whom they can trust and confide in. I hope they will enjoy my company even when they grow into their teens and adult years, and I pray that with our help, they become the person they dream of being, savoring the life they dream of living. 

Meet The SoMoms + A Giveaway!

Let me tell you how I stumbled into blogging and how MFO has evolved. 

Yes, "the evolution of MFO" as my friend Karrots would say.

It really wasn't a deliberate thing. I studied Business Economics in UP, then I took up my MBA in AIM. My business background led me to corporate careers - I started out as analyst for an investment bank, then found myself doing merchandising for Starbucks (yes, I bought those Starbucks tumblers and mugs you collect, and rolled out all the seasonal marketing collaterals to stores, fun stuff). After my MBA, I went back to banking, doing marketing for Citibank. 

It was while I was in banking that I started blogging in 2006, as a way to kill time because Dada was studying abroad in Harvard and I would patiently wait for him to wake up so we could talk on Skype. It was also a creative outlet and a way to document my wish lists and anything that caught my fancy. 

What started as a mishmash of a blog filled with fashion related topics ranging from clothes, shoes, shopping, travel tips and industry news I was keeping tabs on, has grown into a full on lifestyle blog with my move to the US to join Dada who started working for a law firm in NYC in 2007. The blog took on another dimension when I became a mom to our two adorable babies, Berry and Xavi.

Today, apart from writing about my love for fashion, shopping and spreading word about the need to cultivate one's personal style, I also share my musings on motherhood and parenting, as well as baby, pregnancy and mommy friendly products. And my readers, as it turns out, also grew along with me! They eventually got engaged, married and found themselves with kids of their own. 

When we moved back here from Singapore last December, I was gone a total of 4 years. I was afraid that my friends have been so used to not having me around that I would have a dismal social life. But on the contrary! My childhood friends were so happy to have us back in town. Not only that, I gained a new set of friends, my mommy blogger friends who I finally could meet over coffee or lunch, after having only exchanged messages with online or via email back when were still living abroad.

Meet my mommy blogger friends, the Mommy Mundo Social Media Moms or SoMoms for short.

Neva of Manila Mommy who is currently on maternity leave and busy with new baby Noah, Michelle of My Mom Friday who is the poster full-time mom, Jenny of Chronicles of A Nursing Mom who also happens to be a lawyer by day, me aka MFO, Eli of The Painter's Wife aka The Painter's manager/muse, Janice of My Mundo aka the power mom behind Mommy Mundo, Cai of Apples & Dumplings who is an IT "geek" by day, Jenny of My Mommyology also a balik Pilipinas mom like me, Jen of Jen and the 3 Boys aka President of Next9 Baby, the beautiful Jackie of Go! Jackie Go, Fleur of Mommy Fleur aka Engr. Sombrero and Kris of OC Mom In Manila aka Donya Aquasana.

Yes, parang gang lang kami or high school barkada with a barkada name. Hehe.

We all have different interests, different advocacies. Some of us are corporate career women, some are mompreneurs, some of us are stay-at-home moms. But I guess what brings us all together is our desire to be better moms, and to not lose ourselves in the process. We are still fun, interesting individuals who are also devoted to our families. In SoMoms parlance: 

We are a collective of moms who are active on social media and have unique voices and points of view that are relevant to moms like us. 

Interested to know more about Mommy Mundo SoMoms? Click HERE. 

Better yet, want to meet us? Mommy Mundo SoMoms will be at the Mommy Mundo Bazaar happening on November 24-25, at the Rockwell Tent in Makati. We will have a booth there. Say hello, ask questions about our blogs, our advocacies and passions, we can even do personal shopping for you! Hehe!

The MOMMY MUNDO BAZAAR features 80+ booths of the latest mom and baby products, gift items for the whole family, fun activities and more. The bazaar highlights all kinds of mommy essentials from maternity and nursingwear, babywearing products, baby slings and accessories, diapers, baby and kids clothes and shoes, toys and books. For the full list of partners and vendors, click HERE.

The Mom 24/7 2013 Planner will also be launched during this event. This is a mommy essential, especially for mommies like me who have had epidurals and tend to forget lots of things, even our kids' names. Haha!

Fun no?! To celebrate all these exciting developments, Mommy Mundo and the SoMoms are giving away a Mommy Mundo set which includes not only the Mom 24/7 Planner (worth PhP395) above, but also a Mommy Mundo Privilege Passport (worth PhP175), free entrance fee and a shopping bag (worth PhP30)! Join via Rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Important details on the giveaway:
- Contest will run from Nov 14 to 21
- Winner will be announced on Nov 22
- Prize is transferrable. If the winner already has a passport, she can assign it to a friend or anyone she wants. If she is not yet a mom, she can give the planner to her mom or a mommy friend.
- Prize must be claimed at the bazaar. Winner forfeits her prize if she doesn’t come to the bazaar.

To increase your chances of winning, check out my fellow SoMoms blog posts:

Why I Blog (SoMoms Giveaway) by Jen and the 3 Boys
Mommy Mundo SoMoms by The Painter's Wife
Giveaway: Launch Of SoMoms At The Mommy Mundo Bazaar 2012 by Go Jackie Go
Mommy Mundo Bazaar 2012 by Manila Mommy
Mommy Mundo SoMoms Giveaway by Apples and Dumplings
Meet the Mom behind My Mommyology and the rest of the SoMoms by My Mommyology
Introducing Mommy Mundo So Moms by Chronicles of a Nursing Mom
Introducing: The Mommy Mundo SoMoms (with a Giveaway) by Mommy Fleur
The Mommy Mundo SoMoms (and a Giveaway) by OC Mom in Manila

Welcome Mommy Mundo SoMoms by My Mundo

Parenting and Timing the Teaching Moment

In case this is your first time here in the blog, frequent readers, especially you mommies, would know about New Beginnings, the "mommy support group" I am a part of.

Here I am 5 weeks after giving birth, I just had to attend the 2nd parenting talk because of the valuable lessons I learn from Coach Pia and my fellow moms. Photo by Lawrence del Mundo

I just wanted to share with you a blog post I did for New Beginnings on Timing the Teaching Moment aka when is the best time to teach your kid a life lesson.

The insights I learned are life changing. I do remember exactly when and how my mom taught me tips or gave me advice that I still adhere to up to today. There really is a right time to have that "talk" with our kids, and I am sharing with you when, HERE.

Read and feel free to pass on to other parents you know! =)

PS - New Beginnings and Friso Mum is having a Belly Buddies Promotion, where you get to earn gifts from Mothercare, Rustan's and Mustela. Click HERE to find out more.

I Am Who I Am and Why I Sleep in Style

My mom believes she is a very practical person. As much as she thinks my obsession with fashion is a waste of time, money and effort, I can't help but think she is somehow instrumental in shaping my world views. I am who I am, because directly or indirectly, she conditioned me to behave and act this way.

Take these instances for example:

When we were growing up, my mom would dress us up in tights with skirts and dresses/overalls or pants every single day if she can help it. Even if we had no place to go. Why? Because she says that we have to protect our knees and legs from getting scratched! Of course when I was old enough to think for myself, I preferred running around in shorts and slippers like the rest of the kids, and go barefoot at home just to freak her out. But wearing pants, and tights to protect my legs? Actually, it makes perfect sense to me now!

I was seven when I first stepped into a K-Mart. I was amazed at all the stuff in that place. Everything was imported! (hahaha) At that age, the first thing that I went straight for was the clothes section. I saw a cool shirt with a matching visor and told my mom I wanted that one! She was appalled at the thought of buying clothes in K-Mart and vehemently said no! But I got my way after I threw a tantrum, and my sister Trina decided she wanted the same item in red, and joined in the ruckus! Looking back, I realized the reason for her disapproval. My mom says that its better to have a few quality clothes and shoes than a lot of cheap, trendy items flooding the closet. She calls it "investment dressing". Fast forward to now, and me and my predisposition to expensive stuff (quality doesn't come cheap) is cause for her consternation.

My sibs and I used to complain that there's always no food in the house. I mean yeah, the refrigerator may have meat, eggs and vegetables. The fruit bowl full of mangoes, oranges and bananas. The pantry stocked with pretzels, trail mix and granola bars (my mom's concept of junk food); but where are the potato chips? The chocolates? The cakes? The donuts? That's what we mean by food! You'd expect a maternal woman to say, "Kids, junk food isn't healthy, it won't do your body good!". You know what she answers back? "Pasalamat kayo walang ganyang pagkain dito! Kundi matataba na kayo lahat! Kaya kayo payat dahil sa akin!" ("Thank me for not buying junk food! If I did, you'd all be fat! I am the reason why you are all skinny!")

My mom always tells us to put on nice underwear (in case you get into an accident) and sleepwear (in case you have to dash out of the house if ever there's a fire). She believes one always has to look presentable, at all friggin' times! But unlike my brother who manages to cling onto his favorite holey shirts, us girls are resigned to the fact that yes, we always have to look neat to avoid being the target of our mom's tirades. I have taken this to heart, and I make it a point to look nice even when I sleep. I have a vast collection of pretty pajamas, mostly ones I make for myself. I choose the prints and have my seamstress make me sets and sets for me to admire, and doze off in of course!

I realized though that I am one of the very few people who behave this way. While some people may look presentable, even kikay outside the house, they love wearing ratty stuff at home! Their oldest, most threadbare house clothes! That's why I have an affinity with girls and guys who get excited about a silly thing as nice pajamas! They are the ones who live and breath style - even in the privacy of their rooms. While there are an enlightened few who believe in the importance of sleeping in style, the concept of fashionable sleepwear here in the Philippines is still unchartered territory.

But I appeal to those who are not yet converts! There is a world to discover out there! Join me and my fellow believers in our journey to dreamland!

Isn't this collage of items from sleepyheads.com enough to set your heart and mind racing at the possibilities? Love it! Love it! Love it!

Nick & Nora® Sleepyheads.com Midnight Snacker Blue Flannel Pajama

Nick & Nora® Sleepyheads.com Circus, Circus Original Luxury Red Flannel Pajama

The Cat's Pajamas Geisha Print Capri Set PJs

The Cat's Pajamas Heels and Handbags Poplin PJs

The Cat's Pajamas Sushi Fannel Sleep Shirt

Incidentally, The Cat's Pajamas was founded by college friends Jenny and Lynn, who graduated from Stanford University (with degrees in sociology and american studies) mind you!

Now here are some sleepwear possibilities from Frankie & Johnny!

Frankie & Johnny Fairy Tale Wedding Print

Frankie & Johnny Apple Orchard Print

Frankie & Johnny Sleepy Sheep Print

CUTE! CUTE! CUTE! I WANT THEM ALL!!! Heehee! If you'd like some nice sleepwear here in Manila, I suggest you check out Women's Secret, Rustans (they carry Natori and a private label sleepwear line) and the Ruth & Esther boutique in City Golf Plaza Ortigas -- the shop stocks pajamas I designed myself ;-)

(Photos courtesy of sleepyheads.com)