Renegade Folk's Got Something for Moms

If you're still racking your brains, thinking of what to give Mom on Mother's Day, I would suggest a no fail present: Renegade Folk sandals.

I've never met anyone who isn't in love with her own pair/s. I don't know anyone who wouldn't want to add another pair to her collection. Take it from me, I've got 4 pairs, and running.

To make that Mother's Day pair extra special, consider this. You can bundle that pair with a Renegade Folk exclusive, a framed print made in collaboration with illustrator Jamie Catt,

and designer/calligrapher Anina Rubio.

Now, here's a sweet deal. This bundle of sandals + framed art retail for only Php2950.

But use my coupon code Momsday2015cd and you'll get 10% OFF this bundle, or any purchase made at www.renegadefolk.com. Take note, this framed print, and this bundle, and this coupon code is only available throughout the month of May!

A little Mother's Day treat from this mother to you!

Gingersnaps Pluggies Snap. Share. Win!

Have you given in to the Gingersnaps Pluggies craze this summer? Well, it gets better!

Gingersnaps wants to see how creative you and your kids can get with your Pluggies. Like Neva aka Manila Mommy & her boys:

And Michelle aka My Mom Friday and kids!

Fun no? Show @gingersnapsph what you've got on Instagram! Don't forget to tag @gingersnapsph and use the hashtag #gingersnapslovespluggies.

What's best, if you are one of five winners chosen for your creative approach to using those Pluggies, you get to win Php1000 in Gingersnaps GCs. That's enough to buy a couple of their super soft t-shirts, or an outfit na! Woohoo!

For more about the contest details, see here:

Terms & Conditions:

1.) The Gingersnaps Pluggies Contest is open to all Instagram @gingersnapsph followers and residents of the Philippines only. 

2.) Each participant is allowed to submit one (1) entry. 

3.) Contest Period: May 1-31, 2015. 

4.) Five (5) winners will be selected by Gingersnaps Philippines management. 

5.) The winners will be announced on June 10, 2015. 

6.) Prizes are final and not convertible to cash. 

7.) Employees, officers, affiliates, member of the immediate families (up to third degree of consanguinity) of Il Coniglio Bianco Corp. and its group of companies are NOT eligible to join this contest. 

8.) This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Instagram.

Wilson's Place, Tagaytay: A Bed & Breakfast Destination

There are bed and breakfast places, then there are bed & breakfast destinations. Wilson's Place in Tagaytay falls in the latter category.

The first thing that strikes you about Wilson's Place is their pool. It's what greets you as you go through the entrance from the gravel driveway.

It's huge. It's gorgeous. You would want to dive right in.

It was a surprise that our kids waited until after breakfast the next day to do that. (Actually, it was the prospect of seeing animals and vegetables at Yoki Farm that kept them from jumping into the pool that afternoon!)

And they never left until it was time to get ready for lunch at Balay Indang in Indang, Cavite (more on that in a succeeding post!).

Beriray is somewhere here in the picture with Neva aka Manila Mommy's kids, hehehe

The pool alone guarantees hours of fun for the kids. Then again, it's also a serene spot if you just want to laze by the pool and chill. Like literally. Because hello, malamig sa Tagaytay!

Unlike your run of the mill bed & breakfast spots, and what makes Wilson's Place a destination on its own, is its character.

It is literally peppered with sculptures from the owner's personal collection. We're talking not just an accent piece here or there, but all over.

Then there's a campfire ground with mango trees, where there are swings hanging down the branches. I would watch the kids taking turns, swinging under the tree, shrieking with glee.

I couldn't help but think that this is what childhood memories are made of. So idyllic. Reminds me of the days when sprawling backyard gardens were the norm, and not the luxury it is nowadays.

At night, you can gather round the campfire and make s'mores. Reminisce about your childhood. Tell ghost stories. Scare each other out before you retreat to your rooms.

Or better yet, bring a guitar and sing your hearts out instead. That's less stressful than freaking out over the rustling of leaves or creaking doors, or footsteps by your window. Ooooh goosebumps. 

Just kidding, walang ghosts sa Wilson's Place! 

It's such a bright and cheery place. The mismatched furniture adds to the charm.

The main house is where we would go for meals. All the guests convene here for their delicious, elevated notches higher, home cooked meals.

The food was expectedly delicious. Our friends who have been to Wilson's before praised their meals to high heavens. For dinner, we had ceasar salad, mushroom soup soooo good I could imagine the mushrooms were just harvested that same day, salted egg pasta, grilled pork chop, and cereal prawn balls. OMG. Drool. The photos I took will not give it justice. You have to go to taste it.

Breakfast was as yummy as this looked. If you are craving for garlic rice, mango salsa, gourmet tuyo and beef tapa as you read this, I am warning you. Do. Not. Scroll. Down.

Wow, that got me hungry again. This was really worth waking up earlier than usual for. And I am not even a morning person!

Now that I've told you about breakfast, and how good it was, let me tell you about the bed part.

We stayed in one of the casitas, which was a family room that fit our entire family of five plus Nana. It is meant to fit four adults but fit all six of us comfortably.

Cute and cozy, it was like having our own little cottage in the woods.

Of course, at the heart of Wilson's Place is the family behind it. We came as guests of Raquel Ongsue and her family, and we parted as friends. That's how it felt like. They toured us around their farm, Yoki Farm (more on that, coming soon!) shared meals and stories with us, such consummate hosts.

While Wilson's Place is a great place for families who want to go out of town for a quick getaway, it's great for big groups as well.

Because it can fit a group of 30, 40 max, it is big enough to sleep a small office department, a high school barkada with families, balikbayan relatives and posse, a wedding entourage.

Depending on your agenda, you can stay in and do your annual planning in the main house, where there are plenty of tables for break out sessions, or head out to Yoki Farm and other touristy Tagaytay spots during the day, and retire at Wilson's Place come night.

Character. Charm. Coziness. Wilson's Place has that and more. You'd want to come back soon, and often.

For more information on rates and how to get here, see below.

Rates:

Wilson’s Place Overnight Stay inclusive of Dinner and Breakfast
Petite Room ( good for 2 ) Php5,000
Regular Room ( good for 2 ) Php5.5k
Family Room ( good for 4 ) Php8.5K
Extra person is Php1,700 ( inclusive of mattress , dinner, bfast )
** Plus 3% gratuity

Driving Directions: While on the Tagaytay-Nasugbu Highway heading to Nasugbu, turn right on the next street after Sotogrande Avenue. There's an arch overhead that small street, which is Maglabe Drive. In case you get lost, ask for directions to The Flower Farm. It would feel like you are driving for miles past it, but just go straight ahead. Wilson's Place is farther down the road.

Wilson's Place
Maglabe Drive, Tagaytay City
Mobile: +639158645706 / +639175357218 / +639178665825
Email: wilsons.place@yahoo.com
Facebook: Wilson's Place

MFO's Verdict On: The Spectra 9 Plus Rechargeable Breast Pump

I've tried manual breast pumps, electric breast pumps, and just recently, the Spectra 9 Plus Rechargeable Breast Pump, thanks to Mi'Ann Reyes Oblea, my friend and founder of BabyMama, the go to site for everything a mom needs to breast feed.

The Spectra 9 Plus is the latest addition to BabyMama's formidable lineup of affordable, quality breast pumps, all of which have been received with rave reviews, from moms who have successfully produced a lot of milk, they can even afford to donate dozens of bags at a time.

If you read the stories of the breastfeeding moms in BabyMama's Facebook page, you'll see how powerful the right attitude and the right tools are when it comes to breastfeeding. So inspiring.

As for my verdict on the Spectra 9 Plus? Find out below ;)

The Product: Spectra 9 Plus Rechargeable Breast Pump

The Product Origin: Made in Korea

The Promise: Ultra quiet. Rhythmic suction. Long life span. Massage mode and variable suction settings. May be used for dual pumping. BPA Free. For the full product features, click here.

The Spectra 9 Plus Rechargeable Breast Pump comes with an instruction booklet, 1 pump unit, 1 adapter, and two sets of tubing, back-flow protectors, breast shields, valves, bottles, bottle covers, nipples, bottle caps and disks

Put to the Test: Both my manual breast pump and electric breast pumps require some bit of assembly as with this rechargeable breast pump. In that sense, I spend about the same amount of time setting up for a pump session.

The back-flow protector on this one is not bulky at all. It looks like a UFO disc actually.

Composed of three parts, it's quite easy to assemble and disassemble.

For obvious reasons, using this is less tiring than using a manual pump. I just place the breast shields on my boobs, press the power button, then the massage button, and I'm good to go.

To start expressing, I just press on the massage button again. I adjust the suction speed via the + and - buttons where it says vacuum. The LCD Screen tells you what mode you are in (massage vs expression), the vacuum level, and has a timer and a battery power indicator as well.

The pump unit fits into my palm, and is about the size of a 3x5" index card

Size wise, it is so compact and handy, that I do not have to sit down and prop my pump unit on a table to keep it steady.

That said, it is very convenient to use. I can pump while sitting on the couch, while on the La-Z-Boy, even while on the bed, sitting against the headboard. As long as the unit is charged, I don't have to plug it into a socket while pumping.

It's super quiet too. I can pump anywhere, any time, even late into the night, when everybody is fast asleep, and no one would ever be bothered by it.

Passing the Verdict: This is a definite BUY. Price, Power and Proportions wise, it's a win-win all around.

Practical Tip: Because of the Spectra 9 Plus' small size, and the fact that it supports all voltages and currents (it may be plugged into a 110V plug in the US and 220V plug in Europe and Asia, 50/60Hz), this will be coming with me when we travel, that's for sure.

I can even fit it in my coat pocket if I wanted to. With the bottles and other parts, they can all fit in a gallon sized Ziploc bag. It's that tiny. But despite the diminutive proportions, this rechargeable breast pump has plenty of power.

Another thing, the bottle is freezer-ready, so there is no need to pour out the contents into a milk bag or another bottle if you so choose.

The bottle cover converts to a regular bottle collar, so you can just easily insert the nipple through it for a feeding.

Price: I am super happy to share that this one is super affordable at only Php9,000 and it does the job just the same as my Php30,000 electric breast pump.

I pump about 10 oz of milk (both breasts) which is just about as much as I would get from my electric double breast pump.

Point of Sale: Order the Spectra 9 Plus online at http://www.babymama.ph/. BabyMama also sells various breast pumps, lactation aids, milk storage products, spare parts, books and journals. 

You may also visit the BabyMama Store at 1006 Burgundy Place, B. Gonzales Street, Loyola Heights, Quezon City. Open Mondays to Saturdays, from 10 AM to 5 PM.

For inquiries and updates, visit the BabyMama Facebook page, HERE or call +632 435 7943.

Brush, Brush

OMG, kamusta na si Paula Abdul?

But I am not here to reminisce about her, the 90s, Keanu Reeves and the Griffith Observatory. I am here to share with you our pediatric dentist's tips on how to properly brush our kids' teeth.

See, I just came from our pediatric dentist for Berry's check-up, and I got Xavi to tag along. 

Dr. Mayee looked at Xavi's teeth and while he didn't have any cleaning done yet, she taught me how to brush Xavi's teeth. 

Might as well share it here, so I don't forget, and we all learn a little something when it comes to oral hygiene: First things first. FIRST dental visit on the FIRST birthday. That said,

1. Brush at least two times (2x) a day. Make sure to brush all surfaces. Front, back and sides.

2. Use a smear of fluoride toothpaste for kids 3 and below. A pea sized amount of fluoride toothpaste for kids 3 years old and up.

this is what a smear of toothpaste looks like

Dr. Mayee recommends using an adult toothpaste with at least 1000 ppm of fluoride. She does not recommend using kiddie toothpastes or unfluoridated toothpastes especially if the child is high risk for cavities.

3. For kids below 6 or 7, just do the brushing for them. Make sure to lift lip (as in with your fingers) and brush teeth and gums.

At 6 or 7, children can brush on their own, with  supervision. By 8 or 9, they can floss on their own.

4.  Allow to spit and NO rinsing with water after brushing. Yes, you read that right. NO RINSING. 

I would often watch people on TV who would brush and spit and not rinse, and I thought that was weird. Turns out, they were doing it right the entire time! This is one of those, you've been brushing your teeth the wrong way your entire life moments.

5. This should be coupled with flossing, and visits to the dentist every six (6) months.

Incidentally, have you read about this article on Jews News? Apparently, we can totally fight cavities. 

I am currently doing oil pulling, one of the tips recommended in the article, which basically entails swishing oil in my mouth for like the longest twenty minutes of my life. Let's see how effective it is, when I visit my dentist in 5 months!