Rina's Rainbow

Please humor me guys! This is my first ever make up post! Hahaha! :-)

I've never been the one to put a lot of make up. That's because I don't really know how. So I always opt for simple make up that will simply cover up all the haggardness in and out. (And then some lipstick so I won't look like the walking dead.)

And when I saw this Stay Up Foundation from Etude House, I thought to myself "This is is more my style!"

Etude's Stay Up Foundation is a light liquid foundation that stays for the entire day. It has sea flower emelass and raffinose that helps in moisturizing. It also has coconut seed butter which gives your skin that natural glow.

#nofilter #nomakeup #IDpic? hahaha!

A small drop goes a long way! Just put a drop on your finger, and dab dab dab around your face. And spread! I only use my hands when spreading. After washing of course. But lately I've been using specificaly the back of my hands to spread creams on my face because I think it's cleaner because it's not in contact with anything I pick up. Just a thought.

Wow my face is so big.

And here it is. Stay Up Foundation really helped cover / lighten up most of the spots on my face especially the brown spots under my eyes.

Another awesome thing about this is that it also has SPF 30 PA+++, protecting your beautiful beautiful face from the harms of the sun. Plus, it's anti-wrinkle and whitens too!

This Stay Up Foundation from Etude House is 25 grams and costs P778.

Other shades available are :

#01 Pure

#02 Rosy

#03 Ivory

#04 Beige (This is what I used)

#05 Sand

Watch out for Etude House updates and promos! Next review, Lipsticks!!!Soon! :-)

Etude House Philippines' official website: www.etudehouseph

Like Etude House Philippines on Facebook

follow @etudehousegirl on Twitter

@etudehousephilippines on Instagram

Cakes signify celebration. Whether it's a big party celebrating a big holiday, or a small intimate celebration of someone finally accomplishing something, or celebrating an anniversary, or even monthsary. A cake will always be something a person can give that will truly be appreciated.

But imagine if you can decorate the cake yourself? Adding your personal touch, expressing yourself by making your own decoration... That will surely mean the world to the person receiving it.

And so when I received this cool Decorate-Your-Cake kit for Goldilocks' Decorate Your Christmas activity, I was giddy! Not only because I get to create a Christmas cake for my family, but because I've secretly been itching to try decorating my own cake every time I would see Goldilock's Decorate Your Cake billboard along EDSA haha!

So here we go! My Christmas cake!

As soon as I saw all the decoration stuff that came with the kit, I got excited!

Look at these pretty Christmas balls and stars!

Edible poinsettias!

and mistletoe!

I especially got excited to pipe my own icing with these colorful ready-made icing pipes!

And this would be my canvas! A plain round Goldilocks cake with white icing!

So as soon as I was able to see all the materials I would be doing, it actually didn't take me long to think about my design. Because upon seeing the Christmas balls, one image immediately popped in my head:

Stock image from colourbox

This. Hanging Christmas balls.

So off I went!

Feeling baker hahaha!

Truth is I didn't really use the icing so much for fear that I wouldn't do a good job with it. And I was right. Piping is so much harder than it looks! The more I was glad that the design I had in mind didn't require so much piping. All I had to do was make hanging ribbons where the Christmas balls would hang on to.

I had more poinsettias and mistletoe left so I simply stuck them alternately around the sides of the cake.

TADAAAAA! :-) Finished product! Simple, easy, but very Christmas-y! I was happy with my work!

Good thing the Christmas cake decorations were already very pretty on their own so it was very easy to play around with it!

I really had fun decorating this cake. (Cake-designing wish fulfilled!) Although I decorated this cake all by myself (because Richie and Rain will just make abstract cake for sure), this #GoldilocksDYChristmas is actually a great bonding activity for the family for the coming holidays!

Another last minute "doodle" with a butter chiffon cake ;-)

Thank you Goldilocks for this fun experience!

Goldilocks official website: http://www.goldilocks.com.ph/

Rain's "ballet"😂👍😍 Think she's ready for a trial #ballet lesson?😍
A video posted by Rina Zamora 🌈 (@rinasrainbow) on Mar 27, 2015 at 9:40am PDT

My daughter is 3 years old. She has never had any ballet lessons that's why there was this one time when a friend of ours out of nowhere told Rain "Can you dance the ballet, Rain?". I thought Rain wouldn't react, but she surprised me by raising her arms over her head, and then twirling! I know I showed her this twirl maybe months back and I didn't think she was paying attention at that time. That's why I was so surprised that she actually retained it in her mind! This makes me think she might enjoy learning ballet!

It's every little girly girl's dream to dance the ballet. The cute tutus, the classy pointy toes, and most of all, the graceful body movement. I didn't get to study ballet. But even before I got pregnant, I knew that when the time comes that I would have a daughter, I want her to study ballet so she can acquire that graceful movement, even when she's not dancing.

And this summer, looks like it's about to come true! I'm excited to sign her up for a trial classical ballet class conducted by non-other than the famous Lisa Macuja- Elizalde.

Lisa became a lot of firsts in the world of classical ballet. She was a scholar at the Vaganova Choreographic Institute also known as the Academy of Russian Ballet at Saint Petersburg, Russia. And the first foreigner to join Russia's Kirov Ballet.

Lisa was also the first artist-in-residence of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. In 1995, Ballet Manila was born, which is Lisa's very own company.

After 30 beautiful years, Lisa happily retired, but that doesn't mean her passion for ballet has stopped. That's why she is now the Directress of the School of Ballet Manila, helping mentor even more future ballerinas in the country. It's pretty awesome that Lisa's school is the only Philippine ballet school that is directly assosciated with the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia. (Of course!)

Wow! I'm no ballerina, so I don't know the technical stuff of ballet but in reading this, I can really tell that students will be in very good professional hands.

Ballet Manila offers beautiful programs for your little dancers. That, and a few more fun activities to complete this fun-filled summer!

Like in baby ballet class, kids can learn about ballet techniques. At the same time, the students can also learn to play musical instruments and create props using fabrics.

The Intermediate class's intensive dance exercises is combined with street dancing, yoga and pilates.

Other activities include:

Lectures on how to prevent injury when dancing ballet.

Film screening with films related to ballet

Interactive workshops with theater artists.

Here's Ballet Manila’s summer intensive program classes:

Maria Ballerina Class

For students from 3-5 years old.
They will learn proper ballet techniques, develop motor skills, coordination, rhythm and musicality.
Work with fabrics, props and musical instruments for a more enhanced learning experience.

Fairy Tale Ballet Class with Tap and Tumble

for students ages 6-8.
Combined with magical fairy tale dances and stories, students learn to appreciate self-control, joy in movement, body awareness, rhythm, musicality along with the structure of classical ballet.
Includes classes in Tap Dance, Tumbling and Gymnastics for musicality and rhythm development.

Beginner

for young dancers ages 7-12 with no or limited ballet experience or training.
The springboard course for classical ballet, aside from basic movements, concepts of rhythm, space, direction and music patterns are reinforced.

Intermediate

for students ages 12-14
open to boys and girls with previous ballet training.
Include advanced barre work, intensive exercises and combinations, partnering and classical variations.
Street dance, yoga, pilates plus enrichment workshops to boost their dance appreciation.

Advanced (pre-professional level)

for ages 14 years old and above with several years of ballet training.
covers repertoire and variation learning which encourage students to become more expressive.
Includes additional classes in modern and contemporary dances like street dance, yoga and pilates, secondary classes in ballet technique and partnering and enrichment workshops.

Adult Classes

For minimal or zero dance background. (We're never to old to learn ballet!)

Ballet Manila's summer workshop will run from April 6 - May 31. Enrollments are ongoing until April 19. At the end of the workshop, all participants will be part of the summer recital on May 31 at the Aliw Theater. This is where all students get the chance to share the stage with the senior Ballet Manila dancers.

I'm excited to have Rain go for a trial class! Let's see if she will like it! Although if I know my daughter (and I think I do) she will fall in love with it!

Ballet Manila is located at 1915 Donada Street, Pasay City. They also have a satellite school in Crossfit Halcyon in Fisher Mall.

You can enroll at Ticketworld outlets or via www.ticketworld.com.ph. For BPI credit card holders, you can get an exclusive 20-25% discount off tuition fees. (That's huge!)

For more information, you may contact the following:

Email: info@balletmanila.com.ph

Telephone: (+632) 400 0292 and (+632) 525 5967.

Photos provided by Ballet Manila

It's autumn!!!!

........For some parts of the world anyway... Since the Philippines is a tropical country we never get the chance to play dress up with gorgeous trench coats, funky boots, and beautiful sweaters. So if you have the chance to spend an autumn vacation in a different country, you might as well want to really plan out your outfit! (I swear the next time we go to Japan I'm really wearing something more fashionable hahaha!) And of course when you're taking your little ones with you, that's extra fun dressing them up too!

One of the best places to start is H&M's All for Children Collection. Not only will you get really snazzy autumn wear for your kids, but you'd be doing it for a good cause as well!

H&M started their All for Children initiative with UNICEF back in 2009. They were able to raise $4.5-million donation helping children in poor communities such as southern India and Bangladesh. And it has already positively affected the lives of over one million children through education and development. So when you purchase one of these collections, 25% of sales will go to UNICEF in helping support education for less-fortunate children. A great way to give back during the holidays!

For the Little Girls

I like how the zipper of this jacket reaches up to the neck. It's sure to keep your kids nice and toasty during a cold autumn breeze!

For cat lovers! Pink Turbo will like this. Combines her two interests: Shiny and cats.

Pretty pink fluffy vest!

Oooh! Fuzzy coat never goes out of style!

A pretty pink sweater. I'm no fashionista but I imagine this would look good with white leggings and cream boots!

This jacquard-knit poncho is fab!

It has a hood too! Don't you just love the pattern? The pattern was decorated to resemble a folkloric owl.

For Little Boys

Glow-in-the-dark terry sweatshirt with bat wings. Pretty cool huh? Looks like Batman's sweater. And it glows in the dark too!

I think this one is the reversible blazer with a reflective insect print

I love the flaps and the collar on this one. Looks cool! The Pickiest Eater's type of jacket. Too bad for him it's for kids haha!

They have bubble jackets too!

Accessories

The porcupine hat is a bit too much for me. But I love the bonnet on the right

And this cute head warmer with fuzzy ears!

Kids will have a blast with these gorilla gloves and foot warmers!

Shoes

Cute crocky boots will help you easily spot your little ones from a crowd!

I'm sure you noticed that the overall theme is based on a fun forest adventure! Everything from the texture, colors, and prints were made to reflect woodland flora and fauna, which helps add a good play for imagination for kids!

“We wanted to present a totally new way of dressing up – one with style as well as imagination. It’s great that such fun pieces will raise funds for such an important cause,” says Emilia Mravec, designer, New Development.

This year's innovative collection is a great way to look fashionable, but at the same time is an amazing way to play forest dress-up! They're available at selected H&M stores worldwide, including of course, Manila branch.

For more details, visit H&M Philippines' official website, and follow them on Facebook.

Please humor me guys! This is my first ever make up post! Hahaha! :-)

And when I saw this Stay Up Foundation from Etude House, I thought to myself "This is is more my style!"

#nofilter #nomakeup #IDpic? hahaha!

Wow my face is so big.

And here it is. Stay Up Foundation really helped cover / lighten up most of the spots on my face especially the brown spots under my eyes.

Another awesome thing about this is that it also has SPF 30 PA+++, protecting your beautiful beautiful face from the harms of the sun. Plus, it's anti-wrinkle and whitens too!

This Stay Up Foundation from Etude House is 25 grams and costs P778.

Other shades available are :

#01 Pure

#02 Rosy

#03 Ivory

#04 Beige (This is what I used)

#05 Sand

Watch out for Etude House updates and promos! Next review, Lipsticks!!!Soon! :-)

Etude House Philippines' official website: www.etudehouseph

Like Etude House Philippines on Facebook

follow @etudehousegirl on Twitter

@etudehousephilippines on Instagram

But imagine if you can decorate the cake yourself? Adding your personal touch, expressing yourself by making your own decoration... That will surely mean the world to the person receiving it.

So here we go! My Christmas cake!

As soon as I saw all the decoration stuff that came with the kit, I got excited!

Look at these pretty Christmas balls and stars!

Edible poinsettias!

and mistletoe!

I especially got excited to pipe my own icing with these colorful ready-made icing pipes!

And this would be my canvas! A plain round Goldilocks cake with white icing!

Stock image from colourbox

This. Hanging Christmas balls.

So off I went!

Feeling baker hahaha!

I had more poinsettias and mistletoe left so I simply stuck them alternately around the sides of the cake.

TADAAAAA! :-) Finished product! Simple, easy, but very Christmas-y! I was happy with my work!

Good thing the Christmas cake decorations were already very pretty on their own so it was very easy to play around with it!

Another last minute "doodle" with a butter chiffon cake ;-)

Thank you Goldilocks for this fun experience!

Goldilocks official website: http://www.goldilocks.com.ph/

Zumba is more tiring than meets the eye. I've watched people do Zumba before and I thought it looked fun but at that time it didn't seem like it was drastically tiring compared to other exercises like Shaun-T's Insanity (Now that one's really insane!) Anyway, when me and my sister tried it at home, I was proved wrong. After a few minutes of doing it, I was sweating like a pig already.

Stock Photo provided by F1 Hotel

But imagine doing these dance-like movements with resistance. And by resistance, I mean underwater. And there is such a thing! It's called Aqua Zumba®! (Read more for our Aqua Zumba pics haha!)

Thanks to F1 Hotel that we were able to be the first ones to go on a trial Aqua Zumba® lesson. It was interesting! The coach instructed from the side of the pool, not in the pool with us. This way we could see the hand and feet movements clearly as we do them underwater.

The water level ideally has to be on your chest. So you can do the arm movements under water, creating resistance as you do these against the water. It's a low-impact but high-energy workout that I'm sure anyone can do. The pool above is just one of F1's 3 swimming pools. This one is the middle-sized one perfect for bigger kids and adults. The deep end is not too deep. So this was a perfect setting to do an Aqua Zumba class!

I have to admit I felt kind of trashy being beside the gorgeous and super nice Wushu expert / model Janice Hung hahaha! But it was fun nonetheless!

We can do this! I was also happy that Eric of EricJaz Foodies was also game!

Getting a bit tired but we can do this! :-)

We did the exercise for 45 minutes. And while it was quite tiring, it was refreshing even on a hot day because we were in the cool pool of F1 Hotel!

F!'s City Suite
Photo provided by F1 Hotel

You too can avail of this fun Aqua Zumba® class when you avail of F1 Hotel's Weekend Summer Bash room package! For only Php 6,250 nett per night. And with this, you get an overnight stay in a City Suite, including buffet breakfast for 2 at F All Day Dining Restaurant, and of course Aqua Zumba®classes for 2!

But that's not all! There's also a little treat for your little ones! Because included in F1 Hotel's Weekend Summer Bash is 2 All-Day Passes to Gymboree! (These passes are valid at the Manila Polo Club or Rockwell Branch.)

You make the most out of your stay as well as you will of course be given complimentary passes to the hotel's facilities such as the swimming pool. All three of them of course. There's the kiddie pool, the medium pool, and the lap pool.

Here's Rain having a blast at the kiddie pool while I bust out my moves at the Aqua Zumba.

With their Summer weekend promo, you will also have access to the hotel gym, unlimited WiFi access. Plus, you get complimentary parking, and last but not the least, to give you more than enough time to really enjoy your stay, you will be given a late check-out at 4pm!

Take note that schedule for Aqua Zumba® classes are every Saturdays and Sundays at the pool area from 4:00 PM to 4:45 only.

Because this is such an excellent offer, you need to reserve ahead of time to avail. So you might want to hurry and call now! This promo is valid on Saturdays and Sundays starting today April 11, to May 31, 2015 only! (Disclaimer: Promo may not be combined with other hotel promos, discounts, benefits, and/or privileges. )

Waiting for @spankyenriquez so we can start Aqua Zumba here at @f1hotelmanila
A photo posted by RichieZ (@pickiesteater) on Mar 28, 2015 at 1:21am PDT

A perfect workout during this hot summer! So avail of F1 Hotel's Weekend Summer Bash! (Promo may not be combined with other hotel promos, discounts, benefits, and/or privileges.)

To see more about F1 Hotel, check out my first F1 Hotel here!

F1 Hotel Manila is located at 32nd street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City. For more information or to make reservations, please call (02) 928-9888. Visit their official website at www.f1hotelmanila.com and follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @f1hotelmanila to get updates on their upcoming and ongoing promotions!

Because there's apparently a mosquito wonderland in the area where we live in, I have been buying different kinds of mosquito repellent left and right. I bought that yellow bulb thing (seemed to work, in fairness. But seems like some mosquitoes are not bothered by it), and of course Mosquito coils, and bug sprays. But the thing about mosquito coils and bug sprays in the market is the irritating and unpleasant smell. You could say they repel people too. And because of this, you need to ask your family to leave the house first so you can use a bug spray to fumigate your house inside and around the house. Needless to say, it's a hassle. Plus, it's not good for our health.

But apparently, there's a wonder product in the market that is safer and more effective! (This is another where-have-you-been-all-my-life product)...

Mortein NaturGard with Citronella is an amazing natural insecticide that is safe for the environment and for the family! Let me show you the ways...

First, it's not petroleum-based unlike other bug sprays in the market. When we accidentally inhale Petroleum, it's a great danger to our health. We can get dermatitis, eye and skin irritation, nausea, dizziness, or worse, chronic respiratory disease or liver and kidney malfunction, It is also reproductive hazard and cancer hazard. EEEEP!

Instead, Mortein NaturGard uses water combined with d-lemonene oils. What is d-lemonene? It is the major component of the oil extracted from citrus rind (as I googled here). Now THAT'S a natural extract right there! And this effectively kills pesky insects (mosquitoes, flies, cockroach, you name it!) in a natural way.

I can totally vouch for Mortein because just the other night, something weird-looking just crawled on the floor of the 1st floor bathroom. It was a house centipede!!! GROSS!!!! I screamed like a little girl, grabbed the Mortein NaturGard and started spraying on in like crazy! And in a few seconds, it was dead. And the best part was that I wasn't hesitant to spray it even with my family in the house and all that, because the scent was a pleasant smell of Citronella so it wasn't at all bothersome.

As much as I would like to share a photo of that insect here, it just looks so gross that whenever I think about it, I feel like it's on me or something. So just google "house centipede". Let me know what you think! So if it can kill that big bug, you can bet that it can kill a small pesky mosquitoes.

With all of these great features, it's safe to say that you can use Mortein NaturGard with confidence, you'll be worry-free even if your family is inside the house. Plus, mother nature will be happy as well!

To use Mortein, you need to shake the can first for a few seconds (like you would with a spray can) so that the oil inside will mix well with the water. And though it may be made of natural oils, do not spray directly on humans, pets, and exposed kitchen utensils, food, water, etc. And as always, keep out of reach of children.

Sharing with you a commercial I found in YouTube:

Suggested retail price for the 250ml is P152.50 while the 500ml is P234. Thank you Reckitt Benckiser for my very first Mortein NaturGard Citronella! I really feel this is a must-have for every home, not just for houses with kids but for every human being ;-)

Finally! Wipes that you can be sure kills 99.9% of germs and viruses! Perfect for this flu season! I should know. Rain and I were both sick these past few days and it wasn't easy! It's bad enough when a toddler is sick, but to have the "nanny" that takes care of the toddler (me) get sick as well, it was really a challenge. I'm very hands on with Rain. We only have one household help so when we're at home, we ask her to concentrate on the cleaning, cooking, and laundry because that's already a handful. Since my husband takes care of business and stuff, my business is Rain's bath time, nappy change, feeding, you name it.

That being said, being the one who takes care of Rain, I always have to make sure I'm not accidentally exposing her to any virus or bacteria. Or at least do my best to prevent her from catching germs or viruses. I know it's hard, but if we at least have some preventive measures, the odds of our kids getting sick will lessen somehow. An one obvious step is to always have our hands and surroundings clean.

So what's a must-have item in every mom's bag / baby's diaper bag? Wipes! Can't leave home without it. And if you go to the supermarket now, there are lots of wet wipes products, some even have Disney designs on the package (of course this is what I have been buying. It's just too cute!). Those worked okay for our wiping needs, but I just recently got introduced to a hand wipe product that will make you say "Oh yeah... that makes sense!" and "Where have you been all my life?"

Introducing, Lysol Germ Protection Hand Wipes!

We all know Lysol as the germ/virus/bacteria cleaner. At least that's how I see them. So imagine wipes that not only cleans yucky icky dirt, but actually kills 99.9% of viruses and bacteria that you might have picked up from an object. This is really a winning product. Read on to see why!

How else is this Lysol Wipes special from others? First of all, it's ALCOHOL-FREE and dermatological-tested, and water-based. Which means it's very safe to use on babies and toddlers' skin. And safe to use on our face and other sensitive body parts too for cosmetic use. And of course, we can also use it for personal hygiene. Who knows what the last person did in that bathroom cubicle you're about to use? Wipe the toilet seat with Lysol wipes and you're good to go!

Being Lysol, it's also ideal to use the wipes to sanitize stuff. Like Rain's toys after she leaves them on the floor. So while other wipes specialize in one type of use, Lysol wipes covers all three! The best part? I can't stress this enough but I really like the refreshing scent!

Rain saw me cleaning her Cinderella Water Palace Princess and then immediately got the wipe from me and did the same for Belle.

And boy did she have fun cleaning Belle!

And then she went on to clean the others.

The Lysol Hand Wipes is currently not yet in the market as I write this post but it is coming very soon in your favorite supermarkets. I'll update this post as soon as it's out. The suggested retail price is P35 for the small pack (10 wipes) and P140 for the big pack (50 wipes). Of course it's obviously more expensive than the others but let's also not forget the quality and protection it brings. Paying a little extra will totally be worth it rather than your little ones having no protection from sickness caused by viruses and bacteria. I mean check out this list of viruses that Lysol wipes can kill!:

Viruses: Gastroenteritis, Influenza, Trush / Yeast Infection, Strep throat, body odor-causing germs

Skin infections: Impetigo, Ecthyma, Cellulitis, Erysipelas, Dermatitis

I don't even know what most of those are haha but they don't sound good.

There's More!

Lysol is known as a surface disinfectant. You spray it on tables, walls, or any surface such as sofas, floor, or your child's toys to disinfect them. While that has been working really well for us all for years, Lysol now introduces the new Lysol Neutra Air . The difference is that this one cleans the AIR and gets rid of bacteria and odor. Think of it as an disinfectant spray and air sanitizer in rolled into one can. I use this like crazy every morning around the house especially on our bedroom during the time Rain and I were both down with the flu. I was envisioning all the bad virus shouting "I'm melting! I'm melting!" as I spray this in the air around the room. I also spray it around the bed to kill whatever virus we leave there during the night.

So there you go. another 2 new promising products from Lysol Philippines! (And another amazing mosquito repellent product, also by Reckitt Benckiser) Mommies are happy once again!

Thank you Lysol Philippines for giving us the first dibs on trying these new excellent products!

And of course for the relaxing day of romantic film-showing with pampering at Blue Water Spa! It was awesome!!!

We've bought Rain a floater vest, and the usual ring floaters. But somehow it just doesn't really teach her how to float independently on water. She still needs support from an adult because at some point they either make jerky movements and sink, or with some floaters with leg holes, half of their body is not really submerged in water, leaving them cold. So you'd have to constantly wet your toddler's head so they won't catch a cold. But I believe we have found the perfect floater for Rain!

Until now, we still can't get over the fact that Rain can swim in the deep end of the pool. And it's all with the aid of this amazing and brilliant floater, the Puddle Jumper by Stearns! It's the best I've seen so far!

Say hello to Rain's pink Puddle Jumper! We bought it from Toys R Us for P999.75. They also have it in Green and Orange with different smiley styles. I always contemplate on getting unisex colors so that in the future when we have our baby #2 (assuming it's a boy), he can still use it. But I always cannot resist getting girly girl colors now for Rain. Anyway, here's the front.

And here's what it looks like from the back. The foam areas are only on the arms, and the chest part. Like where you would support your baby when you're trying to teach them how to paddle. Then the back part would be where you fasten the plastic buckle.

Don't say they didn't teach you. Haha!

Don't worry. It's very easy to put on. It's got reminders all over it, for crying out loud. (Front. Back. We get it. haha!)

Day 1: And here's Rain about to jump into the pool with her Puddle Jumper!

Rain can now swim at the deep end of the pool with minimal supervision using this amazing floater! The #PuddleJumper ! On the blog in a few! www.rinasrainbow.net 😜 #summer #floater
A video posted by Rina Zamora 🌈 (@rinasrainbow) on Apr 13, 2015 at 12:29pm PDT

At first I had her yaya swim with her and support her. But after Rain got the hang of it, she could already float by herself! I just constantly reminded her to spit out water whenever she would get water in her mouth.

Day 2: Swimming with her Kuya Matteo. Look Mom! No adult support!

Paddle paddle paddle. Minding her own business.

And she could already do a trick!

Watch......her.......turn....face up

...and do a semi-back float! All on her own! Hands down, this is the best swimming aid for toddlers ever! Not sure how long this has been in the Philippine market but I sure did come across it at the perfect timing!

Oh, and I googled and saw some other cool and adorable Puddle Jumper designs! I want to cry! CozI don't thin they are available here :(

From Academy.com

Spider Man Puddle Jumper for the kid in Richie.

From Academy.com

Hola Dora! Quieres nadar?

Fun and colorful animal designs from eBay

From Academy.com

Not sure who these are but it sure looks cute!

From VMInnovations.com

This one too! The designs just go on and on! See more designs here

Product features worth knowing:

US Coast Guard-approved
Fun designs
Made of Hydroprene™ for softer fabric with less chafing
Learn-to-swim aid for beginners in the water
Comfortable design, more freedom to swim and play
Weight: 30 - 50 lbs. (13.6 kg - 22.7 kg)
Adjustable buckle snaps in back
Antimicrobial properties built in to the vest resist odor-causing bacteria on the vest

Try it! I'm sure your toddler will enjoy it! :-) But as always, never leave your child unattended!

There has been a boom in the milk tea industry here in the Philippines, as you all know. It's probably because of our hot weather that we like indulging ourselves with cold drink treats, (and I guess because of the Filipino's fondness for sago), that it has really skyrocketed to great heights. Because of this, lots of famous Milk tea brands have been popping up left and right. But what I recently found out is that one of the big Milk tea establishments, Tokyo Bubble Tea, offers so so much more than just a milk tea.

They serve a whole lot of hearty dishes too! Their menu is huge! This is what makes them so unique from other milk tea places. They offer a wide range of Japanese and some american cuisine from milk teas, milk shakes, slushes, side treats, soups, salads, pasta, burgers and sandwiches, curry plates, ramen, baked meals, donburi and korean sizzlers, yoshoku big plates, and sushi. (That's A LOT!!!)

And to add to this feast of a menu, they are introducing yet another set of meals that really have amazing value for your money, plus three new milk tea drinks, all in celebration of the breathtaking Sakura season!

NEW Sakura JCC Milk Teas

Feel like you're in Japan with these Sakura JCC Milk Teas!

They come in 3 variants. The Sakura Strawberry Milk Tea, Sakura Royal Milk Tea, and the Sakura Taro Milk Tea! Prices of all three flavors: Large P155, Medium P145.

I ordered the Sakura Royal Milk Tea. (I always go for the original milk tea flavor. It's my favorite!). See this top part? This is unlike anything I've ever tried before, texture-wise specifically. The texture is somewhere in between the thickness of a cake icing, and the smoothness of a whipped cream. That's the best way I could explain it. Then it has a subtle sweetness and a subtle saltiness taste. So addicting!

It was so addicting that I caught myself scooping up the JCC with my big straw and stuffing it in my mouth. Oh, and did I mention that JCC stands for JAPANESE CREAM CHEESE! Need I say more?

NEW Sakura Bento Trays

Starving? That's what these Sakura Bento Trays are for! Each sets come with miso soup, Sakura Maki with a special pink fruit-blended mayonnaise to go well with the pinkness of the Sakura season. Then there's Sakura Salad that I think has the same special dressing as the maki, there's also fried rice, and of course the main courses. The three sets are...

Sakura Soy Ginger Fish (P328)

Sakura Chicken Katsu (P368)

And finally, my order, the Sakura Ebi Furai with Hamburg (P388)! With all the inclusions in this set, it's really a great value for money! Aside from the main dish, I also especially enjoyed the Sakura Maki and the fried rice!

Extra Surprise!

Here's another fun surprise! Order your choice of Sakura Bento along with a Sakura JCC Bubble drink (which all go well together by the way), and you will get to pick a prize from their special Sakura tree and get a chance to win super cute Tokyo Bubble Tea Merchandise, just like this cuddly plush doll and adorable shirt which Rain has already sequestered from me. And you can also win Tokyo Bubble Tea vouchers of course!

Tokyo Bubble Tea's Sakura treats will be available starting TODAY, April 15, 2015, but will only be around for a limited time only! So hurry! ;-)

Honeybon

Tokyo Bubble Tea on the left, Honeybon on the right

If you've been to the Tokyo Bubble Tea branch in Katipunan, you'll notice that the first floor is shared with Honeybon Patisserie and Cafe, which is also owned by Tokyo Bubble Tea's Mr. Reagan Tan. Honeybon is a Japanese-inspired pastry shop. Because they are in the same building and are in the same floor, you can have an even more delicious way of completing your meal as you order your sweet endings from Honeybon's beautiful collection of cakes.

Seriously. They're all very beautiful! Each cake looks like it was intricately made.

And this beautiful looking cake is their limited-edition cake for the Sakura Season! The Sakura Mango Roll. Light pink icing with cherry blossom flower designs on a fluffy chiffon cake...

...with a refreshing and cold mango center. The cake is very light and refreshing. I'd go back for more of this. One whole is P550, and a slice is P120. (FYI: The size of the actual serving is 2 times thicker than what was served during the launch in my photo above).

Meet the Bubblets!

During the event, we all got to meet The Bubblets! These cute and adorable haracters are Tokyo Bubble Tea's very own. Meet the loving and sweet Sakura. She's the girl bubblet with a pink bow who's just plainly adorable. Midori on the other hand is the mischievous, adventurous, and playful green bubblet. And last but not the least, Ichiban, the little yellow bubblet prince wearing a crown. He might freak out a little if things don't go as planned, but he does enjoy all of the adventures they all have together.

These three are so kulit! :-)

Thank you Tokyo Bubble Tea for the fun lunch! You'll see me again soon! ;-) Thinking of inviting my gal pals here for a catching up session soon! ;-)

Other photos during the launch...

At Tokyo Bubble Tea in Katipunan

Baked goods from Honeybon

2nd floor of the Tokyo Bubble Tea in Katipunan. Great for small functions!

Mr. Reagan Tan, President and CEO of Tokyo Bubble Tea

Lifestyle / Food bloggers with the Bubblets!

PLDT FAM CAM, cctv, baby monitor, hidden camera

Even without full-time work, (well, besides being a mom which is actually full-time work), I still have lots of places to be on a certain number of days in a week. And I am not able to always bring my little one with me on some trips. And so I'm sure you can all feel me when I say how convenient life would be if we all somehow had an eye left at home to watch over our kids or our family should we need to leave them for a bit.

I actually already have a gadget that works like a CCTV camera which you can access from your smartphone. Although the price is quite reasonable compared to other complicated CCTVs, It will still cost as much as a new cellphone.

The thing is, there is now an easier way to get this type of service. No need to buy expensive and complicated CCTV cameras. All you need to do is get a PLDT HOME FAM CAM!

PLDT once again comes up with a way to connect us with our families even if we're far away. And that's the FAM CAM. FAM CAM is not just voice or chat based. It's video-based. Real images, in real time. This means I can virtually be home with my husband and our little one even if I'm still towns away from home for an event or something. No need to hopelessly wonder how Rain is when I can just grab my phone and watch her through the FAM CAM!

Watch as I unbox the BASIC FAM CAM!

FAM CAM uses a D-Link Wireless N Network Camera unit which is already part of the package when you avail of the FAM CAM service.

Simple instructions on how to use it with your tablet or smartphone!

Inside the box: The camera, an Ethernet cable, an installer CD, the power cord, and an adapter with some screws should you choose to install it by a wall or by the corner of the ceiling.

The BASIC FAM CAM in all its glory! It can see everything!

At the back, you'll see the ports where you can connect the cables. It's pretty easy. Just match the shapes! Haha!

Here are the features of the BASIC FAM CAM:

Home monitoring system
Built-in Mic & Automatic light adjustment
Motion & sound detection
Connects via WiFi
Watch over a mobile app
Available for HOME DSL Plan 1299 & up

...and available soon, the ADVANCED FAM CAM with these great added features:

Built-in Mic & Speaker for 2-way so you can talk and listen through the camera
Move the camera view from left to right, or Tilt and even Zoom!
Has a Built in SD card slot so you have the option to record while you're busy!

What makes the FAM CAM more awesome is that its family-sized connection is powered by PLDT HOME DSL. Installing is quick and easy. And all you need to add is P99 per month on top of your PLDT HOME DSL Plan 1299 and up!

And then as a perfect partner for the FAM CAM, PLDT (as you may already know) has a their own tablet called the PLDT HOME Telpad which again connects you to your family in another level. Because you can do so much with a tablet nowadays, PLDT gives you the option to switch to a Telpad which is an Android tablet that can make clear video calls with your loved ones or send instant chats (they even have their own chat app called heyÜ ) and the million other things you can do with a tablet. So anyway, you could bet that the FAM CAM works really really well and works best with the Telpad. Get a Telpad Plan for as low as P1699, get a landline plus a DSL speed boost and a FREE Quadcore tablet.

All of this, connected together by PLDT HOME DSL internet, and you'll have an awesome communicating system, and you'll always have a way to watch over your loved ones at home. You will finally solve the mystery of the missing snack in your refrigerator every night or something. As shown in this funny FAM CAM commercial hahaha!

Now you can always be #HOMEwithFAMCAM!

For more information, visit http://pldthome.com/famcam. For the available PLDT HOME plans and services, learn more at pldthome.com/dsl and pldthome.com/telpad.

If you love Chicken wings, then you're gonna want to read this...

Because on January 29, Buffalo Wild Wings finally arrives the Philippine shores (first in Asia, thanks to The Bistro Group!) and will celebrate its Grand Opening by giving away a year's worth of wings to the first 100 people in line by the time it opens at 11:00 am!

Photo grabbed from Buffalo Wild Wings facebook page

Buffalo Wild Wings will open its Philippines branch at Estancia Mall in Capital Commons, Pasig! These delicious wings come in 16 different delectable flavors. Some of the flavors include:

For sweet and/or salty fans like me:

Sweet BBQ
Teriyaki
Garlic Parmesan
Honey BBQ

If you like it hot, on the other hand... you should try:

Jammin' Jalapeno
Desert Heat
the Blazin'.. (this is the hottest sauce on Buffalo Wild Wing's Menu!)

So mark your calendars! January 29 people! It's your chance to win one year's worth of Wings! That's a lot! (Terms and Conditions apply. See fine print on the poster)

May the best Wing man win!!! So to speak...

BUFFALO WILD WINGS
Ground Floor Estancia Mall
Capital Commons, Pasig City

Follow them on Facebook: Buffalo Wild Wings

I'm happy to share the most exciting thing to ever happen in my non-existing baking career! It's this moment that I've made cupcakes using a ready-mix batter from a supermarket. Even more so, it was really exciting for me that I was able to watch the batter rise inside the convection oven, and seeing my little Rainbow devour it. And I think my new Disney baking stuff had a lot to do with it.

Obviously, it already caught Rain's attention. She knows a hidden Mickey when she sees one.

Here's the Disney Baking Gift set I got. They're part of the Melawares Kids’ line. They have this silicone chocolate mold which I used as a cupcake mold. And I also got these plastic cookie cutters in the shape of Mickey's head and his pants. The other stuff in the Disney Baking Gift set incude some small and large silicone cake pan, small and large non-stick cake pan, silicone pancake mold, plastic mold, metal cookie cutters, and even cake pop molds.

A close up look at the chocolate mold.

Plus I also really like this Cake stand by Melaware that when turned upside down...

...becomes a platter with a sauce container at the middle.

Okay so here I go! Mixing the ready-made cake batter into a bowl. I don't have a baking bowl so I used the biggest bowl I could find in the kitchen which is actually a pot. Improvise! ;-)

I remembered watching a baking video on YouTube and I remembered how she brushed the mold / pan with butter or cooking oil spray so the cake won't stick. So I did exactly that.

Then in goes the mixture! I may have poured more that I should have.

In they go inside our convection oven. My error in this first batch was that the tray/grill thing was placed too high. So my first batch was burnt. But when Rain saw this first burnt batch, she suddenly exclaimed "Momma, they're beautiful!!!" :' ) Maybe she thought I was making chocolate cake but still! That really warmed my heart :')

So on my second attempt I placed the tray thing on the bottom level. For the convection heat setting, I think it was about 250 degrees on bake/roast mode. It was really exciting for me to watch the batter rise! (And overflow a bit in my case)

Okay so some was still burnt but this was the last of my batter so I just rolled with it.

Since I put too much batter in the first place, it was too hard to see the shape of the cakes. So I cut the top off and TADAAA! Mickey-shaped cakes!

I'm so glad I used that ready-made cake mix because at least the taste was good! And Rain seems to really like it that she would not stop eating them.

For my next baking project, I'm going to turn it up a notch by using a different mix flavor and maybe adding some sliced strawberries ;-) Or maybe I'll make cookies so I can try the cookie cutters too! Thanks again Melaware for these awesome gift set! You made me enjoy baking!

Melaware's Disney Baking Gift Set is available at select SM Homeworld stores in Metro Manila. For more information, visit www.melawares.com or contact 0917-527-5487

I remember 3 around 3 years ago when I found out I was pregnant, after the excitement and the adrenaline rush toned down a little, I suddenly realized how much I don't know about babies. I didn't grow up living with a baby in the house even. The last time I lived in a house with a baby in it was back in 1992, when my little cousin was born. I was grade 2 I think. So I wasn't really paying attention.

Needless to say, when I became pregnant, I was as clueless, and a bit frightened. Luckily I had my sisters in law and my cousins who already have babies whom I could run to and ask for advice. But what about the other newbie moms that have less support? Well, those moms are lucky. Because of all the fast information traveling through the internet, they can already search for tips on baby care. But with all the tips and options on baby stuff, it can get overwhelming.

Well worry not, new moms! Mommy Mundo has your research work cut out for you as they release their Top Mom Picks Guidebook!

It's a very helpful book containing up-to-date top finds for moms-to-be, present moms, babies, and kids! It covers everything one might need for all the stages of motherhood.

From pregnancy... to child birth...

... to the crazy phase of toddlerhood, and up!

It's organized neatly by category with important product information. Everything in their list has been very carefully curated. All the items coming from all the Mommy Mundo expos and events.

These items are then further narrowed down by their reputable mom panel listed below, and it also helped a lot that they added some straight-to-the point testimonies all throughout:

Janice Villanueva - Founder of Mommy Mundo
Rome Kanapi - childbirth expert

Bloggers and mompreneurs:
Christine Dychiao
Neva Arboleda Santos
Em Matias Sulit
Candice Cu Yaw

and
Jing Lejano - editor

This would make an excellent gift for a first-time mom-to-be! And the best part? SRP is only P220! ;-)

Oh, and shameles plug... I'm so happy when I saw that Bug and Kelly is right there on page 52! Wooot woot!!! :-) Be clueless no more and buy your copy now!!!

You may get copies at the following:

Online:
www.mommymundo.com/shop
Nurturenookshop.com
Mombabyfabric
Urban Essentials
My Baby Dragon
Baby Armor Philippines
Baby Lab Enterprises

Physical Stores:
Fully Booked (Greenhills, ATC, North EDSA, MOA, Katipunan, Greenbelt 5, Fort, Eastwood, Trinoma, Festival Mall)
Mamaway Store (Shangrila)

It's the middle of summer and I bet every family is in somewhere sunny and bright! And as a mom, (and as a female), aside from lipstick, sunblock and wet wipes, the thing that's always on my to-bring list is sunglasses. It's not for the sake of fashion. My eyes easily hurt when I'm outdoors on a sunny day. And it's hard to see through the bright rays of sun while I drive. With today's global warming thing, the heat is more intense than I can remember.

So if the UV rays nowadays are that bad and I feel the need to protect my eyes every single day, what more with my toddler's eyes? I just learned that children's eyes can't filter our UV radiation PLUS children receives annual sun exposure 3 times more than adults! YIKES! At a very young age I cannot risk Rain's eyes from being damaged in any shape or form.

And this adorable Babiators sunglasses is just what Rain needs!

These adorable pop star pink sunglasses are made for kids! With a witty name play for aviator shades. It gives 100% UVA and UVB protection for your child's eyes.

The lenses are very tough so you don't have to worry about your kids accidentally breaking them. With different adventures in mind, they made the lenses impact and shatter-resistant. And that will help a lot with kids being kids. Childproof!

Don't underestimate these flexible rubber frames! They are very strong and can withstand being sat on or dropped.

And if they do break, or even if you lose it, this is the best part: They will send you a replacement FREE! They are the only sunglasses to offer a Lost & Found Guarantee! Click here for more information.

Original Babiators completes Rain's scooter sessions!

It matches her pink scooter too!

And you can't deny the fact that they're very fashionable! (Disclaimer: She did the duck face on her own. Go figure)

Hollywood babies have been spotted with Babiators too!

Check all these celebrities on Pinterest!

Babiators As Seen On the following shows:

Other Babiator Products

Original Babiators in 7 colors (P950)

Polarized Babiators (P1,850)

For ages 7 to 14, there's Aces (P1,650)

And Babiators for underwater! Submariners Goggles! (P1,850)

Original Babiators sunglasses come in two sizes: Junior size for 6 months to 3 years old. And there's the Classic for kids ages 3 to 7+ years.

Original Babiators are available at the following stores:

Nothing But H20 (Boracay, Alabang Town Center, Rockwell)
R.O.X.
Rustan's (Alabang Town Center, Makati, Shangri-La, Gateway, Cebu)
Mothercare (Trinoma, Active Fun, Greenbelt 5, Robinson's Magnolia, Robinson's Ermita)
Kidsports (Festival Mall Alabang, Trinoma, Shangri-La, Robinson's Magnolia)
Modern Mama Baby Shop (Cebu)
Babyland (Shaw Blvd, Glorietta, Eastwood)
Nurture Nook

And can be bought at the following Online Stores:

Cudsly.com
Nothing But H20 Online
Babyshop.ph
Babyoutlet.ph

For more information and other products, visit Babiator Philippine's official website : www.babiators.ph/ And like them on Facebook: Babiators PH. Have a happy Babiator summer everyone!

I'll be the first one to admit that I didn't really think too much of feminine washes until a few days ago. I just use soap down there. And all the while I was thinking that wasn't a big deal. Of course I was wrong. And what was I thinking anyway? I try to use only the best facial soap for my skin, based on the type of skin I have. So why the heck should I not pick the correct type of wash for my vajayjay? It's a pretty serious stuff, girls! So serious that if we're not careful and we're being careless, it could actually lead to infection, then that could lead to a number of different problems including infertility. And based on my experience, I think I can vouch that this is possible.

You see, we didn't conceive Rain right away after my husband and I got married. It took us 3 years of casually trying. Until we finally decided to really start trying to conceive. But turns out it was not as easy for us unlike other couples who conceive in a snap. Clearly there was a problem. So we went to a family friend who is actually a doctor specializing in prostate cancer but yet has had lots of fertility success stories. His logic was that before undergoing any other expensive fertilization treatments, was to first make sure that the place where the baby would grow is clean and free from infections. Because no matter how many IFVs you undergo, if there's an infection somewhere, there's a possibility the treatment would fail. That's how many hundred thousands of pesos down the drain. It makes sense right?

I don't want to go into detail about my husband but as for my part, turns out I did have some type of infection, so we first treated it with antibiotics and regular check ups (pap smear). And in three months, TADAAAAA! I was pregnant! Dr. Manny Sta. Cruz was right on the money!

A simple hygiene routine error could lead to complicated problems. And I now realize that normal feminine wash won't cut it. We need the real stuff. And BETADINE® 7.5% antiseptic Feminine Wash is your best bet!

Why BETADINE®? First of all, it doesn't irritate, it has the ideal pH range. it is hypoallergenic, and it doesn't dry. But aside from all of this, Poviodone -Iodine BETADINE® gives relief from when you get itching down there during your period, pregnancy, or menopause, gives relief during external irritation from vaginal infections, and prevents episiotomy wound infections. And last but definitely not the least. it is a doctor-trusted antiseptic feminine wash!

Bottom line, BETADINE® Feminine Wash with PVP - Iodine kills viruses fungi, and bacteria which causes odor, itchiness, and irritation under there. And you don't even have to wash with BETADINE® everyday. The recommended usage is just TWICE A WEEK!

And on a personal side note, I tried it and I felt really fresh. That's when it becomes a domino effect. When we feel clean, we don't feel conscious. Therefore we feel confident. We feel sassy. We feel sexy. That's why Clean is the new Sexy! This is what BETADINE® encourages all women to start making a habit of.

So ladies, please keep this in mind. It only takes twice in one week for us to do this habit of washing with BETADINE®. And believe you me this will benefit you in the long run!

Exciting News from BETADINE®, Flawless, and Posh Nails!: Be Sexy Promo!

BETADINE® has some exciting news! They have partnered up with Flawless Skin Clinic and Posh Nails Hand and Foot Spa for the Sexy Clean promo!

With Flawless Skin Clinic, you can get 20% discount on Flawless All Natural Ultimate White Facial and Cell Booster! All you need to do is present your proof of purchase of a BETADINE® Feminine Wash 100mL, and the box at ANY Flawless branch to avail of the huge discount.

With Posh Nail Hand and Foot Spa, you can get 10% off on Posh Nails' services (excluding basic manicure and pedicure services). Same thing, you just need present proof of purchase when you buy a 100mL BETADINE® plus the box, at any Posh Nails branch.

Thank you again BETADINE® for holding this event and spreading awareness when it comes to feminine hygiene. I really learned a lot and realized the error of my ways haha! I really feel this information has to be shared to all women out there.

Learn more! Visit their official website at http://ph.betadine.com/en/ph/feminine-‐care. Official hashtags of the event: #IDoItTwiceAWeek #BetadineFeminineWash

More fun photos from the #IDoItTwiceAWeek event:

The event was held at the pool side of Intercontinental Manila.

I really adored the relaxing set up!

Flawless booth where guests can play a little golf, and win prizes. And there was also free skin care consultation.

Posh Nails section filled with relaxing beach chairs for some pampering.

Left to right: The Tummy Traveler, me, and The Hungry Kat getting pampered with Posh Nails foot massage and getting our nails done!

This slush of Intercontinental Manila was YUM!!!! I think I had like 4 glasses. Seriously.

Delicious and pretty amuse-bouche

Cocktail table set-up.

Relaxed while learning about feminine hygiene.

Camped out on the banig with @yendreyfus @katcatapusan @nineslicad #BetadineFeminineWash #idoittwiceaweek #TheKTG
A photo posted by Rina Zamora 🌈 (@rinasrainbow) on Apr 28, 2015 at 3:51am PDT

Guess what? #IDoItTwiceAWeek ! 😉😉😉 Secret!!! 😜
A photo posted by Rina Zamora 🌈 (@rinasrainbow) on Apr 28, 2015 at 2:30am PDT

What mom doesn't like bazaars and fairs? No one! At least that I know of. That's why moms will get a kick out of The Project Mom Favorite Finds Fair! Already happening starting April 17,2015 running every Friday's to Sundays and until this weekend, May 10 in Glorietta 1 and 4! It's a fair where you will find lots of one-of-a-kind things for moms, kids, family, and even home stuff!

At the same time, The Project Mom Favorite Finds Exhibit is also running until May 10, 2015, also in Glorietta 1 and 4. Discover heaven-sent services and items that are personally hand-picked by the lovely authors of Project Mom: Ms. Amanda Griffin-Jacob and Ms. Bianca Araneta Elizalde. In this exhibit, you will see a mix of the stuff featured in the book plus the things curated by both moms.

The Project Mom Favorite Finds Exhibit, which will run from April 17 to May 10, 2015 in Glorietta 1 and 4, will showcase items and services, hand-picked by the Project Mom authors, Ms. Amanda Griffin-Jacob and Ms. Bianca Araneta-Elizalde. This will be a mix of those featured in the book and those curated by both moms.

And another fun surprise is that the exhibit and fair will culminate with 100 super lucky moms during the Project Mom Favorite Finds Mother's Day Event on May 10! Happening at the Glorietta 5 Activity Center! These 100 lucky moms (who were drawn last May 3 via their Instagram contest) will get the chance to take home 10,000 worth of prizes and get to join hand-picked activities made by moms for moms! I'm so excited for them!

This is a rewarding fair to treat yourself to for Mother's Day! So make sure you drop by at Glorietta for the final days of Project Mom! Advanced happy Mother's Day!!!!:-)

Here are just some of the amazing things you will find at Project Mom.

Melissa!!! I love Melissa shoes! So happy I finally have heels again for formal / semi-formal events! (Yup. I haven't worn heels since my office days)

This lovely linen by The Olive Tree! Instagram: @livethelinendream

This adorable pillow case by Bungalow 300! Instagram: @Bungalow300

Mustela!!! Perfect for our Baguio trip this week!

Messy Bessy hand and body wash! Instagram: @hellomessybessy

Local artisanal products by Abre! Instagram: @abre_linea

Thank you Project Mom for these!!! I'm having an awesome Mother's Day week already!:)

There are lots of 3-in-1 coffee mixes available in the market nowadays. I have to admit I have not tried all of it but one of the brands one of the brands I have tried is pretty good! Super Coffee! Lots of different types of variants that you don't usually find in other brands.

Super Coffee is a brand from Singapore and is now here in the Philippines. A brand of great quality that uses only world class quality beans from Indonesia, Brazil, and Vietnam. Their roasting process is meticulously done to get the most flavor and aroma out of the beans at just the right time. And then it undergoes a serious liquid extraction which creates extremely concentrated coffee that is actually up to 48 times stronger than regular coffee.

Amazing Coffee flavors that come in a sachet!

The Super Charcoal Roasted White Coffee 3-in-1 has three flavors. My favorite being the Roasted Hazelnut. Actually, this is probably almost everyone's favorite. Including me. It has a very palette friendly sweetness to it. Like a tongue's warm hug. It's not super sweet which fits my taste right now. I no longer like super sweet drinks. Only subtle sweetness appeals to my pallet nowadays.

There's also Charcoal Roasted White Coffee Brown Sugar...

and Charcoal Roasted White Coffee Toffee Caramel. Like the hazelnut, these two flavors are also not too sweet. It's just right.

Then of course, there's Super Coffee Classic 3-in-1 which comes in Original, and the Brown.

The next variant is the Super Coffee Palettes which tickles the palette with the number of exciting flavors that happen in your mouth. Currently, there's Salted Caramel that gives sweet and salty at the same time.

The Super Coffee Selection is set apart from the other local coffee brands because of its variety in flavors that you don't usually get from the other 3-in-1 brands in the supermarket. Think of it as a barista coffee you can mix at home, and for a very affordable price of only 6 Php per sachet! And by the way, they do not use coffee flavoring. This is pure real coffee goodness!

Super Coffee Smile Caravan

"Some persue happiness. We help create them"

Super Coffee Philippines spread smiles all over Ayala MRT Station, Eastwood, and in Baguio with their dancing baristas, and free hot or cold coffee samples using their super cool coffee dispenser backpacks. Over 3,000 cups in Baguio City, over 5,000 in Ayala MRT Station, and also over 5,000 cups in Eastwood City.

And guess what? You're gonna want to watch out where the next Coffee Smile Caravan will be from the Super Coffee Facebook Page because if you are able to take a photo or video of their dancing baristas, youcould have a chance to win....

ONE YEAR'S SUPPLY OF SUPER COFFEE 3-IN-1!!!

Here are the mechanics!

1.) Take a photo or video of our Dancing Baristas.

2.)  Follow Super Coffee on Facebook and Instagram, and tag @supercoffeeph and use the hashtag #supercoffeeph

3.)  Spread the news and get your friends to like your post too! The post with the most number of likes will get the chance to win 1 year FREE supply of Super Coffee 3in1!

The best of luck to everyone!

Super Coffee can be bought in supermarkets including Puregold and Waltermart. If you haven't tried Super Coffee yet, I urge you to do so. It's really something! You're welcome! ;-)

But read on for one more surprise!....

The readers of Rina's Rainbow also get one more chance to win a year's supply of Super Coffee!!!! Just follow the rafflecopter below! Good luck!!!:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What is my Mommy Mission?

Seems like an easy question with an obvious answer. But is it really that easy? When finally faced with challenges, will it really be that easy?

Truth is being a mom is no walk in the park. It's not always cuddling with your new born baby, playing happily in the garden with your children, laughing and having a great time all the time. It's real life. It's as real as it can be. When you become a mom, you are suddenly responsible for these little humans to grow up successfully. Hence, you will hardly have time to pause and take a moment for yourself and do a quick check on your sanity, and make sure we're you're losing the big picture.

It's terrifying. Yes. But if we take a moment to asses ourselves as a mom, and really think about our end goal, we can start tweaking our not-so-helpful habits so we can stay in the right lane and somehow reach our goal smoothly.

Thanks to Mommy Mundo, they came up with a 5-week Mom Manifesto online campaign where moms can do a 6-step program (one program per week for 5 weeks) with activities that moms can answer in 15 minutes or less, that can help moms really think about their goals as a mom, or reflect in some things that may have lead moms to become the type of parent that they are now. With this self-awareness activities, moms can lift key learnings and create their own #MomManifesto.

Here's one of my work sheets. It's funny that for a person who tries to always be positive in a lot of things, I couldn't help but notice that a lot of my answers in my work sheets show so little confidence I have in myself as a mom, and as a woman. Side story--- Just this evening I came from my sister-in-law's house who's one of the best home cooks I have ever met. And their normal dinner is like a restaurant treat in our tummies already. It was so good! And so it made me realize how different I am from a lot of moms. I sometimes feel like everyone has this notion that all mothers MUST be excellent cooks. But no matter what I do I just don't have the interest to do so. Should I feel shameful for not striving to learn excellent recipes for my family? My husband doesn't seem to mind. Anyway it's these type of things that remind me that I'm no Bree Van De Kamp (a perfectionist homemaker in the show Desperate Housewives), and thus making me feel clueless on whether I'm on the right track or not. But of course just because I'm not part of the status quo doesn't mean I'm a bad mom.

And so again, it falls on my lack of self-confidence. It's definitely something I really need to work on. The Mom Manifesto activities made me realize what I need to work on with myself as a mom. And I'm thankful I was able to reflect on this early on while Rain is still only 3 years old. There's still more challenges and experiences ahead of us!

This Mom Manifesto also gave me some sneak peaks on the possible challenges I will have as a parent when my child turns into a teenager. I know I answered mostly B's in this one which means my parenting style is authoritative. So here's hoping that I will really stick to this when the time comes that I really face the sample scenarios here.

So aside from all the smaller details I wrote like in the other work sheets like living a healthier life, trying to make a more effective schedule, etc,... In the end my big picture is to become a mom who raises her children to be always have a positive outlook in life (because positive attracts positive), and then to just really follow what their heart wants and find happiness even in the simplest things, and to top it all off, to be the mom that raises God-fearing children. That they follow what is right, and what is good for everyone.

Thank you to Mommy Mundo founder Janice Villanueva, and life expert / certified psychologist Michele Alignay M.A. for designing this online workshop for moms. I had fun doing it! And I will definitely post my #MomManifesto statement on the wall of Expo Mom 2015 happening on May 22-24! Where, by the way, lots of top mom-approved/tested products and services will be showcased. Products for moms, by moms! And of course, alongside top mom and baby brands in the country today. Another thing nice about it is that entrance fees, donations in cash and kind (like clothes, school supplies, books, shoes, etc) will all go to MomShare's partner beneficiary Childhope Asia Philippines, to aid in literacy and health programs for street children.

If you want to do the #MomManifesto Online workshop, you can still do it! Just go to http://expomom.com/mommanifesto/ and click on the Worksheets tab. Feel free to share your take aways online too if you want! It's quite fun!

Expo Mom 2015: #MomManifesto is co-presented by Cordlife Philippines, supported by Huggies, Cycles Mid Detergent, Fern-C, Nurture Nook, Pioneer Insurance, JoomaJam, Wang Videography, ImagineNation Photography, and media partners Working Mom Magazine, Rappler, WheninManila.com, Crossover 105.1, Newlyweds@Work, and venue partner Glorietta and Ayala Center.

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