Medela Swing Maxi versus Medela Freestyle: Which Breast Pump Should I Choose?

A few months ago, for a short while, I took a break from my regular editing-writing profession and took on work as events coordinator at The Parenting Emporium, a parent-and-child–oriented store, events venue, and community.

One of our best-selling products there were Medela breastpumps, specifically, the Medela Freestyle and the Medela Swing Maxi.

Now these are two very similar pumps, that is, they are both double electric breastpumps.

Therefore, a very frequent dilemma among our customers was, "Which one should I get?"

The Medela Freestyle (left) and the Medela Swing Maxi (right)

How They're The Same

The Freestyle and the Swing Maxi are both heavy duty pumps, with heavy duty motors and heavy duty membranes.

In other words, if you take away all the trimmings, they are exactly the same.

At this point, I will digress a little and talk about the regular Swing, with which the Swing Maxi is often confused.

The regular Swing is a single pump. It can only pump one breast at a time.

The Swing Maxi is designed to pump from two breasts at the same time.

The regular Swing is designed for occasional use. The Swing Maxi is designed for daily, round-the-clock use. (You will notice that the Swing Maxi has bigger, thicker, sturdier-looking membranes than the regular Swing.)

The Medela Swing (left) and the Medela Swing Maxi (right)

So if you need a heavy duty pump to express enough milk to feed your baby while you're at work, the regular Swing is not the pump for you. What you need is a Swing Maxi – or a Freestyle.

Now back to the original question: which should you get?

Rechargeable Batteries

The biggest difference between the Freestyle and the Swing Maxi is that the former has an in-built rechargeable battery; the latter does not.

So if you're going to pump only at the office, and your office has an accessible plug for your pump, the Swing Maxi is quite sufficient for your purposes.

HOWEVER, if you plan to pump in the car or at the mall's lactation station, where access to electric outlets is not available or allowed or provided, you need a Freestyle.

Note: the Swing Maxi does give the option of battery power. It has a slot for six AAA batteries, and those would provide enough power for approximately three pumping sessions.

If you expect to need batteries only occasionally, that  may be enough for you as well.

There are also rechargeable AAA batteries. The Parenting Emporium recommends a certain brand; ask them what it is via 0917-5614366.

Expect to shell out P2,000 total for the set of rechargeable batteries plus charger. But between the two of us, I had a hard time finding that set.

Accessories

One way of looking at the Swing Maxi is that it's a basic version of the Freestyle: It pumps your milk powerfully, efficiently, every day – nothing more, nothing less.

The Freestyle, on the other hand, includes a bunch of other stuff that every pumping mother would find really convenient:

• Timer: How long have you been pumping? Have you been at it for 15 minutes already? I hope you didn't forget to check the time when you started. The Swing Maxi won't tell you how long you've been pumping – but, with its built-in timer, the Freestyle will.
• Cooler. So you're done pumping. Where do you store the milk? When you buy a Freestyle, the set comes with a free cooler bag and ice pack, so your milk stays cool and fresh until you get home.
• Extra bottles. The Swing Maxi comes with two bottles. The Freestyle comes with four. The abovementioned cooler pack can hold four bottles.
• Carry-all tote. The Freestyle also comes with a chic black tote bag that you can use to carry your pump to work. 

Of course, if you buy a Swing Maxi, you can still buy the cooler bag, tote bag, and extra bottles separately. Text 0917-5614366 to find out how much each of these cost.

What you can never buy separately are the timer and the rechargeable battery.

Other Perks 

The Parenting Emporium is the main distributor of Medela pumps in the Philippines. It is located at 29 1st Street, New Manila, Quezon City.

When you buy items collectively worth P10,000 or above from The Parenting Emporium (this includes the Freestyle or Swing Maxi, since their prices range from P10k up), you automatically become a member of the TPE Loyalty Program. Members get free (or heavily discounted) seats at various parenting classes held every weekend at the store. These classes cover topics such as breastfeeding, weaning, positive discipline, homeschooling, yaya training, etc.

If your pump breaks within the warranty period, The Parenting Emporium will replace it, not repair it, no questions asked.

The Parenting Emporium is open from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM, Monday to Saturday, and some Sundays as well. They also occasionally have pop-up stores in Makati for those who live in or near the south.

You can follow The Parenting Emporium on Facebook or Instagram to keep updated with their products, classes, and store schedules.

IMPORTANT REMINDER

The Parenting Emporium firmly advocates direct breastfeeding of the child for the first six months of life.

However, it understands that some mothers need to return to work less than six months after childbirth. That is normally where breast pumps come into the picture.

Breast pumps are meant to assist, not replace, direct breastfeeding.

When milk is expressed, it is ideally fed to the child via cup by another caregiver, to avoid nipple confusion.

When the mother is present, the child should feed directly from the mother's breast.

Direct breastfeeding can be uncomfortable at the start. In fact, as somebody who has continuously breastfed for 11 years, I would attest that it made me scream with pain at the beginning, and I had to express at times to give my left breast some time to heal.

My right breast gave me no problems whatsoever. After a few weeks, nursing at my left breast wasn't so bad anymore either. (But yes, it did take a few weeks. And yes, I was able to do it for eleven years.)

A lactation counselor can be a big help in making breastfeeding less painful. You can text The Parenting Emporium at 0917-5614366 to set an appointment with a PGH-certified lactation counselor.

It's not as expensive as you may imagine it to be. A movie date and dinner afterwards will cost you more. No investment you have ever or will ever make costs so little but gives back so much.

The Nanay Notebook is written by Blessie Adlaon, a homeschooling mom of five. Check out our About page to know more about this blog's author and our policies on advertising, press releases, and reposting.

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Best Gifts for a New Mom's Baby Shower

Someone I know is having a baby!

And since you're reading this article, I'd bet someone you know is having a baby too.

So what would be a good gift to bring to the baby shower?

A few months ago, I worked at this parenting store. It was full of the most wonderful, amazing, why-did-I-not-know-that-thing-existed-when-I-had-my-first-baby-eleven-years-ago kind of merchandise.

So I've got a headful of stuff that I think a new mom would love. Choose your budget below.

For less than P500

Sacred newborn cleanser. This specialized infant cleanser is formulated to clean and protect from irritation the skin of babies 0-6 months old.

How did it come about? Well, according to the manufacturer Gov Daswani, a dermatologist mom once lamented there was nothing in the market she could recommend for the sensitive skin of babies in their first 6 months of life.

So Gov brought together a team of chemists and came up with a liquid baby wash that's completely free of any harsh ingredients, meaning no fragrance, no strong acids, no dermatitis-causing potassium sorbate/sorbic acid or methylisothiazolinones, and no parabens either.

Although parabens have not been clinically proven to be toxic to humans when used as a skin cleanser ingredient, they are recognized as an environmental contaminant; and naturally, we want to preserve the world we are bringing babies into, right?

The result was Sacred newborn cleanser, the simplest, most gentle baby wash in the market today, specially made for baby's sacred 6 months.

Incidentally, because Sacred has no sorbic acid and methylisothiazolinones, you can also use it for older babies suffering from irritant- or allergy-triggered rashes.

Price: P399

For P600–P1,000

Mommy Treats Lactation Brownies. Pregnancy is often a tough time for mommies. (Personally, I'd rather give birth 9 times a year than be pregnant for 9 months!)

Mommy treats will help your pregnant friend forget her discomforts even for just a little while.

But you have to be careful what treats to give, because you have to consider the health of both the mommy and the baby.

Mommy Treats lactation brownies are healthy low-sugar, low-fat, super-delicious treats specially designed for mommies.

Not only do they satiate sweet cravings, their ingredients also include milk supply enhancers such as brewer's yeast, oats, flaxseed, and oatmeal to increase mommy's milk supply for baby.

In addition, these ingredients are rich in fiber, iron, vitamin B, and Omega-3, so they're really good for pregnant women.

Price: P660 (12-day supply)

Mega Malunggay. We always say there's no better gift than the gift of good health.

Give good health to both your pregnant friend and her baby by giving her a large box of Mega Malunggay capsules, the most nutrient- and antioxidant-rich malunggay (Moringa oleifera) capsules in the local market today.

With its 600 mg of pure malunggay powder, Mega Malunggay packs 140% more malunggay than the 250-mg capsule of the leading malunggay brand. The price difference, however, is miniscule: P9.50/capsule of Mega Malunggay vs. P9.15/capsule of the other brand.

Note, too, that unlike many malunggay capsules, which are made with various parts of the malunggay tree, Mega Malunggay contains only malunggay leaves, which have demonstrated more antixodant activity than any other malunggay part.

Several clinical studies have also proven the efficacy of malunggay supplements in increasing milk supply after 7 days of daily consumption.

Mega Malunggay is also available in 10-capsule and 20-capsule packs, priced at P100 and P200, respectively.

Price: P950 (box of 100)

For P1,001–P2,000

Ribbed cover-ups. If your friend plans to breastfeed exclusively for at least 6 months, she will inevitably end up nursing or pumping in public quite a few times.

She will probably feel way more comfortable doing so with a nursing cover-up. (Although some of us are not shy about nursing openly anywhere and everywhere, we would still cover up when pumping in public.)

There are plenty of cover-up varieties in the market. Some can double as infinity scarves, shawls, blankets, pouches, etc.

But in my experience, the best cover-up is the one that is specifically designed as a nursing cover-up and nothing else. I'm talking about the one with a stiff plastic rib that keeps the top of the cover-up open so you can easily see your baby or pump inside the cover-up.

This rib is especially useful when you're hand expressing, because then you'll need both hands to express, and you'll also need to see what you're doing or you'll end up squirting milk all over the place.

In our workplace, my colleagues and I use our cover-ups in lieu of a lactation station because we prefer to work while pumping (I hope our boss is reading this, ha ha).

Price: P1,300

Tummy Tub. I admit, I've called it "a very expensive bucket" too, once in my life.

But when I brought home my preemie and found out how much he loved being almost-fully immersed in warm water (he actually fell asleep), I wished I had a Tummy Tub, which was truly designed to mimic the womb experience, unlike your regular bucket.

One important thing about the Tummy Tub is that it's transparent, so it's easier to make sure baby is safe inside.

Also, unlike a regular bucket, the Tummy Tub plastic is completely safe and non-toxic for baby to suck and chew on.

It has a slip-proof base. It has absolutely no sharp edges. And it has no bucket handle that could accidentally pinch an exploring baby's fingers.

Unlike a baby bathtub, the Tummy Tub's high edges also protect baby from the ambient air, keeping the warmth of the warm water in and the cold air out.

Naturally, all these things come with a price. But what, really, is the price of baby's comfort and safety?

Baby Meet World has an excellent piece on the Tummy Tub, so rather than plagiarize their content, I'll just send you there with this link: A Guide to TummyTub Across the Ages.

Price: P1,395

Medela Harmony manual breastpump. Finally, if you want to hear a real scream of joy, give your friend the breastpump brand that's trusted by hospitals the world over: Medela.

The Medela Harmony is a comfortable, ergonomic, manual breastpump. Like its electric counterparts, the Medela Harmony incorporates Medela's special 2-Phase Expression technology, which allows the mother to express more milk in less time compared to other pumps.

It's not called the "Rolls-Royce of breast pumps" for nothing.

IMPORTANT: New moms are advised to breastfeed directly and exclusively during their baby's first 6 months. 

However, working moms may need to leave their baby sooner to return to work, and that is when breastpumps come in handy.

Even for fully home-based moms, the Medela Harmony is useful for when the new mom needs to relieve an engorged breast or pump a few ounces to leave with baby's caregiver before she goes out for errands.

Shy moms may also find the almost-soundless Medela Harmony a more discreet way to pump in public than its motorized counterparts.

Price: P2,000

Now my list ends at P2,000 because for my own emotional health, I avoid ogling products with price tags that go above that.

But if your budget is higher, there are many other excellent baby shower gifts you can find at The Parenting Emporium, located at 29 1st Street, New Manila, Quezon City, Philippines.

They've got co-sleepers, baby clothes, bamboo diapers, brown rice rings, electric breastpumps, etc.

They've also got parenting classes and support groups for various parenting situations, such as exclusive breastfeeding, raising multiples, raising kids with special needs, homeschooling, etc.

To get their full list of item prices, parenting classes, and support group meetings, email info@theparentingemporium.com. You can also follow them on Facebook and Instagram (just search for "The Parenting Emporium").

The Nanay Notebook is written by Blessie Adlaon, a homeschooling mom of five. Check out our About page to know more about this blog's author and our policies on advertising, press releases, and reposting.

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The Weirdest Online Store in the Philippines (a.k.a. Anybody Looking to Buy a Home Endoscope?)

Sonic Keyfinder  

As I was looking for Christmas gifts online, I found the most interesting Philippine-based Internet store I've ever seen: LatestGadget.net. (Advance disclosure: This is an un-sponsored post.)

What makes it so interesting? Here's a quick sampler of the merchandise you can find there:

• Wireless remote key finder, for people who wish their keys were as easy to find as their cellphones
• Water-powered calculator, because the solar-powered variety is just too cliche
• Portable deep fryer, when your craving for bad cholesterol simply can't wait 'til you get to the restaurant
• Star projector, because natural stars haven't been seen in your city since 1995
• Soda dispenser, for times when simply tilting the soda bottle is just too much work
• Disappearing ink pen, for signing documents that you don't really want to sign
• Home endoscope, for when you really, really need to see what's inside your esophagus

But wait! There's more!

• automatic toothpaste dispenser
• electronic shoe dryer and deodorizer
• eco laundry ball
• automatic fish feeder
• USB-powered refrigerator
• retro-phone-style mobile headset 
• ropeless electronic jump rope
• spy sunglasses with rear view
• remote-controlled LED lightbulb
• wind-up phone charger
• etc.

I'm still looking around, but I think this is the place where I can find that elusive gift for the men in my family. (They've always been the hardest to shop Christmas gifts for.)

Now, like most Philippine online stores, you'll find that most of the products here come with no customer reviews whatsoever. My suggestion is, keep Amazon.com open in another tab. You'll find reviews of most of the products there.

The Nanay Notebook is written by Blessie Adlaon, a work-at-home and homeschooling mom of four. Check out our About page to know more about this blog's author and our policies on advertising, press releases, and reposting.

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Book Review: Bugtong Bugtong 2

I loved Filipino riddles very much when I was a kid. My mother and siblings and I would take turns asking the riddles we knew, and we had fun guessing the answers.

Heto na si Kaka,

Bubuka-bukaka. 

What made the riddles even more fun were the funny images a lot of them evoked in our minds. Plus, they were a good way to expand our Filipino vocabulary. (Did you know there is such a Filipino word as kaka?)

Naturally, when I had kids of my own, I wanted to introduce Filipino riddles to them too. 

Isang bayabas,

Pito ang butas.

The problem was that my kids were raised with English as their first language. (My bad, I know.) It was not only because I spoke to them in English but also because when they watch kids' videos such as "My Little Pony," or when they play games, like the ones in Starfall.com, the language they hear is English.

So riddles were hard to introduce to them. The language, for them, was almost completely foreign. 

Balong malalim,

Punong-puno ng patalim.

"What's a balon? What is malalim? What's a patalim?" they would query. (Well, do you know what those are?)

And so I had to explain to them the meanings of the words, and that would completely ruin the momentum of the game.

In addition, they had so gotten used to visual stimulation (yes, yes, still my bad, I know), that they would get bored if one simply recited the riddle aloud to them. They wanted pictures, not just to help them understand the words, but also to excite their fancy.

Sa umaga'y bumbong,

Sa gabi ay dahon.

Now there are a number of books on Filipino riddles in the local bookstores today, but I have not found any that had nice pictures to attract the modern kid – until I discovered Bugtong Bugtong 2, from Ilaw ng Tahanan Publishing, a.k.a. Tahanan Books.

Needless to say, there is a Bugtong Bugtong 1, and I discovered the books a little late, but what matters is that I found them! Because if you're a mother looking to share the beauty of the Filipino language with your kids, these Bugtong Bugtong books are a valuable part of your arsenal.

Dalawang batong itim,

Malayo ang nararating.

Each page of Bugtong Bugtong 2 contains just one riddle. The rest of the page is an illustration that hints at the answer but does not give it away. The illustrations often clue the readers in too on the meanings of the words in the riddle.

What about the answers? Oh, you don't have to look for them at the last pages of the book. They're right there, on the same page as the riddle – but they are written not just upside down but also in mirror image form! So for your children to be able to read the answer, they do not only need to turn the page upside down, they also need to put it in front of a mirror. 

How brilliant is that?

Limang puno ng niyog,

Ang isa ay matayog.

It's so beautiful, I could cry. No, seriously. There would at least be some moisture around the eyes.

If you don't believe me, I suggest you go to your local bookstore and find Bugtong Bugtong 2, or drop by at Tahanan Books' main office, to see the book yourself and see what I'm talking about. Read it and weep.

Here's Tahanan Books' office address: Unit 402, Cityland 3 Condominium, 105 V.A. Rufino corner Esteban Street, Legaspi Village, Makati City. You can also call them at (02) 813-7165. If you get your books straight from the publishing house, you get a 10% discount!

Oh, by the way, in case you're wondering about the answers to the riddles embedded in this post – well, I could give you the answers, but that would totally defeat the purpose of the riddle, wouldn't it?

How about you try to guess, and I'll tell you if you got the answers right? Happy guessing!

DISCLOSURE: The Nanay Notebook and its author received no compensation for this article. A copy of the book was provided by the publisher for an unbiased review.

The Nanay Notebook is written by Blessie Adlaon, a work-at-home and homeschooling mom of four. Check out our About page to know more about this blog's author and our policies on advertising, press releases, and reposting.

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Easy Mobile Shopping with the New Zalora iPhone App

25 April 2013 – ZALORA, the Philippines’ first and leading fashion and beauty e-commerce site, today announced the expansion of its mobile repertoire with the launch of its iPhone shopping app in the country which can be found at the local app store (http://itunes.com/apps/zalora).

Now all on-the-go shoppers can navigate over 1000 brands and 30,000 products in apparel, shoes, accessories, and beauty products seamlessly through their iPhone. Downloading the ZALORA iPhone app allows users to

• receive push notifications on new arrivals and flash sales so that they are always in the know;
• easily browse for a quick overview of product information, images, ratings and reviews;
• add items to cart and infinitely save them for later (*as long as the app is kept active); and
• pick from multiple payment methods – Credit Card, PayPal, Cash-On-Delivery.

The app provides a richer and more exciting mobile experience by catering to all ZALORA markets. Through the built-in capabilities of the Apple iOS, engaging native animations can be seen in simple options such as with the ‘add-to-cart’ action. Plus, the app routes shoppers into their respective locations so they can browse ZALORA’s product collections in their own respective locations, be it in the Philippines or around Southeast Asia.

“The launch of the ZALORA iPhone app represents a milestone for us in taking mobile yet another step further”, says Paolo Campos, managing director and co-founder of ZALORA Philippines. “We are confident that mCommerce can help us grow our market share in the online shopping sphere, particularly so in Southeast Asia, a region with an already high mobile penetration and still even more potential for higher mobile reach as its telecommunications infrastructure develops exponentially.”

Download the official ZALORA App at the local app store today and get a 20% discount! Voucher code will be revealed in app upon download. Per DTI-NCR permit No. 3904, series of 2013.

Visit ZALORA for further information at www.zalora.com.ph/mobile-apps/.

(Press release)

The Nanay Notebook is written by Blessie Adlaon, a work-at-home and homeschooling mom of four. Check out our About page to know more about this blog's author and our policies on advertising, press releases, and reposting.

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Why You Should Not Make Your Postpaid Line Application Through Globe's Online Store

...but not through online application.

Dear Globe Telecom,

Last February 24, I applied for a second postpaid line through your online portal. To facilitate the process, I also took your option to pay the required first payment through the same online facility, using my debit card.

Big mistake.

The next day, one of your agents contacted me to list the requirements we need to submit. I promptly submitted the requirements. After that, I never heard from her again. Could it be because my application was disapproved? Nah, I don't think so, because after two weeks, I got tired of waiting, made the same application via the phone hotline, and got approved.

With the approval of my via-phone application, I undertook to cancel the online application, so that my advance payment could be refunded.

But although it only took your agents 24 hours to contact me to submit my requirements when I was making my application, it is now taking them forever to click some button in their computer to cancel my application. I've called around six times to make the same cancellation request, and again and again and again, the agents on the phone asked me to wait up to 48 hours. Now, over 600 hours later, the cancellation is still pending, and my money is still frozen with you.

I am currently chatting with another one of your agents, this time through your chat gadget. I have asked her to escalate my issue. She has again asked me to wait for feedback from the escalation team, this time for 72 hours. I told her that I had heard that line before. Could I call them myself? She said sorry, that was not possible.

That cancel-and-refund button must be pretty hard to push.

Yours sincerely,

Blessie

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Get Ready for Summer with These Fun Summer Drinks!

(Image source: Krappweis)

Summer is definitely in the air. (Alas, so soon, so soon!) If this year's summer is going to be anything like last year's, then you'd better have a cool, refreshing drink on hand to make it bearable – something ice-cold, delicious, and nutritious.

No ideas? I've got suggestions.

1. Pink lemonade. I have long wondered how they made those pink lemonades I saw on TV. To be honest, I still haven't figured it out – but I've discovered a local method for making something pretty similar. The secret is camote tops! Yup, all you need to do is boil some talbos ng camote until the water turns pink. Then you remove the leaves and add one part lemon juice to three parts water. Add sugar and pour into a tall ice-filled glass. It's delicious and – thanks to the camote tops – nutritious! (If you don't have lemons, you can use calamansi juice instead.)

2. Melon quenchers. Here's an adventurous recipe. All you need is three ice cubes and one cup of melon cubes per serving. Blend them together until the mixture turns to a frothy puree, then add honey to taste.The adventurous part is that you can use different melons for different taste sensations. The most commonly available melons are watermelon, honeydew, and cantaloupe. Try them separately or mix them all together.

3. Mango mint green tea. Steep five tea bags in two cups of boiling water. After five minutes, add a 12-ounce can of mango nectar into the tea. Add sugar to taste. Slightly crush some mint leaves, add to the mixture, and chill the beverage for at least two hours. This recipe makes five servings.

4. Citrus-herb water. For those who love to drink plain water but are seeking something just a wee bit more exciting this summer, try out this concoction. All you need to do is put four sliced lemons or eight sliced dayap and one cup of slightly crushed basil or mint leaves into eight cups of water. Chill the mixture for one to eight hours, then strain off the solid parts. Pour the water into tall ice-filled glasses for a cool, clean-tasting, refreshing summer drink.

An Easier Option 

With drinks such as these, I almost wish summer were already here. But what if you're too lazy – I mean, busy – to fix your own ice-cold summer drink?

Well then, you can just pick up a well-chilled bottle of new Zesto Slice! These refreshing and affordable fruit drinks make your cool and fun summer refreshments as easy as twisting off a bottle cap.

Zesto Slice is available in four flavors: Orange, Dalandan, Mango Burst, and Grapple. The orange drink is the most nectar-y of the four, and it was the one my kids liked the most. The dalandan drink tastes similar to the orange drink, but it is lighter and is best for cooling kids down after a hot sunny day of play.

Grapple is my favorite. It is a mixture of grape and apple and tastes a lot like apple iced tea. Mango Burst also tastes pretty much like iced tea, but with a mango-strawberry twist. These two are most appreciated by adults who are looking for an interesting new zest in their chilled summer beverage.

Each 355 ml bottle of Zesto Slice is loaded with 100% of your daily vitamin C needs, plus substantial amounts of vitamin E, vitamin A, and zinc. So when the summer heat comes, my family will be ready to face it with a healthy, convenient, budget-friendly, and yummy refreshing drink!

(click on image to enlarge)

Disclosure: This is a paid advertorial for Zesto Slice.

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Easy Help for Varicose Veins, Heavy Legs, and Poor Blood Circulation

(Image by lucianotb)

Do you want to get rid of your varicose veins but are too lazy to apply topical creams, or find those creams too expensive? Do you suffer from leg pain due to fatigue or poor blood circulation?

You might want to try Antistax. 

I heard about the product this holiday season. I like it because

1. It's in tablet form. I don't have to waste time rubbing a cream into my legs for several minutes every day.
      
2. It works, and it works fast. Don't take my word for it. Take the work of the many clinical studies on the product. To quote one of them, "A clear and significant effect was already observed after two weeks of treatment." What's more, "This effect was still present and increased slightly after four and six weeks in all objective and subjective parameters tested in this study."
      
3. It's cheap, compared to similar products. At just around P25 per tablet, it will only cost me less than P400 before I see actual improvements on my varicose veins!

How does it work?

The active ingredient of Antistax is red vine leaf. This herb has long been used by the French wine growers for treating heavy, swollen legs.

Now before you shrug the product off as just another one of the gazillion herbal supplements in the market today, note this important difference: red vine leaf has been clinically studied, and the studies have been peer reviewed and published in reputable biomedical journals.

According to these clinical researches, red vine leaf really improves blood circulation and reduces varicose veins and leg swelling. It's not a placebo effect. It's not based on anecdotal "evidence" or old wives tales. It really works, whether you believe in it or not.

Now if you prefer to see the evidence yourself, here's the link to the clinical study from PubMed, the most trusted database of clinical studies in the world: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16512088.

If you want to learn more about Antistax, you can check out their website: http://www.antistax.com.

Do I sell Antistax? No, I don't. You can get it at Mercury Drug, Southstar, and Watsons.

Can you take them while pregnant or breastfeeding? The Antistax website does not say, which is usually a good sign because if it were dangerous for pregnant or breastfeeding women, they would be obliged to include a clear warning. By that logic, we can presume it is safe -- but still, I would recommend you ask your doctor.

DISCLOSURE: The Nanay Notebook and its author received no payment for this article.

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PRODUCT REVIEW: Frabelle Foods Honey Glazed Ham

On the day before Christmas 2012, I received a welcome package in the mail: a 1kg bag of Frabelle Foods Honey Glazed Ham! All the company asked is that I publish my opinion of it.

The problem is, I don't have a picky taste in food, so to give a proper review of the product, I asked my husband for his opinions. Now there is a nitpicking gourmet, if I ever saw one! 

As he was cooking the ham, he noted that the ham was made of whole meat. You could actually see the meat fibers as you slice.

And it was easy to slice. 

My hubby was too tired to bake the ham, so he simply sliced it up and fried the slices. Still, it turned out pretty good. He said, "Not too salty, and it has a slight sweet taste and a smokey flavor. That smokey taste is a sign of good ham. Not many companies take the time to smoke their ham nowadays."

On my part, all I could say was that it went excellently well with fried rice and white bread. (I tried it with both.) I asked my eldest son if he liked the ham as well, and he said, "Yeah. It was soooo delicious."

After our meal, I checked out the Frabelle website to find out more about the ham and what made it taste the way it did. Here's what I found:

• Made from fresh premium whole – muscle pork hamleg (cut of whole muscle meat)
• Infused with pure unadulterated honey
• Naturally smoked using imported woodchips

So I guess that is the secret.

Now would we buy the ham? Well, it depends on the price. Since I got it for free, I have no idea how much it costs -- but for its size and taste, cheapskate me would happily pay around P500 to serve it to my family. It would last us a few hearty meals -- and to think, I have four kids!

To find out more about Frabelle Foods other offerings, you can check out their website at http://www.frabelle.com.

DISCLOSURE: The Nanay Notebook and its author received no compensation for this review, except for the 1kg ham that was given as a free sample.

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Book Review: Mga Kuwento Ni Lola Basyang, from Tahanan Publishing

This year, for our homeschool Filipino curriculum, we're not using textbooks. Instead, we're using "real" books. The goal is to expose the children to the true beauty of the Filipino language and, at the same time, Filipino culture (social studies integration!). To do that, we have compiled a reading list of Filipino storybooks for my kindergartener and second grader.

And what Filipino reading list for children would be complete without that timeless classic, "Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang," right? So we got one. Mommy, being the cheapskate that she is, did not want to pay for separate books, of course. Instead, we got an anthology of 12 stories from the publisher, Tahanan Publishing, for just P275. I'm still congratulating myself on getting a pretty good deal!

So what do I and my kids think of the book?

The language

In a word: beautiful. The language of "Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang" was something any purist would easily fall in love with. There was not a single word borrowed from English. I could imagine my lola from Bulacan telling me the stories using exactly the words used in the book:

May isang pag-asawang napakabait na malaon nang kasal ay hindi magkaanak. Mabuti nga't mariwasa ang kanilang kabuhayan, ulila man sila sa anak na mapag-aaliwan sa kanilang tahanan... ( from "Ang Prinsipeng Unggoy")

Of course, my kids had a hard time understanding everything at first. I had not wanted to translate or simplify anything at the start. But the kids complained that they could hardly understand anything I was saying, so eventually, I compromised by reading as is and then translating and simplifying:

Si Timo ay gumapang sa bubungan ng tinurang bahay ... bubungan means "roof," ... hanggang siya'y makababa sa dakong azotea ... Azotea is ... you know when you have a second floor in your house and you have a door on the second floor that leads outside, but there's a place for you to stand without falling?

Azotea became a favorite word in our house for about three days. 

The story plots

The plots were, I almost regret to say, not for general patronage at all! For instance, when I scanned the first story, "Ang Sirena sa Uli-Uli ng Ilog Pasig," I was shocked to see the violent ending:

"Siso, yayamang ikaw ay ayaw nilang alpasan nang hindi ka mapasaakin ay hindi ka rin mapapakaninuman!" at biglang kinagat si Siso sa gulung-gulungan. ... Iniwan ng Sirena si Siso na nagdaranak ng dugo.

In other stories, there were words such as "lintik" and "ulol." Apparently, our ancestors did not mince words; they called a spade a spade.

But I also I realized that this lack of censorship is part of Filipino culture: We are a warrior people. Suffering, daring, war -- these had been our lives. Death -- and violent death, even -- had been our ordinary reality. We could not shelter our children from them, so we didn't. Instead, we had carefully trained our children so that they could live with and survive violence without being overpowered or consumed by it.

Did the kids like the stories? Yes, they did!

I think it is precisely this lack of sanitation that attracted my kids so much to these stories. How do I know they liked the stories? Well, "Maryang Makiling" is a story with two parts. After the first part, I told them I'd read the second part the next day. (The first part alone was already much longer than our usual bedtime story.)

You know what seven-year-old Josh did? He took the book and struggled through all the hard words of part 2 all by himself, just so he would know what happens next to Timo and Maryang Makiling.

So will we continue reading these stories at night? Well, I plan to keep reading the stories, but I'll probably be censoring out the parts that make me too uncomfortable. When the kids are bigger and more thick skinned -- maybe when they're 10, as the publishers recommended this book for that age -- maybe then, they could read the stories by themselves and not be too horrified by the parts that now horrify their mom.

For now, though, I still want them to hear the stories. I want them to bask in the language. It is very seldom that I find such well-written Filipino stories. I am not about to deprive the kids of them, simply because their mom was such a squeamish chicken.

To buy Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang, you can contact Tahanan Publishing's sales department at (+632) 813-7165, or visit their showroom at Ilaw ng Tahanan Publishing, Inc., Unit 402, Cityland 3 Condominium, 105 V.A. Rufino corner Esteban Street, Legaspi Village, Makati City. Click here for more information. You can also buy other high-quality Filipino books published by Tahanan Publishing online at The Learning Basket.

DISCLOSURE: This is not a paid post. The author has received no compensation in any form from anybody to write this article.

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The Best Way to Help Your Child Learn (and Enjoy) Filipino

It's ironic that, considering we are all Filipinos, a lot of us consider the Filipino subject in school to be a difficult one. It's our own language, for crying out loud. Why does it have to be so hard?

Well, here's what I think: Filipino is hard because the curriculum and textbooks were designed with the presumption that the readers already understood Filipino. So the expectation is higher than what the average learner can actually achieve.

Why? Because the sad truth is, the average learner does NOT know Filipino -- at least, not the kind of Filipino that you expect them to study in school. They know the shallow, adulterated street Filipino. Show them a closed door and they will say it is "sarado," which I think is a corruption of the Spanish word "cerrado." Will any of them say it is "nakapinid"? Are any of them familiar with that Filipino synonym? I wouldn't bet on it.

No shortchanging, please

So how do we help our children learn and enjoy Filipino? Let's expose them to the language in an enjoyable manner -- by giving them high quality Filipino books!

When I say "high quality," I mean books that have beautiful pictures and, most importantly, purist language. Too many so-called Filipino books I see in stores nowadays shortchange us by incorporating English words into their supposedly Filipino translations, or they use ordinary Filipino language.

Now I'm not saying that exposure to everyday Filipino is useless. If your children are hardly ever exposed to the Filipino language in your household, and they can't even compose a five-word-long Filipino sentence, then exposure to everyday Filipino may be just what they need.

But if your kids already speak and comprehend everyday Filipino, what's the point in exposing them further to it? It's time to level up!

Top-quality Filipino storybooks

This year, our homeschool Filipino curriculum is composed entirely of reading Filipino stories from Filipino books published by the best publisher of Filipino books I've found so far: Tahanan Publishing. For our lessons, we got "Mga Kuwento Ni Lola Basyang," by Severino Reyes; "Ginto Habihan," which is an anthology of Palanca Award winners; and "12 Kuwentong Pamasko," a Christmas story anthology.

We started reading "Mga Kuwento Ni Lola Basyang," but we stopped after one story because (1) the Tagalog was very deep and the kids had a bit of a hard time, although they still enjoyed it very much, and (2) some of the stories were rated Parental Guidance (PG). Severino Reyes, apparently, did not design this book for four-year-olds!

(How deep is the Tagalog, you may ask? And exactly how much did my kids enjoy it? And what makes me say the stories were rated PG? And at what age can you let your children read it by themselves? Find out in my book review of "Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang," by Severino Reyes.) 

Gintong Habihan also used deep Tagalog, but less often. It was lighter reading for the children -- and it was not PG at all (and yes, they still enjoyed it, ha ha). And gently, they were getting exposed to Filipino words, becoming familiar with the true sounds and spirit of the language, which made it easier for them to decode meanings from context.

I believe that as my kids get to read more beautiful Filipino stories, they will learn that Filipino is something that is fun and beautiful, not something that is difficult and boring. Then, perhaps, when the time comes that they have to study "Ibong Adarna" and "Florante at Laura," it will not feel like drudgery. Maybe they will even savor the experience, as the authors of those wonderful Filipino classics had meant their work to be savored and enjoyed.

DISCLOSURE: This is not a paid post. The author has received no compensation in any form from anybody to write this article.

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Chic (and Affordable!) Baby Finds for the Fashionista Momma

There’s a new online store in town that you may want to check out: Georgiana by Teresa’s Boutique (georgianamarie.com).

Why would you want to check it out? Well, personally, I like it not only because the children’s clothes are adorable, they are also affordable!

For instance, check out this lovely layette set from Carter’s. It’s four items: a onesie, a sleepsuit, a pair of pajamas, and a bonnet. Each item is cute and colorful enough to be used for going out, and the whole set costs only ₱849.00. That’s just about ₱200 per item! In my humble opinion, that’s quite a steal.

Or how about this beautiful floral dress from Lydia Jane? It comes with a matching headband, and the whole set only costs ₱699. If you’ve been around shopping for kids’ dresses, you know dresses like these can easily cost twice as much in stores. But yes, it costs less than ₱700 at GeorgianaMarie.com.

With prices such as these, I could easily buy an entire wardrobe for my forthcoming baby with a budget of just ₱2,000. Why ₱2,000? Because if your purchases reach ₱2,000, then shipping is free if you're having the items shipped within Metro Manila!

Online payment

Here’s another great thing about this shop: If you’re an online store junkie like me, one of the first things you check is the payment method. After all, what’s the point of shopping online if you have to get out of the house and go to the bank to pay for your purchases, right?

Well, Georgiana has online payment methods galore. You can pay online via credit card, Paypal, BDO transfer, Unionbank transfer, even Gcash! I don’t know if Security Bank offers online transfers as well, but the website also accepts Security Bank payments.

Other items and services

Incidentally, Georgiana also offers not just baby clothes but also baby accessories and gadgets, ladies’ and men’s clothes and accessories, and if you want to buy something that is only available in the United States, the site also offers Personal Shopper services.

The gist is, GeorgianaMarie.com is a site that offers high quality and affordable products. Check out their website right now, and Like the Georgiana by Teresa's Boutique Facebook page to get updates on their contests and special offers.

DISCLOSURE: This is a paid post. GeorgianaMarie.com has contracted the writer to announce the store’s online presence and give her honest opinion of the website. To know more about the Nanay Notebook’s PR policy, please see the About page of this blog.

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Buy Globe Gcash Online Through the Unionbank-to-Gcash eMoney Xchange Service

I've just discovered it's now possible to get Gcash transferred from your Unionbank savings, checking, or EON account.

What you need:
A Gcash account
A Unionbank savings/checking/EON account

What to do:

1. Enroll for Unionbank's eMoney Xchange service. You can do this by calling Unionbank's customer service at (02) 841-8600 and telling them you want to enroll your account for eMoney Xchange.
   
   The operator will get your name, account details, and verify your identity by asking the standard security questions. Then you will be asked to nominate a six-digit MPIN, so have one ready.
   
   You'll be put on hold for a while, then you'll have to wait around two banking days for the registration to be completed. Then you should receive a text message confirming successful registration. After that you can transfer money from your Unionbank account to Gcash.
      
2. To transfer funds from Unionbank to Gcash, text U2G <amount>, then send to 2318.
   
   Example: U2G 1000 (to send P1,000). Your Unionbank account will record two charges: P1,000 for the Gcash and P10 standard service fee. The service fee remains the same no matter how much Gcash you load to your phone from your Unionbank account.
   
   So if your account has P2000 and you send P1000 to your phone, your phone will receive P1000 Gcash, and your remaining balance will be P990.
    
   The minimum amount you can load is P100. Maximum is P20,000.
        
3. To transfer funds from Gcash to Unionbank, text G2U <amount>, then send to 2318. There will be a P7.50 charge, deducted from the amount transferred. So if you text G2U P1,000, your account will receive P1,000 - P7.50, or P992.50.
   
   The minimum amount you can transfer is P100. Maximum is P20,000 per transaction, P40,000 per day.

For more details, you can visit Unionbank's Gcash FAQ page.

By the way, from what I've heard, you can also transfer from BPI to Gcash and vice versa. I wouldn't know anything about it, though, as I don't have a BPI account.

Have you tried the BPI or Unionbank facility for Gcash purchase? Do share your experience here with us!

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My ZALORA Wishlist!

It's no secret that I'm addicted to online shopping. When I need something, the first thing I do is search for it online (and cross my fingers that the online store accepts Paypal payments)!

Well, lo and behold, I've found another excellent online store that -- yes! -- accepts not just Paypal but also Visa, Mastercard, BDO and Chinabank deposits, and (attention eBayers) Gcash! What's more, they offer free shipping.

Of course, if you paid attention to the title of this post, you'd know by now that I'm talking about Zalora, the newest online store in town. This store is comparable to two entire floors at the SM department store: They've got clothes (blouses, dresses, pants, shorts, leggings, swimwear, etc.), shoes, and accessories (wallets, bags, toys, etc.) for ladies, men, and kids. Soon, they'll be selling Home & Living stuff, and even gift cards. Man, I could do my entire Christmas shopping here!

Now, as a veteran online shopper, there are a few things in my checklist that I like to see in an online store:

• Do they have a sizing guide? (It can be hard to buy clothes and shoes without those.) In this case, yes!
• Do they accept returns (you know, in case I flub up the sizing anyway despite the guide)? Zalora does!
• Do they have a local landline I can call for customer service? (02) 513 0373.
• Are the items described in detail? Yes. The prices, available sizes, measurements, and other details are right there for you to easily see. No guesswork involved.
• Can I sort according to price? (Yes, I still tend to shop that way.) I can at Zalora.

Of course, a review is not a review if you only talk about the good stuff. I must admit, though, that I found Zalora hard to criticize. If there is one negative thing I can say about it, it's that it's more expensive than eBay. 

One must remember, though, that unlike at eBay, all the items here are brand new, and we have assurance that they are genuine and of good quality. (Sadly, some of the eBay stuff I'd bought, I hated the moment I opened the packaging.)

And to be fair to Zalora, their store does have a lot of things that my stingy wallet can happily shell out for as well!

Having said that, let me get to the fun part: my Zalora wishlist! If I had a my day of free shopping at Zalora, here are the things I would get:

1. Riva 10 Party Dress from Periwinkle. The thing I love about Periwinkle dresses is they make little girls look like little girls, which is exactly how little girls should look! This dress, especially, has "English royalty" written all over it. With white stockings and white shoes, she'll look absolutely elegant, and yet, perfectly innocent -- exactly the way all little girls should look.

2. Reversible Wrap Dress by Spinkie. This one's for my soon-to-arrive little girl (that will make two girls and two boys in our family, wheee!). This dress has side ties, which I rather prefer over buttons, because baby clothes have such small button holes. The best thing about this dress, though, is that it's reversible: one side has fun balloon designs while the other side has beautiful, mandarin-themed flowers. It's like getting two dresses for the price of one. (And, if baby accidentally stains one side, as babies tend to do, you can simply mop up the mess, dab with alcohol, dry with talcum powder, then turn the dress over to make baby look perfectly neat again!)

Side A

Side B

3. Kendra SS Top by Space. How can anybody not love this blouse? You can wear it as is during the day, accessorize it with shiny chain belts or necklaces at night, and best of all, you can use it even when you're pregnant -- heck, it would even be perfect for discreet breastfeeding! Best of all -- look at that material -- it needs absolutely no ironing. This blouse is definitely heaven's gift for busy moms (and as you can see in the image below, it looks pretty good on young ladies as well)!

4. Sleeveless shift dress with chiffon center panel by Missy. Now here's a dress you can't use when you're six months pregnant -- but well, very few of us are pregnant forever. This gorgeous shift dress can be used at the office, or for meeting clients, for formal daytime affairs, or for semi-formal evening affairs. It's loose enough to hide figure flaws, but it's sculpted to make you look shapely nonetheless. It's too bad that, as of my writing this piece, they've run out of stocks in my size, but for a dress like this (and at its price of just P1,000), I'm willing to wait!

5. Scott Canvass Bag w/ Purse by Bags in the City. It's roomy, it's washable, it's sturdy, and it's beautiful. How could I not love this bag? It has enough space for all the diapers, spare clothes, wipes, and other stuff I normally carry in my diaper bag -- and yet, the bag looks dignified enough for me to carry around even on child-free excursions. When I'm out working, it can hold my notebooks and pens and tape recorder and even my little laptop -- and it won't be screaming to robbers, "Hey, steal me, I've got a laptop inside!" Oh, and have I mentioned it only costs around P800, with free shipping? Even the eBay crowd would surely fall head over heels for this one.

So that's my Zalora wishlist. What's yours? Make your own wishlist at Zalora.com -- then send it to your husband for reference (ha ha)! Happy shopping!

http://www.ZALORA.com.ph/

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Win a P1,000 Gift Certificate from Numa.ph!

Thanks to Numa's kind sponsorship, the Nanay Notebook is holding a no-occasion giveaway for all our loyal readers. The prize is a P1,000 gift certificate that the winner can use to buy top-quality organic and eco-friendly baby stuff at Numa's brick-and-mortar store in Quezon City.

Numa's brick-and-mortar store

What you can get

Numa has baby clothes, shoes, bags, toys, slings, carriers, strollers, diaper covers, educational books, parenting books, DVDs, salves, creams, and beddings, to mention just some.

They also have top brands known for their high-quality, fair trade, child-safe, eco-friendly products: Boon, Green Toys, Medela, Ecobaby (Natursutten), Fuzzibunz, Charlie Banana, Tummy Tub, Seventh Generation, Earth Mama Angel Baby, Isabooties, Laessig, Miyim, Tiny Buds, Kee-ka, Greenbaby, Radius, MaliMariHome, Boba, Sleepywrap, Baby Boomba, NursingMom, Little Innoscents, Dentiste, and Babyjo.

Many of these brands, you can't easily find locally -- but you can find them at Numa.

How to join

To join this contest, just answer this question in the comments box below: What Numa product would you like to have, and why? You can go to Numa's website or Numa's Facebook page to see what products they offer. Or you can view my wishlist of my favorite Numa products in my Numa Store Review and Wishlist article.

IMPORTANT: Please use the same name in your comment as the name you used to log in to Rafflecopter. If we can't find your comment, we will be compelled to delete your entry.

You can also earn extra entries by liking this post, the Nanay Notebook, and Numa on Facebook, and by tweeting about this contest on your Twitter account.

Contest duration

This contest is open until 12 noon of April 21, 2012, Saturday. The winner will be announced on Monday, April 23.

How to claim your prize

Numa's storefront

If you're the lucky winner, you can claim your prize at Numa's beautiful brick-and-mortar store located at E. Rodriguez Sr. Ave., Quezon City. If you're coming from Manila, it's a short way after Welcome Rotonda, on the right side, before you reach St. Luke's Medical Center, which is on the left. Click here to see the map.

We'll be sending Numa your name, so they will know for sure that you're the winner. Please bring one valid ID with you when you go to Numa to claim your prize.

So what are you waiting for? Join now!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Numa Store Review (and Wishlist!)

A few days ago, I received an invitation from Numa ("new ma") to visit their website and give my honest review of their store and their products. If you love shopping for baby stuff as much as I do, keep reading!

Numa is a baby supplies store with a mission: to keep our babies comfy and safe today while preserving the world they will live in tomorrow. That’s why all the products they sell are made with organic and eco-friendly materials.

So what can we buy there? Well, a lot. There are clothes and shoes, bags, toys, slings, carriers, strollers, diaper covers, books, and DVDs, to mention some. But here’s a list of my favorites:

1. Booby Tubes by Earth Mama Angel Baby. Make no mistake: I love breastfeeding. I breastfed each of my three kids for at least two years. (My daughter reluctantly stopped only on her fifth birthday.)
   
   But I must admit that breastfeeding has it downside too. In my first months, I always suffered from clogged ducts. For relief, I used a hot compress – but those could be so inconvenient to hold in place, especially when you have a baby to take care of.
   
   Booby Tubes solve that problem. These are heating/cooling packs shaped so that you can conveniently insert them into your brassiere. No need to hold anything in place, and no more clogged ducts!
      
2. Medela Milk Collection Shells. Ah, I wish I had bought these earlier. These silicon cups are for catching the milk that leaks out of your breasts, especially during the first few weeks of breastfeeding, when your body has not yet calibrated itself to the exact amount of milk your baby needs, thus overproducing at times. In my case, I leaked so badly, breast pads simply were not enough to keep my shirts dry. If I had these then, life would have been so much more comfortable and less messy.
      
3. Seventh Generation diapers. I have a confession to make: In the cloth vs. disposable diaper debate, I side with the disposables. I believe the people who say the environmental effect of disposables is just as bad as the effect of all the water and soap and washing machine energy we waste when we use cloth. And unarguably, disposables are more convenient.
    
   But when my babies are newly born, I am compelled to use cloth because my babies’ bottoms get diaper rash from disposables.
    
   Well, for my fourth kid who is coming in September this year, I have discovered an alternative to cloth. Seventh Generation diapers are made with chlorine-free and unbleached material, so they’re not just more environment friendly than your everyday diaper, they’re also much less likely to turn my baby’s bottom red!
      
4. FuzziBunz cloth diapers. There comes a point in baby’s life when cloth diapers become ideal: potty training time. The wetness of cloth diapers signals and encourages baby to use the potty.
   
   With my first three, I taught them to stop peeing in bed simply by leaving their diapers off and resigning myself to facing a wet bed in the middle of the night for a few weeks. But with the fourth, I’m going to use these cool cloth diapers with breathable waterproof covers and spare the bed of its nightly “blessing” until the baby’s toilet training is complete.
      
5. Boon Mush. This is my absolute favorite – yes, I saved the best for last. It’s a hand-powered food processor! It’s cheaper than an electric food processor (a big plus for me), it’s noiseless, and – here’s the best part – I can use it for chopping onions without tears! Oh, and yes, it’s good for making fresh baby food too, ha ha.

One thing I’ve noticed is that many of Numa’s products are listed at Amazon.com as “can be shipped only within the U.S.” Therefore, if you’re buying from the Philippines, Numa is a great place to buy baby stuff you otherwise would not be able to get from Amazon (or from other online shops, for that matter)! 

Now for the downside – yes, there is always one. Because I’m an online shopping junkie, I’ve grown accustomed to eBay, where the items you are buying are often described in full detail. Unfortunately, Numa’s online store does not provide full details. It only provides the name of the product and the picture. If you want to know more about the product you’re buying, you'll need to have Amazon.com open in another window. The price is not listed either. You only find out how much a product costs when you add it to your shopping cart. (Of course, if you think it costs too much, you can simply take it out of the cart again.)

As far as the online store is concerned, I would say this lack of details is where Numa's greatest room for improvement lies. 

On the other hand, the brick-and-mortar Numa shop is a cushioned, cozy, warmly lighted little nook that is pleasure to behold. I've also read from Manila Mommy's blog that they serve free oatmeal cookies in the store! So perhaps, the online store’s lack of features is Numa’s way of encouraging us to visit its beautiful offline shop.

To shop at Numa, you can visit their online store, numa.ph, or visit their brick-and-mortar outlet from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday to Saturday, at the AEK Building, 40 E. Rodriguez Sr. Ave. (between Welcome Rotonda and St. Luke’s), Quezon City, Philippines. For more information, you can call them at (632) 732-1522 or 711-9636.

Disclosure: This article is sponsored by Numa. All images belong to Numa. All views and opinions expressed in this article  belong to me; they are uninfluenced and unbiased.

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The Commercialization of Childhood

I've just seen this disturbing video on YouTube, and I think all parents should see it. How aggressively is media targeting our children? And what messages, exactly, are they deliberately sending our kids?

More importantly, are we harming our children while we think we are helping them? For instance, when we let our kids watch Baby Einstein, are we helping them or are we actually hurting them? What could be so bad about Dora the Explorer?

You may be shocked when you hear the answers.

The video is an hour long, but I promise you, it's well worth your time.



How do we protect our children from this kind of manipulation and perversion? Please feel free to share your suggestions.

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Christmas Gift Ideas: Festive Durable Cookware

If you're still looking for gifts for your loved ones, this might be what you've been looking for.

Yesterday, Chef's Classics by Sunnex Products Limited Hongkong released their new line of high-quality cookware called the Sampaguita series.

A splash of color

One look at the image above would explain so well what makes these pots so excellent for celebrating Christmas. They perfectly capture the characteristics of Filipino celebrations: colorful, bright, festive -- and overflowing with food!

Take a closer look at those colors on the pot. They're not just decorations; they're actually the names of Filipino dishes you can cook in each pot or pan.

So if you run out of ideas on what to cook for your guests (or for everyday lunch), all you need is look at your pot and there you have suggestions galore! Pork asado, chicken pastel, sotanghon, halabos na hipon, kare-kare, tortang talong -- not only do the pots and pans give you ideas on what to cook, they also let you know which pot or pan is the right tool for cooking your desired dish! How's that for a great idea?

These pots are so tastefully designed, you can serve your dishes right in them and your Christmas table will be all the better for it.

They're easy to clean too, because they are all lined with nothing less than the original DuPont Teflon. Non-stick linings can't get any more durable than that.

Proper care

Incidentally, during yesterday's media launch, the host taught us the proper way to prime the non-stick coatings of your pots and pans so that they last much longer:

1. Before first use, gently wash the coating with liquid soap and water.
2. Wipe the interior of the pot or pan with cooking oil.
3. Set the pot or pan on the stove and heat until the pan emits smoke.
4. Put the pan aside for 24 hours. You can use it the next day.

Of course, you should also remember to use the proper utensils with your Teflon-coated pots and pans. No metal spoons or spatulas, please. Use only wood or silicon spoons and turners to keep from damaging the Teflon.

Avoid using scrubbers when washing. Steel wool, of course, is a no-no. Just soak the pot or pan, then gently soap away the debris. The non-stick coating will do most of your work for you.

Quality and price

Because the Sampaguita line of Chef's Classics is made by the same Sunnex brand we have known and loved for twenty years in the Philippines, we can still expect the same high quality and durability that Sunnex has always been known for.

The colored designs are made of high quality decals, similar to what fire fighters use on their trucks and fire helmets. They are highly heat resistant. 

In fact, some have observed that the longer you use these pots and pans for cooking, the brighter the colors get. Like Teflon, their only enemy is steel wool, so keep those things away from them.

The bottoms of these pans are made of highly conductive serrated metal, so even if your stove top fire only hits the middle of the pan, the heat quickly spreads evenly throughout the pan's bottom. The serration, on the other hand, keeps your pan from slipping on the stove top.

The vented glass lids make it easy for you to check your food as it cooks without needing to lift the lid, letting precious heat escape. The lids are made with tempered glass and the edges are lined with metal, so they are difficult to break; and in the rare event that they do break, they only split, not shatter, so no dangerous glass shards scatter all over the kitchen floor.

You can get items from the Sampaguita series for as low as Php599.95. If you want to get the full seven-piece set as a gift for a very special someone (or for yourself!), you can do so for just Php4,299.75 at any major department store in the Philippines.

Disclosure: The author attended the media launch of this product. She has not received, nor will she receive, any monetary compensation for this review.

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The Baby Hair-Accessories Maker: Interview with Ethel Bernales

It’s been quite some time since we’ve interviewed a true-to-life nanay entrepreneur here at the Nanay Notebook, so I’m very happy to introduce to you today a childhood friend, Ethel Bernales.

I first met Ethel and her family when I was just five years old, not very long ago. Since then, this mom and I have been choirmates (oh yes, there was a time when this nanay sang in public, albeit with a group), schoolmates, school bus mates, and clubmates! (She and I used to be part of St. Scholastica’s Homemakers Club – not a very surprising fact, is it?) 

Of course, at that time (despite the club membership), I never imagined she would grow up to become the babywearing, breastfeeding super mommy that she is right now!

Anyway, I’m sure you’re more interested in hearing how Ethel started and grew her business than in listening to the reminisces of this nanay, so let’s get on with the interview! I emailed the questions to Ethel and am posting the answers here:

Nanay Notebook: What made you decide to do hair accessories instead of, say, baby clothes or baby jewelry or mommy accessories?

Ethel Bernales: I went into baby hair accessories because it became a need for me at some point. You see, I am a choosy-but-practical mom. As long my kids’ outfits are well made, I don’t mind if they are not branded and expensive. Same goes for hair accessories. I really went around boutiques and department stores trying to find good quality, affordable hair accessories for my daughter, but I couldn't find what I was looking for – so I decided to make them myself!

NN: How did you find your source for materials?

EB: Most of my supplies come from the U.S. I purchase them online. Google is my number one source for suppliers! But I also go around local craft stores, fabric stores, and Divisoria for supplies. That's how I create unique pieces – by combining different materials from different sources.

NN: How did you learn to create these pieces? Do you still make them all by yourself?

EB: I actually didn't know I had the ability to make things like these until I had children. I used to make hair accessories for my daughter by taking apart the accessories I bought from the department stores and use the materials to make her something unique. The couture headbands are still handmade by me.

I learn by observation and practice and a few tips I pick up from YouTube. There are a lot of helpful fellow moms out there who are quite good with handicraft.

I also carry a line of accessories by other fellow moms who craft the pieces for me. I would love to expand in that direction and, hopefully, be able to train and hire fellow nanays in our hometown to help me create these unique pieces too. (Great idea, Ethel! Go for it!!! You truly are your parents’ daughter.)

NN: How long have you been doing this business? What preparations did you make before you started selling?

EB: I only started last February 2011. It took me around 2 to 3 months just to do my research, find suppliers, and have the Web site designed before I started officially accepting orders.

NN: How did you find your first buyers? How did you expand your market?

EB: It is true what they say, that when you are starting a small business, your first customers are really your relatives and friends.

Although I shopped online regularly, selling online was very new to me. I was also not very techie, so I had to learn little by little as I went along. When I felt confident enough that I could handle more orders, that’s when I began promoting my Web site and products by doing tie-ups and cross-promotion with other online businesses.

If you are selling online, you really need to take advantage of the Internet and the power of social networking to market your products.

NN: What are the biggest challenges you meet in your business? How do you overcome them?

EB: I believe that most of the challenges I encounter are blessings in disguise. For instance, there was this one time when I couldn't find the materials I needed locally, so I searched online and wrote to several potential suppliers. By doing that, I was able to find a reliable supplier, and today, we have established a good business relationship with them.

I really just try to persevere when faced with challenges or obstacles.

NN: What advice would you give other mothers who wish to start a business in baby accessories?

EB: Do your research. Be inspired by other people’s work, but don't copy them. Most handicraft-oriented moms are already inherently creative anyway, so you just need to find the style that you are comfortable with and which you want to be recognized for. Also remember that when you are making products for babies, comfort and wearability are very important.

You also need to decide early on if you would like this to be a hobby or a business. For me, this is a business that I love doing because I love the designing part. However, I believe that running a small business is the same as running a corporation – the same principles apply – but in a small business, you have to do everything yourself.

If you have no idea about running a business, then you need to research and learn more about it too. 

NN: Your product pages say you accept Paypal, but your order form does not include it among the payment options. Just to confirm: do you accept Paypal payments?

EB: Yes, we do. Our Web site needs a bit of an update. I hope we’ll be able to have it updated before the holiday rush.

So there you have it, dear mommies. If there’s one thing I think we can all learn from Mommy Ethel’s story, it is this: don’t be afraid to start, even if you have to start small. The lack of expertise can be easily remedied for somebody who is willing to learn. A lot of us learn as we go, and once you begin, you will be surprised to discover that you actually know much more than you ever imagined you did. 

To see Ethel Bernales’ adorable, well-made, comfortable, and affordable hair accessories, please log on to celestinaandco.multiply.com or Like them on Facebook, at facebook.com/celestinaandco. 

Until next!

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