My 3 Things: SoMoms Neva and Janice

#my3things #SoMoms

For my third quarter installment of My 3 Things with the SoMoms, here are two mompreneurs in the group, sharing their on-the-go essentials. 

It's nice to see the contrast between these two as one can be considered a freshman mom to two young tots, while the other is nurturing her brood of three, which includes a teen.  Here are Neva's and Janice's #my3things.

Neva's #my3things

Breastmilk is best for babies, that's why I strive to pump wherever and whenever I can! I'm really happy that the office I work in has a cool privacy room that moms in our office can use.  My pumping sessions are my mini-breaks from a busy day at the office too.  I always look forward to my pumping sessions and use it to catch up on my reading or FB!  Here's the stuff I need for pumping:

1. Light reading (magazines or a book) - I like Mindy Kaling's new book, it's an easy read :)
2. Shaparee Ella Handsfree Bra - a friend bought this from Mamababylove and gave it to me as a gift.  Hands-free pumping rocks!
3. Manilababy Wet Bag - stores my pump accessories, the bra, a small towel and breastmilk bags.  It's what I carry from my work station to our office's privacy room where I pump (milk).

See more of Neva's posts on Instagram: instagram.com/manilamommy

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Janice's #my3things

My 3 Things are essentials from my last family trip abroad. We were away for three weeks and experienced different weather conditions- sunny and hot days, rainy weather, and cold, dry days. These three things are part of my travel essentials:

1. Sunnies - Never go on a trip without sunnies. It not only protects your eyes but keeps you looking decent and cool even when your eyebag ridden because of jetlag. Did you also know that wearing sunnies also lessens chances of wrinkles on your face? Well because when you squint because of the sun, you get wrinkly around your eyes and forehead and doing this often they say, can actually cause premature wrinkles! I got this pair, Rayban Clubmasters, during my trip and I love the combination of beige and orange.
2. By Nature Baby Salve - I always keep this handy at all times and during my trip was not an exception. It's made of natural ingredients and I used it as a lip balm for my whole family! Even with the extreme weather conditions, it kept our lips from chapping.   I also used it as a moisturizer when we would get occasional dry patches of skin due to cold weather, and i used it to soothe itchy skin from rashes or insect bites, even as a first aid for small wounds.
3. Mustela Agua de Colonia - I brought this entire spray bottle with me on the trip along with a small atomizer to carry in my shoulder bag. The scent is light and fresh, I used this on myself and my 3 kids, even my teen boys since the scent is more refreshing than it is dainty. For the trip I took a break from my usual cologne and just sprayed this light cologne on myself several times during the day. It kept us smelling and feeling refreshed whether it was warm, cool or rainy.

See more of Janice's posts on Instagram: instagram.com/mommymundo

Do you use any of the stuff they like?
Check out #my3things of these two pairs:
Jackie and Fleur
Jen and Jenny

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#my3things

To shoot and share photos of groups of things that I use together or consume regularly.   If you are following me on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook, you will see #my3things instantly.  On the blog, you'll learn more about each one, and know the story behind them.  I'll be sharing one photo at a time.  This is another window into the life Mom-Friday. =)

Join me on Instagram and share your 3 things.  
Don't forget to use the hashtag #my3things and tag @mymomfriday so I can see them too! :)

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Mom-Finds: By Nature Handmade Soaps & Insect Repellent

Last Friday of the month:  Finds and Faves / Personal care products


I often indulge in non-commercial, natural soaps since I treat my bath or shower time as my daily dose of personal pampering even for just ten minutes.  There are a handful of brands I've tried and most of them I'm very satisfied with.  One of those brands is By Nature.

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And Another One Bites...

When there's rain, can mosquitoes be far behind?

"Mommy, what's that black... what's that black on your leg?"
(Whack!!! And it drops.)

It's still the rainy season here and these insects abound. I don't have to tell you what deadly diseases they can bring -- dengue, malaria among others. In the past few days alone, I slapped a few big ones with my bare hands and lots more have escaped me. Every hit I make, I feel success!

In my own tiny way, I'm trying to protect my loved ones from their treacherous bites, at least in our home. So pardon me for posting these photos here, I just can't help myself. I caught really big ones!

These were taken in three different hits at home, and it's only now that I got to see these suckers up close. Check out these pesky creatures as I took pleasure in their 'downfall'!


I recently found a new 'friend' in GIGA Insect Repellent Spray -- a Mom-Find for P165.00, in a 100ml bottle spray.

The spray contains natural fruit extract distillate, lemongrass oil, patchouli and lavender oils. A lot of GIGA products are made from virgin coconut oil and I have yet to try them out. This spray also claims to be DEET-free, so it is safe to use on children. Though the scent is a bit strong, it effectively wards off mosquitoes.

According to Sciencedaily.com, the active ingredient in many insect repellents, deet, has been found to be toxic to the central nervous system. Researchers say that more investigations are urgently needed to confirm or dismiss any potential neurotoxicity to humans, especially when deet-based repellents are used in combination with other neurotoxic insecticides. Read more about this here.

I always use this on my boy before he goes to school since among all of us, he seems to attract mosquitoes the most! As my mom would say, maybe he has "sweet blood".

Let's be vigilant. Sounds heavy huh, but we can't be too careful... we'll never know 'coz it may not be just a small harmless bite or a red spot after all.

Update - 2012:
We've started using By Nature's Moisturizing Insect Repellent because of it's moisturizing properties and milder scent. Read my full feature on By Nature products here.

Screen capture from the blog feature

I'd love to know your thoughts on this post. If you enjoyed this, feel free to share it!
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I try my best to reply and answer any questions you may have on each entry so check back if you've left one. Thank you and do visit again!
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