Playing Dress-up

It's really fun being a girl! We can dress up with an endless choice of clothes, shoes, and of course, a multitude of accessories! 

My 5-year-old girl started young when it comes to dressing up. She already picks and decides what to wear ever since she was barely 3, from what to put on her head, down to her socks and shoes.  For years now, I make it a point not to buy stuff for her unless she's shopping with me, or else I'd be spending hard-earned money on something she would never want to wear.  It happened a few times in the past already. This mom learned her lesson.  

Anyhow, one of our go-to shops is PinkBox, a popular brand of accessories for girls. Well, it's actually just a kiosk at Shangri-la mall where we usually buy her trinkets. So, I was happy they sent me this loot for my girl and me when I missed their bloggers' meet-up a couple months back.

To tell you the truth, the girl is not so into clips and elastics. She's more of a hairband type of girl.  She's very picky with her hair accessories, so I was afraid she won't wear these when I showed them to her.

Surprisingly, I was able to put on this bright pink flower clip one time, and she even gamely posed for me. I guessed she liked that it matched her fuschia outfit.  She's big on pink!

She also took fancy in this pink strawberry clip, and the set of elastic necklace and bracelet in colorful wooden beads. I didn't expect her to pile these on at the same time! =)

She also found another use for these accessories...

Look who's wearing the clips now! =)

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Mom-Finds: Accessories Hand-made by Jann + Raffle!

Last Friday of the month:  Fashion finds / Shopping / Accessories


I've got some eye-candy for all you ladies out there... and the men can take a cue from this one too. Big, bold, beautiful. This red mookaite jasper necklace is mine!

I have a weakness for unique, eye-catching accessories, especially earrings and necklaces. When I was still single, I dabbled in jewelry-making using semi-precious stones and Swarovski crystals. I sold a few pieces but it proved to be quite difficult for me to part with my creations. I ended up not selling much! Eventually, I gave away most of the items and stopped making them.

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The Avengers Delivered our Chicken Joy

Special delivery!
Look who dropped by the house today...

We were all surprised by 'Captain America' and 'Iron Man' with two buckets of crunchy-juicy Jollibee Chicken Joy and four passes to the special screening tomorrow!

When I got an email that a "surprise treat from Jollibee" will be delivered to us, I assumed it's just gonna be an Avengers promo item. Then the agency said it's perishable, so I knew it's food! =)  All the while I thought it would just be the Chicken Joy in special Avengers buckets that will be sent to us.  But when we opened the door, these dudes greeted us. The kids were stumped.  I was too!

They were just so cool!!! And the funny thing was the kids seem lost for words and didn't know how to interact with them -- the boy and the girl were just in awe. 

Thank you Jollibee for this amazing surprise! You made our day!

Our lunch was obviously extra special and memorable, with our all-time favorite Chicken Joy specially delivered by The Avengers.

Well, I don't think Captain America and Iron Man will be doing any more of the delivery rounds, but you can still grab an Avengers Chicken Joy Bucket anytime until May 15! =)
Check out more Avengers goodies from Jollibee:

I'm really looking forward to our movie night with the kids!

The Avengers hits the theaters, April 25. Are you going to watch The Avengers?

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Homemade Sweet Potato (Camote) Chips

We've been making our own sweet potato fries and chips for the longest time.  With an abundance of camote at home lately, it's either I use this to mix in adobo (Filipino pork stew) to replace regular potatoes, or just cut and fry for a nutritious and crunchy snack that the whole family always enjoy eating.

For this camote chips, I used:

• Regular purple camote
• Peel, then use a mandoline or grater (slicer side) to make thin chips -- or cut into sticks
• Bake, or in this case, heat a pan with oil, then deep fry
• Fry until lightly browned and crisp
• Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with sugar

If you want it savory, use salt to flavor instead. It's a great appetizer to lunch or dinner.  We love them sweet though. But both work wonderfully and tastes really good!

I usually buy, and prefer this orange variety since it's significantly sweeter, and finer in texture when cooked.  The purple one above tastes a bit bland but that's what I got at the moment. With this golden variety, I don't even have to sprinkle sugar after we make fries out of it.  When I was younger, my mom and grandmother used to boil cubes of sweet potato with rice, and make a sweet porridge.  I made some for my kids when they were starting on solids. Of course, they like the chips better now!

Photo: http://www.sweetpotatorecipes.ca/

Photo: http://hungeree.com/edibles/autumn-sweet-potato-fries/

Did you know...

• Sweet potato is not actually a potato variety, but a yam
• Sweet potato grows in different skin colors -- from white, to brown, orange, to red.
• It's packed with higher vitamin content than potato -- rich in Vitamin C and Vitamin A
• It's a good source of dietary fiber
• Though it's "sweet" and high in carbohydrates, it actually has the lowest glycemic index among root crops, therefore, it doesn't raise blood sugar levels as fast as other food

Make you own camote fries or chips now! :)

Do you have other camote recipes you care to share?

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Beauty Chat with Celebrity Mom Judy Ann Santos

There's no denying it -- when you take good care of yourself, it shows. This holds true especially for women who know how to care and treat their skin right.

For most moms, myself included, taking care of our own needs usually fall last on the priority list.  And when it comes to beauty secrets and rituals, I'm usually the one who asks the beauty questions from my friends!

Over a month ago, Johnson’s Baby Milk Bath invited moms to join the live Facebook online chat with their brand ambassador, Judy Ann Santos - Agoncillo, for a chance to ask beauty and parenting questions -- BUT I MISSED IT!  Mommy duties prevented me from participating online, and I also failed to send in my questions.

I took comfort in the fact that I already got my rare chance to ask her personally when my question was picked by Judy Ann herself during the media launch last year. =)  And may I just say, she really looked fresh and flawless up close!

Still, I was curious at how the beauty chat went.  Good thing, everything was captured on video and posted on Johnson's Baby Philippines YouTube page.  I not only learned about how Judy Ann balances her career and parenthood, but her skin and beauty tips as well.

Here are Judy Ann's Tips to Beautiful Skin, which I am already trying to do:

1. No to Stress - enjoy your bath time
2. Use Sunscreen - to protect and avoid having sun damaged skin
3. Make time to rest - get enough sleep to refresh your body; lack of sleep makes skin dry
4. Feed your skin - take lots of fruits and veggies, healthy foods with vitamins A & E
5. Drink Up - drink plenty of water to flush out toxins; also eat watery fruits like watermelon, honeydew

I'm thankful that Johnson's chose to sponsor this post because I was reminded of the importance of taking care of myself, especially my skin, since I'm not "young" anymore.  I literally have visibly drier skin lately and it bothered me so much. Aside from regular use of moisturizer and body lotion, I continue to enjoy soaking in the tub with our creamy, moisture-rich Johnson’s Baby Milk Bath.

Of course, my kids will always invade our tub just to have their bubble bath too! If you watch the video below, Judy Ann advised that when stressed, "…try taking a bath, sing while taking a bath, enjoy your bath time…". This is really one of my favorite stress busters and "me time" activity.  A good 10 to 15 minutes in the tub, even just once a week, is all I need to feel fresh and revitalized.

If it's good for babies, it must be good for us moms too, right? With it's milk proteins and Vitamins A and E, Johnson's Baby Milk Bath leaves my skin feeling soft and supple, and smelling fresh with it's mild scent every single time.  Watch supermom Judy Ann as she shares more skin tips for moms on Johnson's Baby Philippines Facebook page.

Note:
First 2 images - screen capture from Johnson's Baby Philippines Facebook Page


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Fun Friday: Play and Party at Kidzville

Third Friday of the month:  Recreation / Leisure

A kids' paradise, this whimsical play facility will surely keep children entertained for hours! Designed for kids 13 years old and under, Kidzville is a multi-level indoor playground which also features an interconnecting kiddie village meticulously designed to stimulate children's imagination, promote learning and social interaction.

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New Favorites at C2 Classic Cuisine

There are just a handful of Filipino restaurants that my family frequent because Pinoy food is already a regular on our table during mealtimes.  That is why there has to be something special, something different in the menu for us to choose a restaurant serving our local cuisine.

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Moms' Wellness Retreat at Nurture Spa

Second Friday of the month:  Family Friday / Motherhood / Health & Wellness


Finally, one full day at the spa for me. 
This thought was running through my head as I count the days to the spa retreat organized for our group.  I already pictured myself being pampered from head to toe without the care in the world... then savoring carefully prepared meals to delight my tastebuds... nourishing the mind and body.

Welcome to Nurture Spa Village. The road to wellness begins here...

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Wacoal Understands Your Body at Any Age

Like all young women, I started at Stage 0, and was still at 0 until my pre-pregnancy body.  After two pregnancies and breastfeeding phases, my body is now at a depressing state between Stages 1 and 2!

Don't be alarmed friends, I'm not stricken with any disease. You'll find out what I'm talking about as you scroll down and read what I have learned a few weeks ago from a very enlightening talk about a woman's body. This is gonna be worth your while, promise!

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Champion Flash Fashion Show

There's flash mob dancing, then flash mob singing.  I've seen some on TV and on YouTube. I found them quite entertaining. But have any of  you seen a flash fashion show?

Picture this:
Models wore designer clothing.
Supermarket aisles were used as runway.
Models "attack" each other with ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise!

Make sense?

Some weeks back, a flash fashion show for Champion laundry detergent happened at Super 8, one of the larger supermarkets in Quezon City.  I've been buying Champion detergent powder and laundry bars for many years now and I'm very satisfied with it's quality and cleaning properties. I applaud them for producing this flash fashion show -- a very novel idea to demonstrate how Champion detergent protects from stains.

The surprise show was a collaboration between Champion, renowned fashion designer Randy Ortiz, and top fashion show director Jackie Aquino.

The Champion Flash Fashion show happened on a pay-day weekend while people were busy doing their grocery shopping. I can just image the surprise on the customers as soon as "Moves Like Jagger" blasted from the speakers and models came out from the stock room!

Models strutting their way along the aisles in Randy Ortiz's spring-summer collection under clear plastic suits.

And the sauce fight begins...

Champion bars "erase" the stains.

Too bad I haven't seen a flash mob in action. I hope I can catch a flash fashion show one of these days. That would surely be fun to watch! =)


Champion got its message across in a truly unique way and Super 8 became the very first supermarket to ever hold a fashion show.

Here's a video clip of the Champion Flash Fashion Show at Super 8

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Happy, Hoppy Easter!

The girl told me what to draw. I drew the outline. She added ribbons. Then colored.

This was last week.

Perfect for today.

Egg-painting time...

HAPPY EASTER MY FRIENDS!

Visit our Easter past:

Easter Rabbits and other creature from the Ark

Easter Egg Painting and Hunting

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Mom-Grocer: Binggrae Korean Ice Cream Bars

First Friday of the month:  Foodie Friday / Grocery


Today is Good Friday. A religious holiday where we commemorate Jesus Christ's suffering and crucifixion. It's day of repentance, of fasting, and abstinence for many Catholics.  I chose not to eat meat today. I can't fast -- I'll faint if I do. Seriously.


Since I'm abstaining from meats, I know I would just torture myself if I post my usual photo-heavy feature and drool over the food shots. Anyway, it's so warm and humid so these frosty bars are perfect for this this hot summer day!



Obviously, I can't read Korean. I can't tell you what they put in these bars but we just love them! I later found more products on their website, got their names and screen-captured the product shots with the descriptions (thanks to Google auto page translation).

I started buying assorted Binggrae ice cream products since last year wherever they are available -- from small village convenience stores, Koren groceries, Mini-Stop, and the supermarket.  Aside from the orange lolly Popsies we often buy, these Binggrae ice cream bars became our favorites over similar products from local brands.


ENZO BAR - "Enriched Chocolate Bar"
Imagine your light and creamy soft serve ice cream on a stick, coated in crisp milk chocolate and crunchy peanuts on the outside. Once you bite, you'll be surprised by the solid chocolate center!

@ PhP 43 - from Puregold supermarket

OREWA CAFES - "Coffee Flavored Ice Bar"

If you like coffee-flavored sweets and ice cream, you might enjoy this one too.  J and I actually prefer this "cafe" bar 'coz it's more refreshing than the choco bar above. It's double coffee goodness -- from the ice cream to the crunchy coating. A great pick-me-up!

PANGTOA - "Choco Chiffon"

This one has an English description which says it all -- it's a chocolate chiffon ice cream sandwich. It's the most recent product I've tried from Binggrae. When I want something different, this is my choice since it's already a two-in-one snack or dessert of cake and ice cream!

@ PhP 61 - from Puregold supermarket

Binggrae ice cream products all come in plastic foil pouches.  Their products don't possess the characteristic qualities of fine premium ice cream, but their unique and wide assortment, and overall light sweet flavors make me come back for more.


Here's our all-time favorite popsicle:
Magnolia Popsies in chocolate and orange


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