Human Heart Nature Perfumes

I received a sample-sized spray bottle of perfume from Human Heart Nature last Saturday. It reads, "Sample A". Along with it is a Questionnaire which I answered and sent back just today.

I still don't know how to rotate these pictures.

An Uprooted Root Canal

I have been delaying this visit for the longest time. But yes, I just confirmed my dental appointment for tomorrow at 9:00 AM.

Hakab Na 2014

The Breastfeeding Pinays Group in Facebook has been a great help to me to exclusively breastfeed Josefina. As soon as I learned that I was pregnant, I found myself reading all posts and browsing through all the albums of the then 1,000members of BFP. Then I decided, yes I want to exclusively breastfeed Josefina. No water, no formula, just me for the first 6 months of her life.

Now the group has grown into a membership of 25,000 and I am just so excited to see my online mommy friends in the flesh.

In celebration of the National Breastfeeding Awareness Month this August,  tomorrow we will have a half day breastfeeding themed event called Hakab Na 2014. This will be held simultaneously in Manila, Cebu, Davao, Bacolod and Iloilo on August, 2, 2014 (Saturday) at 9:00 am.

Tomorrow I will be with my momma-cow friends in Philippine Army Officers Clubhouse in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.

Other locations will be in Ayala Center Cebu Active Zone in Cebu City (hosted by the Cebu Breastfeeding Club), Stockbridge International School (formerly Tumble Tots) in Davao City (hosted by Breastfeeding Pinays – Davao), Santuario de la Salle, University of St. La Salle in Bacolod City (hosted by the Bacolod Mom and Baby Club and the Institute for Negros Development), Iloilo Provincial Capitol in Iloilo City (hosted by the Breastfeeding Ilonggas)

Excited for tomorrow.

Essentials for a Commuting and Working Office Girl

I ride three jeepneys every weekday morning to get to work. And it is never easy for me. But with a few extra things, each commuting morning gets better.

When I decided to go back to work and try my luck in an office just inside my daughter's school, I seriously considered riding a school bus to work. In fact I contacted several carpools for a one-way seat.

It is July 25, the rainy month is about to end and I am getting used to the commuting routine in the morning.

1. Cloth Face Mask

I wear a cloth face mask, even when my hubby laughs at me when I do.

2. Comfy Crocs

I realized it is never comfortable to commute on a regular basis, in a rainy season, on your plan black ballet flats. They get wet.

3. Umbrella

I still prefer this over a foldable umbrella.

Bloglovin

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/12610579/?claim=cjdb475vfgt">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Decluttering Toys

It has been an ongoing project for me: to declutter everything that we are not using. But I (am) used to be a very sentimental person that's why whenever its is throwing away-decluttering time, I end up just destashing a few items then I return all the other kalat to their Kalat spaces.


So I take pictures before I sell, give or throw them away.

That's Cecilia's battery operated mini piano I bought at a nearby mall when I was still on maternity leave in Pasig with mom. I remember my excitement on wanting to play with her. And that is Jersey's toy trumpet. Both are not working anymore even with fresh batteries.

This is a space consuming but inexpensive baby carriage I bought when Cecilia was 2 years old.

Here are attempts to document this decluttering phase of my life:

How to Sell Your Stuff
Cecilia's Things
Decluttering By Giving Them Away
Give Them All Away
Still Give Them Away
Decluttering By Selling Them Online

Immaculate Conception Parish Barangay Sangandaan Quezon City

I live nearby. I live so close to the Church that I church bells ringing when masses start.

And it will always be a long list of excuses not to attend mass. But this Sunday Cecilia and I did. And she brought Pinkie Pie with us.

And I have an excuse to wear my Dress Up Like Your Daughter Dress.

Selfie Selfie while waiting for the Mass to start.

The front camera of my Cherry Flare 2.x makes grainy photos.

How to Track Your Expenses

Time and time again I have been meaning to track our household expenses.

I always start on a January first, forget about it, then start February 1st. By Feb10th I feel its too much work. Or that I am taking too much time on it.

I am not always online, or I don't have my pen and paper with em everyday, or I simply tend to forget (or choose not to) log those receipts.

The only way for me to do this for one whole month is to get motivated. And in fact it is needed now more than ever since I simply do not have the luxury to spend beyond what is necessary.

I am starting this July, and I have three ways to write down everything:
1. a pen and a small piece of paper to write down what I can remember
2. a small envelop where I can keep receipts
3. an online google excel spreadsheet wherein I can type everything when I get a chance to get online

I am now on Day 11.
10 More Days then this is a good habit.

Cheapest Pills for Breastfeeding Moms

I take Trust Daphne Oral Contraceptive Pills since it is the cheapest at 130php per month. Other Progestin-Only Pills are Cerazette at 600php, and Exluton at 200php.

Malunggay Pancake, Banana Pancake, Marshmallow Pancake

Banana Pancake for Hubby, Malunggay Pancake for Mommy, Marshmallow Pancakes for Ate C. Baby is still sound asleep.

Quick Breakfasts for a Commuting and Working Office Girl

This is my running photo list of breakfasts I've had since I started being an office girl this July.

July 1 Tue: First Day of Work
Pan De Sal (from the nearby bakery) + Sunny Side Up Egg + Del Monte Canned Four Seasons Juice

July 2 Wed: Second Day of Work
Oat Granola Cereals + Fresh Milk

July 3 Thu: Looking forward to a slow office day
Tasty Bread + Queensland Butter + Milo

July 7 Mon: 
Pan De Sal + Banana + Sunny Side Up Egg

July 8 Tues:
Cheesedog + Fried Rice + Ketchup

July 25 Friday
Hotdog + Fried Rice + Mayonnaise

Minimum Wage (Almost)

I applied for work this June and luckily I got a post. By the end of July I will be getting a monthly gross salary of 15,000Php. The job is project based, so no security of tenure is guaranteed.

But at least I get to go home with my daughter C who studies nearby.

Today she picked me up here at work.

Back to Another Office Corner

I spent the past years at home mothering and parenting the children. And now I am back to dressing up every morning, going through the traffic jam whose name is Katipunan, and spending precious time in an office environment. 

I have struggled maintaining an online presence in the past. We have been simplifying the way we eat, live, work and study, almost to the bare naked, to the detriment of my blogging existence. But now I am back. I have missed sharing what’s going on. Rest assured there’ll be more exciting news, thoughts, adventures, discoveries and experiences to share.

On my commute to work this morning, I passed by this broken sidewalk. And I found it pretty. 

Mommy Diaries 06.20.14

Today is Cecilia's first day of school for Kinder in Miriam College Child Study Center.

They grow up so fast. Parenting is a tough job but I don't have to face it alone. I reach out to family and friends, and I join groups who share tips and tricks that worked wonders for them.

Hot to Commute to Katipunan

From where I live, I ride three jeepneys to go to Katipunan Avenue.

Costs me:
8.50php
13.00php
8.50php

It is always a terrible experience for me to commute, but I will hurdle this. I applied for work and I got an interview schedule. I'm sure I'll get the post.

Hair Cut For Kids

My 5 year old C and I have our hair trimmed in neighbourhood salons which offer hair cuts as low as 50php.

100 Peso Meals: Chicken Teriyaki

Ingredients:

Justbought:

80php chicken fillet

10php togue

Pantry/Ref Stash:

Bell Pepper

Carrots

Sesame Seeds

Soy Sauce

Sugar

Ginger

Sesame Oil

Procedure:

Marinade Chicken Fillet strips in soysauce, sugar and pounded ginger for at least 15 minutes.

Cook in low heat, adding just a few tablespoons of water and a few drops of sesame oil.

Cook the vegetables in the same pan so that you do not have to add seasoning. 

Total: 90php

Teriyaki is a japanese way of cooking by boiling or grilling with a glaze of soy sauce, sugar and a spice they call mirin. Sometimes, pineapple is used instead of sugar. I like this better with Kimchi. 

100 Peso Meals just cover the cost of the main ingredients, not taking into consideration the gasul consumption, the cost of depreciation of the stove, paid labor by the household help, and other pantry items such as cooking oil, water and spices.  Nor does it account for the opportunity cost that I am staying at home blogging about this ulam.

How to wash cloth diapers

I chose to cloth diaper my second daughter J. When I was still pregnant I equipped myself with information on different nappy systems and wash routines so I can exclusively cloth diaper her. There are a lot to choose from, and I have tried different nappies on Baby J. Now that she is 10 months old, I have bought, used and destashed a lot of nappies that did not work for me for different reasons: "too expensive and I do not know why I even bought it", "too many of this brand", "boyish print, I have a baby girl"

I have not bought any disposable diaper since I gave birth in August of 2013. My baby is now 10 months. I want the barest minimum but working nappy system for Baby J so she now owns only 24 pockets and 48pcs of inserts.

Wash routines may change as the baby grows. Now that J is 10 months and she eats solids, we strip wash all her nappies once at the end of each month. We wash nappies daily since I am not comfortable leaving them dirty for more than 24 hours.

For nappies with pee: in the sink we prewash with running water (both inserts and pockets) so they wont get stinky. And leave them in an open laundry hamper. Most moms recommend hanging the nappies to dry before wash day, but I can't seem to do it in terms of logistics. The sink is inside the house and the sampayan is outside, in the garage and it is too much work for yaya or me to hang them outside. Remember, baby just took a bath/diaper change and it is more important to look after a crawling baby. excuses. excuses. excuses.

For nappies with poop: using a bidet, drop all solids and poop in the toilet, then pre wash. This must be immediately done.

At the end of the day we have around 6-7 nappies all pre washed.

We wash everything in the morning just before both kids wake up:

First cycle is rinse cycle for 3 minutes, drain water.
Wash cyle for 15 minutes using 2 tablespoons of detergent
Rinse cycle for 3 minutes, drain water
Rinse cycle for 3 minutes, drain water
Rinse in a batya before hanging to dry.

It is very important to rinse the nappies very well and to use as little detergent as possible since these may cause build up and make the nappies stink or leak.

No fabric conditioner even if the inserts feel dry. Anyway these inserts do not touch the baby's bum directly.

Starting a Business with 5K Capital

I do not have any savings. In fact I have mentioned that my BPI Savings account opened by my husband is always in its maintaining balance of 3,000php.

I asked mom for 5thousand pesos so I can have capital for any business I want.

1. 1,999php (3,001php remaining)

To start, it is easy to resell. And I signed up as a dealer for Human Heart Nature and got the 2k worth of samples for dealers.

I don't intend to sell the Human Heart Nature items at full brochure price. Will probably sell them 20% less the brochure price since I am already getting 25% off as a dealer. So, to get my return on investment for my 2,000php capital, I need to sell worth 40,000 of items. I am terrible at arithmetic by the way.

I just intend to have 2k worth of products on hand all the time and keep them moving as the orders come along. A few best seller items that I initially have on hand are their Human Heart Nature Natural Baby Wash and Lotion, Human Heart Nature Sunflower Beauty Oil and Human Heart Nature Citronella Bug Spray.

2.  3,000php for buying yards of cloth so i can start sewing.

No I am not an expert in this area but will try my best to make them good enough for someone else to buy.

How to Sell Your Stuff

Take an honest look at the things you have and pick a few things you are ready to part with. 

I stopped going to work in 2012 and stayed all day everyday at home so I finally had the chance to see all the clutter I have accumulated since we started living here in 2008.

1. Online

2. Garage Sales

procrastinate....