Category: Product Review

MORE FUN WITH GROLIER’S MORPHUN

Play. Play. Play. Let our kids play all day!

Monica loves to read and write; draw and color — all of those she considers as play. You know why? Because she really enjoys it! She also creates a mess, talks to her Legos and Shopkins and makes a story out of Paw Patrol and My Little Pony toys.

And lately, she has started to enjoy building and creating, too! Since outdoor play is not really doable at the moment, she now focuses her energy on building. Perfect timing because Grolier PH sent her a “toy” called Morphun – a set of building blocks that fosters creativity and independent play and learning! Not only that, it also does the following (got this from http://grolier-asia.com/our-products/morphun/):

  • Develop children’s fine manipulative skills and hand eye co-ordination.
  • Allow children to explore flexibility of form and movement.
  • Develop children’s social, communication, teamwork and ways of working skills by providing opportunities for children to work together in teams and share their ideas.
  • Develop both generic and special problem solving skills.

Sounds amazing, right? It really is! But more than the benefits mentioned above, what I liked about it the most is that, it develops patience and perseverance. Both lifelong skills that I want Monica to have.

At first, she got really intimidated with the blocks as it’s not how the usual blocks look like plus she didn’t really want to follow the building directions. Each Morphun set comes with a guide-book with easy to follow instructions on how to build age-appropriate models. So I let her just freely build whatever she felt like building.

In this photo, Monica built the 4 towers of Jazz Residences with a sun above. This was her first time trying Morphun!

A few weeks after, she tried again and this time, she wanted to build the Fire Engine she saw in the guide-book. I was hesitant to let her because I thought it was too complicated. But good thing she insisted. I saw how determined she was — kept asking me questions on how, asking me to show her, but ultimately doing it all on her own. I saw her get frustrated whenever she gets the wrong block and won’t work with another; and I saw how her face lit up every time she would discover how it should be done, all on her own.

I am getting better, mommy!”

The words I really want to hear. I am so glad I let her and trusted that she can do it on her own. The reward is not really the newly-built Fire Engine, but the confidence she gained after. The next day, things are easier for her and she enjoyed it even more. I love how Morphun can really develop many skills and even values we can carry on. Yes we – because I myself am learning too. I learned to be patient in waiting for her and not to intervene.

Drama ba? Hahahaha. That’s really how I feel about Morphun. Clearly, it’s more fun with Morphun, plus it also grows with them; the older they get, the more complex it becomes.! Haha. I love that Grolier has really evolved over time. It has become really interactive and allows kids to discover on their own. Hey, we still have those Grolier Encyclopedias at home! And it’s good to know that my daughter has her own Grolier products, too, but definitely a better one.

You can check Monica’s videos playing with Morphun here: https://www.instagram.com/s/aGlnaGxpZ2h0OjE4MDQ1MjM5MDU5MjU5NTc2?igshid=vsdri6wvzvud&story_media_id=2368013119229216773

To know more about their products, you can send them a message here: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialGrolierPH/

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Katherine’s Cafe: Cuppy Hour Launch

Do you crave for ME time? Do you want time out from the daily chaos that is motherhood? Do you want to look and feel like a dalaga and just chill with your friends? OF COURSE WE ALL DO.

Admit it, motherhood is really the most beautiful thing but it is also the most exhausting, most draining one. And we need a break, otherwise, we have a tendency to break — break someone or something. LOL.

Good thing Katherine’s Cafe is launching their #CUPPYHOUR today! It’s perfect for those who want to just have coffee and have a fantastic time either alone or with a friend.

You may avail of the High Tea for only Php 499, with some light and dainty yet filling pastries and refillable coffee or tea. This will surely make your afternoon homey. Check this out every Mondays thru Fridays, 2-5PM at Katherine’s Cafe Glorietta and Ayala Vertis North. <3

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4D Gummy: Play. Create. Eat.

Gummies itself are awesome, both for kids and kids at heart. So imagine if you can be playful, be creative, be imaginative using the gummies and eat them after? Amazing right? That’s why we love @4DGummyPH!

Monica always squeals with delight whenever I hand her 4D blocks and 4D fruits. She gets really excited to play with the gummies. One time she’s building a school, the next she’s building an ambulance. Endless possibilities! What a simple but fun way to develop imagination and creativity! Bonus is that, she can eat them after! What a joy!!

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MisisLinis Professional Cleaning Services: Honest Review

Ang Linis na Pasado kay Misis.

That’s exactly what I had in mind during the whole time that the cleaners from MisisLinis were general cleaning our humble unit. Our home never felt cleaner until they came. No kidding.

We have a small place, only 27sqm with balcony and one bedroom, BUT we have plenty of stuff because hello, Monica. I clean everyday but I have to admit not as thorough. We don’t have a helper so my daily routine is just make the bed, pack-away toys, sweep and wipe floor. That’s it. I clean the CR every week. But I never reached for the high areas, never really dusted corners, organized shelves and cabinets. I just don’t have time because for one, I am looking after a clingy kid so there’s no chance for me to really deep clean every now and then.

So when I learned about MisisLinis (thru Seyrah my friend) and they offered their services, I said yes right away! That time, I really just needed help to clean the whole place. I was like, “okay let me try, no harm trying it out anyway.” My priorities to be cleaned are the bathroom and the fridge plus I want our mattress to experience shampooing and steaming.

They arrived in our unit early and with a very light and positive aura. They sent three cleaners, Ate Len, Ate Honey, and Ate Rowena – all gave me a smile. If you know me, you’ll understand why a smile is important. It just makes things better. Anyhow, aside from their smiles, they brought A LOT OF CLEANING TOOLS. I was like, “hala ate lahat yan panlinis???” They said, “yes po ma’am, kumpleto po kami!” She was not kidding because from the Gruenheim machine up to the timba, they have. YES. They have their own pail which shocked me for real. Only because I never experienced this from the other professional cleaners I have worked with.

    I let them eat first so they’ll have energy plus it’s around 1PM and they haven’t eaten yet. I gave food and asked questions that they willingly answered.

    And so the work has begun. Ate Len was assigned to deep clean the room, Ate Honey was tasked to sanitize and clean the kitchen, and Ate Rowena scrubbed the bathroom while Monica and I stayed in the living room with all the other stuff. I observed how they cleaned and I was pretty amazed on how busisi they all were. Ate Len vacuumed and cleaned everything in the room. She even wiped all the books of Monica – something other cleaners probably forgot to do. She even wiped and vacuumed the blinds which again, others didn’t do. It felt like all dirt has been removed and things got brighter after. Soon after she’s done in the room, she started shampooing the mattress.

    While Ate Len was busy transforming our room, Ate Honey was doing magic in the kitchen. Never, as in never did we experience a cleaner removing everything on the top shelf and cleaning it. For the first time in 4 years, the surface was dusted! She even organized the cupboards and disinfected everything. After that, she defrosted and cleaned the fridge as well.

    And then Ate Rowena was also doing great in the bathroom especially organizing the cabinets inside. Again, something others have not done yet, not even myself. Lol. The whole CR was steamed, all moist and molds have been removed and brushed off.

    I have experienced a lot of professional cleaners in the past and while I am satisfied with their work, I never thought I could be more satisfied. Thanks to MisisLinis, it just set a new standard in cleaning – at least in my case. It’s been a few days and our floor still feels so clean and our unit feels new, imagine that? I am not even exaggerating!

    You can watch them in action in my IG stories here.

    Here are the things I specifically love about them:

    1. Easy to talk to management
    2. Polite, happy, and efficient cleaners
    3. No time limit. Beat that!
    4. I was told that when it’s a general cleaning service, they usually send in 3 cleaners to thoroughly do the job.
    5. They organize.
    6. I felt relaxed and not worried that they are not cleaning properly, hence, I got time to sit and rest a bit with Monica.
    7. Complete cleaning materials. As in. They only asked for a replacement of trash bag. That’s it.
    8. Our unit felt really clean and sanitized after. 🙂
    9. Their rates are competitive with the type of service that they offer.
    10. I can go on and on but all I want to say is: I AM A VERY SATISFIED MISIS! <3

    So to all momshies like me or even those who just want to go home to a clean house, check out MisisLinis and see for yourself. I vouch for them and if they fail your expectations, let me know. Well feeling ko hindi talaga ako mapapahiya. Such a life saver for a yayaless momma like me! Be a happy misis and avail MisisLinis!

    PS: These are their rates but I strongly suggest you get in touch with them so they can give you a proper quotation.

    MISIS LINIS: 09230834738 • misislinisph@gmail.com • IG @misislinis

    XO,

    Din

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    Bye Lamok? Buy Bug-A-Bye!

    This news I read from Smart Parenting yesterday made me really panic, “DOH Declares a National Dengue Epidemic After Cases Reach Over 146,000.” Who wouldn’t? Sobrang nakaka-panic ‘to. Last week lang dinala namin si Monica sa ER kasi 3 days na on-off lagnat nya and kahit hindi ako yung tipo na praning, napraning talaga ako kaya sugod kami sa ER and we did some tests on her. Thank God it was just a bacterial infection and hindi Dengue.

    I really despise mosquito bites. Kahit hindi Dengue season, super kaaway ko ang lamok. Nag-mana yata sa akin si Monica, mabilis kagatin ng lamok, and worse, nagsusugat agad sa kanya kaya hate na hate ko ang lamok.

    We tried a lot of brands, types, name it. From the sticky lotion to the spray ones. Nothing really worked until I tried Bug-A-Bye from Faith Hope Love Skin Food. So happy that finally, an insect repellent that is really effective, safe, and affordable. I’ve been meaning to share one of my #trustedbrands for a long time now pero hindi ko nagagawa. Maybe this is the right time kasi nga, Dengue season is real and we cannot afford to be complacent. If we need to spray every 2 hours, why not? I’d rather do that than be sorry later.

    What makes this Bug-A-Bye a winner? “It is a combination of citronella, lemongrass and peppermint essential oils. The mix of their scent are potent enough to deter harmful insects, most especially mosquitoes! Become worry-free with this product’s effectiveness and the absence of harsh chemicals. This is DEET free, and as faithful to our policy, organic, vegan, non-GMO and cruelty-free. ” Oh diba, bongga. Safe talaga sya. And I swear, the smell is not too strong! I’d say safe talaga sya because Monica has a sensitive skin pero hindi nagrereact kahit na super spray ako sa kanya. I spray it on her body, even dab a little on her face. If you don’t want to spray on the body, you can just do it sa clothes or even sa mga bag and it will work just the same. That’s how sure I am and I say this will all confidence because it worked for us. The only times that Monica got insect bites were the days na nakalimutan ko mag-spray. Mommybrain!

    Image from FaithHopeLoveSkinFood Instagram
    500ml – Php 740
    100ml – Php 185
    50ml – Php 100

    Aminin, as a parent, pinaka-ayaw natin yung may sakit ang bagets. Simpleng lagnat or sipon/ubo nga lang, nasstress na tayo eh. Pano pa kung Dengue? We all know it can be fatal so we really have to act on it. Iniisip ko pa lang na macoconfine, naku naiiyak na’ko. I am sure you feel the same way.

    Pero syempre, let us not all rely lang sa mga insect repellent. We still need to make sure na hindi mabubuhay ang mga lamok at all. What to do? We can read more about DOH’s initiative: “4S STRATEGY“.

    I hope you learn something from this. Kaya natin to mga momsh. We hate lamok and we have to be stronger than them. Wag tayo pasakop! Hahaha.

    Watch out for my give away on IG because sharing is caring! <3

    Love,

    Mommy Din

    Din Bautista2 Comments

    KinderCare Ultra-safe Baby Wipes – Really the SAFEST!

    I never had to really focus on baby wipes until I became a mother. Pre-baby, wipes are something I can totally live without haha. Post-baby, OMG, wipes are something I should not leave the house without. For real. When you have a baby, you can go and do whatever if you have it in your bag. It’s basically, an answer to anything! From an infant who pooped, a toddler who touched anything she sees, a sweaty child, nasty little face, hands, unsanitary high chair and table, to a stressed parent who has dirt all over because of his/her kid! Haha.

    It’s a given, we NEED it. But do we settle with just knowing how important it is? No right? As a mom, especially when it comes to your baby, there should be no compromise, as they say.

    I am not a meticulous mom, well, at least not yet. Probably because I am not a maselan type of person. But of course as a mommy, all I want is what’s best for my baby. So whenever I see a baby product that says organic or natural, it would be instinct to get whatever that is.

    For a loooong time, we’ve been hoarding an organic type of baby wipes, thinking that it’s safe and natural. And boy we were wrong! It really pays to read the label!

    Thanks to KinderCare Ultra-safe Baby Wipes! I learned that products that say “natural” don’t mean 100% natural. It still has chemicals that can be harmful to us and and our little ones. What we have to check is the tag “All Natural” because that one is guaranteed to be really legit.

    With KinderCare Ultra-safe Baby Wipes, the tag line “All Natural” holds true as they have ZERO harmful chemicals: zero parabens, zero phenoxyethanol, zero methylisothiazolinone, zero synthetic fragrances, zero lanolin, zero SLS/SLES and zero alcohol.
    Wow big words. I know. To those who know me, you will say, ako ba’to? Am I really that particular? With this one, I’d say yes. Especially now that Monica is a toddler already. I remember seeing a viral post on Facebook about a kid who suffered severe rashes on face and body because of baby wipes – that alone terrified me, verified incident or not. So better be safe than sorry, right?
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    Why settle for anything less when the best is just within reach? I strongly urge my fellow parents to try this out! <3

    For those asking, here’s the price range and the stores we can get this from (I know I know, if there’s one thing we can complain about this brand – SANA NATIONWIDE, ALL LEADING SUPERMARKET AND DRUG STORE AVAILABLE, right? Haha. But in the meantime, here’s what they’ve got:

    IMG_3184
    Kc-324 wet wipes 25’s – Php 69.90
    Kc-325 80’s – Php 129.90
    Kc-326 w/ plastic cover – Php 139.90
    Kc-327 w/ tub – Php 219.90
    Kc-328 10’s – Php24.90
    Online exclusive of a pack of 6 80’s wipes – Php715 plus shipping fee.
    Shipping fee: Flatrate of Php 180 for Metro Manila and Php200 for provincial.
    Here are the list of stores where KinderCare is available in Metro Manila:
    Robinson’s Department Store Ermita
    Robinson’s Supermarket Ermita
    Robinson’s Supermarket Otis
    Robinson’s Supermarket 168
    Robinson’s Supermarket Cloverleaf
    Robinson’s Supermarket Pioneer
    Mart One North Edsa
    Metro Market Market
    Ever Commonwealth
    M1 Guadalupe
    Sta. Lucia Department Store
     
    NOTE: I AM NOT IN ANY WAY AFFILIATED WITH THEM, JUST ONE MOMMY HELPING OUT ANOTHER. I AM SO GRATEFUL TO BE GIVEN A CHANCE TO TALK TO THE MAKERS AND I WAS SOLD. REALLY. THANK YOU KINDERCARE!

    Din Bautista