Mommy Practicality

Friday, January 26, 2018

Achieve The #HappyNewYou With Watsons

Saturday, January 20, 2018

Review of 2018 Planners: Mommy Mundo Mom 24/7, Belle De Jour and Starbucks

Okay, it's still January, still start of the year and if you still have no planner or can't choose from the multiple planners available just about everywhere, well this review is going to help you choose. I know it's a bit late for some, but personally, I still haven't started jotting on any of the planners I have on hand. Because, they all appeal to a part of my personality: A Woman. A Mom. A Professional.

In this digital age, who still uses journals or still love jotting down schedules or reminders when technology makes planning, scheduling. notes taking or making and ticking check lists easier, more convenient, more accessible, and more instant like fast foods. I do! I guess a lot who comes from the generation I did still appreciate and are still in love with pen and paper, and addicted to the smell of these as well.

So here goes my not so late 2018 Planners Review. My review will focus on WHAT. WHO. WHY. WHERE. HOW.

2. Mommy Mundo's MOM 24/7 2018 Planner
This is the planner I used in 2017 from cover to cover. I love that the planner was carefully thought of and designed to really help moms go through their day, plan not only for herself but for her whole family. That's how moms are really wired right? We are so selfless and this planner reflects that perfectly.

Here's what's inside every Mommy Mundo's MOM 24/7 Planner.

The Mom 24/7 comes in three designs and the one I have with me is the Erin design which represents mindfulness and peace. Other planner designs are Cadence and Aria.

First few pages gives you an overview of the year - a full 2018 and 2019 calendar and important dates to remember. I utilized the Dates to Remember and jotted down birthdays or anniversaries of my loved ones.

This is what you will see at every start of the month. Put your month's matra or your word or goal for the month and let it be your month's focus.On the right is the super duper helpful To-Do-List separated between work and pleasure. Put your must-dos and tick them after they're accomplished. I love this feature because I usually write my To-Dos on a separate notebook. With this planner's feature, I don't need a separate notepad or notebook, it's already here.

The day to day planning and scheduling for one whole week is on this spread. There's a full January calendar on top for an easy reference when scheduling (you don't need to search for other pages to see a full month's calendar.) The bigger boxes are for your plans and schedules and the small boxes are for some reminders for kids. Small box of notes are found at the bottom which you could maybe use for your weekly reminder.You could also write your goals for your different roles: as a Woman, as A Wife/Mom, as a Homemaker, and as a Career Woman. To help you stay positive or even get by, you may read inspirational quotes from influential women such as Princess Velasco on this page.

One of the best parts of the Mommy Mundo Mom 24/7 is their feature pages and perks! It just goes to show that this planner was intentionally made for moms - to help her plan her day to day as well as track or monitor her whole year with matters concerning her personal wellness, her husband, children, household and budget, and even her household help (we know how this is the hardest to find and manage! So a special page is dedicated for them. Haha!)

Child's Info Sheet and Health Record

Children's Immunization Record

Mom's Health Record

Mom's Menstrual Cycle Monitoring Sheet (helps a lot in "planning" hehehe!) and also Household Staff File where you have an easy reference on info about them.

Menu Maker/Grocery List

Kid's Doodle Page for times when waiting time bores the children a lot - didn't bring a toy and don't want them to use any gadgets to pass time, this page is the ultimate answer!

Personal Budget Plan

Family Travel Planner

Car/Appliance Maintenance and a helpful Party Planner Checklist

And of course, who wouldn't love the succeeding pages loaded with discounts from different mom and baby brands we know, love, and trust.

The Mom 24/7 Planner comes with planner stickers to make your daily scheduling more fun and colorful, reminders more emphasized, and achievements more pronounced. It also has a helpful notepad for jotting some important info immediately. And the Mommy Mundo Passport.

WHO should have the Mommy Mundo Mom 24/7 Planner?
Of course, Moms like you and me!!!! The planner is perfect for multi-tasking moms, moms who compartmentalizes her thoughts, dreams, and plans not only for herself but for the other members of her family. Moms who like writing, planning, dreaming, and achieving. Moms who has so many checklists and just want to maintain or see all those lists in one planner. Mom, this is for you! :)
WHERE is Mom 24/7 Planner available?
Mommy Mundo Mom 24/7 is available in Mommy Mundo Shop for only Php515. Join the Mommy Mundo Community online, For more information and updates on events, new products, reviews, and anything about moms, follow them Mommy Mundo on Facebook or Instagram.

2. Belle De Jour Power Planner
WHAT's inside every Belle De Jour Power Planner:

The cover depicts a positive, happy, young woman with a strong black planner background. This particular planner is Smyth-sewn, but the BDJ 2018 Planner is also available in leather and discbound types. Each planner has 192 pretty pages to write on.

The planner spread covers one whole week. There's a whole January calendar for month view reference, a date and day column. You can write your reminders, schedule, things to do vertically, which is how we usually write our lists. Each line has an 8am to 8pm schedule. At the bottom of the page you'll see empowering and motivational tips for women.

There are also writing prompts on top, a cute magnetic bookmark, and which week of the year you're in. You'll also see a short inspirational quotes on top of each page.

The 2018 Version of Yourself is where you write the NEW YOU, the person you've become through the adventures, travels, activities, new things you've tried, dreams you've made come true and goals you've achieved for the year. The Bills Tracker Page is for all "adulting" stuff so you may monitor your bills spending or savings.

The Cash Flow Tracker page helps you monitor your monthly expenses, see if you've reached your target savings for the month and track your liquidity as well. The opposite page are for all your Emergency Information.

The most favorite part of the planner is the BDJ Lifestyle Card included in a separate Perks of a Bella booklet which comes with every Belle De Jour Power Planner. It's a booklet of coupons of freebies and discounts worth over Php40,000 from different establishments. And if you reach a certain number of required coupon to use, you could have this validated and either get a FREE 2019 Belle De Jour Planner or purchase it at a discounted price. It certainly is a great way to reward yourself through dining, shopping, and relaxation.

WHO should have the Belle De Jour Planner?

With the look and feel of this planner, the Belle De Jour Planner is more appealing to younger women, who like and want to see pretty things, take full charge of their lives - take adulting seriously, live more independently and more empowered, stay positive and inspired, goal and results oriented, and also who definitely want to enjoy life.

WHERE to buy?

It's available on sale at https://ilovebdj.com/shop/2018bdj/ (Php 550 sale price - Php 720) and all leading bookstores nationwide.

3. Starbucks 2018 Planner

I would say the most expensive planner because you needed to consume Starbucks beverages worth around P2,300 to Php2,600 (without the PWD or Senior Citizen and other discounts) for the stickers - which my husband did. But my own sweet Hubby Practicality actually got his colleagues to agree to a deal for him to claim all their stickers. So this planner is special to me, ineffortan ni hubby eh. :)

So, let's take a look at WHAT is inside a Starbucks Planner.

Excited to unbox this gift from hubby. :)

The Starbucks Planners come in two sizes, one is smaller. I got the bigger one in this design. The planner comes with this lovely leather sleeve, a ruled stencil, and a 2018 calendar which is Starbucks Cup- shaped.

A closer look of the leather sleeve, stencil and 2018 calendar standee.

A pretty brushed design of my Starbucks Planner

The first few pages will welcome you with a special edition Kape Vinta Starbucks Card

Inside is a spread of both 2018 and 2019 calendars for easy whole year references.

Before the day to day schedule, a full calendar spread welcomes the month for bullet reminders you could jot and check in one view. Things to do for the month may be written on the left side.

Free writing of stuff our great minds randomly think of or remember - a poem, a Bibile verse, a bright idea - is on the left. While day to day schedule jotting is on the right side. I am a vertical or listing kind of planner so this horizontal orientation for planner writing didn't appeal to me that much.

At the back are a few blank pages for more doodles, poem or song writing, and many more.

Of course, who wouldn't miss the Starbucks coupons which may be found at the back pages of the planner. You may have spent a lot to get this, but the freebies and upgrades may offset half of the cost it took you to collect those Starbucks stickers! :)

WHO is likely to use the Starbucks 2018 Planner?

First of all, of course, Starbucks coffee lovers love Starbucks, you'll find a Starbucks coffee branch near universities, near offices, and in the malls (and still attract both students and yuppies). So this fits students and young professionals. The planner is a balance between artistic and clean. It's a simple, direct to the point planner so the owner could do just that - planning and scheduling. It keeps the owner focused on his schedules and in rewarding himself with the Starbucks coupon of the month he could avail.

If by this time you still haven't decided which planner to get, hope my review helped. So which 2018 planner you think is for you? And if you think you know already what you want but still waiting for someone to buy you one or wasnt able to complete the required stickers, tien good news!

I am giving away the following planners to three blessed winners:
- One (1) Mommy Mundo Mom 24/7 2018 Planner Cadence design - perfect for MOMS
- One (1) Navi 2018 Planner by Viviamo! Inc. - perfecr for travelers and adventure seekers
- Set of One (1) BDJ Daybook Expense and One (1) Desk Calendar

Mommy Mundo's Mom 24/7 2018 Planner

Viviamo! Inc. Navi 2018 Planner

BDJ Daybook Expense

Mechanics:
1. Open to all Momy Practicality blog readers and followers in the Philippines.
2. Follow Mommy Practicality on all her social media channels:
https://facebook.com/mommypracticality
https://instagram.com/momypracticality
https://twitter.com/mompracticality
3. Follow Mommy Mundo and BDJ too:
https://instagram.com/mommymundo
https://instagram.com/bdjbuzz
4. On Instagram, post a creative selfie which should well represent your 2018 goal/s for yourself, your family, your career, travel destination, fitness, and any other goals your mind and heart desires.

5. In your caption, tell us your goal and how a planner could help you achieve it.
6. Tag me on your public post on IG @mommypracticality and include the hashtag #MommyPracticalityPlannerGiveaway
7. Giveaway will end on January 27, 2018.
8. Prizes may be claimed or sent to winners (shipping fee to be shouldered by winner).

Good luck!

Saturday, January 13, 2018

Let Love Flow With Babyflo

I am a mom of three and among my children, pinakamasaya maging expecting and new mom to my youngest. Don’t get me wrong, I am not playing favoriites among my kids I love them all equally. But the experience of being pregnant with him, breastfeeding him, and the many available safe and quality baby products available for him – made all the groundbreaking difference.

Iba na ngayon. Bringing my youngest to this world at this day and age when information and availability of products which are proven safe and wouldn’t hurt the pockets, are within reach anytime and anywhere. Glad to be a new mom in this millennial generation.

I noticed that one of my baby’s favorite activities is bath time. The moment he sees the bathroom lights on, hears the water running from the faucet, he screams giddily, jumps and runs towards me. I don’t know what’s with bath time and babies, they’re just magnetized with it. He stretches his legs to me signaling me to remove his slippers, raises his arms as if telling me to remove his clothes. The minute his cute chubby feet touch the warm water you can’t take him out of it easily any more unlike before. He knows what he likes and what he doesn’t and bath time is one of his wants, next to my milk, so I have to give him that fun splish-splashy experience every day.

Bath time has become our play and bonding time too. And because I know how much he loves soaking himself in water, I’m afraid that his skin may get dryer than usual. Given this love for the water, a mom’s gotta choose the right and safe bath essentials for him to keep the natural moisture and softness of his skin. I discovered Babyflo® Soap-Free Bath and Babyflo ® Oatmeal Bath.

The one we’re using right now is Babyflo Soap-Free Bath. Yup, it’s SOAP-FREE, meaning it’s bubble-free (but if you try it on a foam puff, you may create little bubbles, tip yun for bubble-loving moms and kids.) Are you one of the moms who’s fixated to bubbles when bath is concerned? Eeep, I’m guilty of that too. Gone are the days na kapag mas mabula ang bath, mas nakakalinis or mas effective ang product. Babyflo’s Soap-Free Bath is an effective mild and gentle cleanser for all skin types, especially sensitive skin. My baby’s skin is not really sensitive but I wouldn’t risk using other bath products which contains harsh chemicals.

I’ve tried other soap-free brands and surprisingly, Babyflo stepped up by coming up with their new bath essentials in a super cute packaging too. These are the other features I like about our new discovery, Babyflo Soap-Free Bath:

Fragrance-Free - I never really liked over-powering scents for my baby. Parang it strips off the natural baby scent which I am addicted to when I smell my baby and kiss him all over kapag nanggigigil ako sa kanya. Because it’s fragrance-free it gives me an impression that it’s also free of irritating chemicals attributed to added scents in any baby product.
Babyflo® Soap-Free Bath cleanses well – Though it’s bubble-free it doesn’t mean it cleanses any lesser than others. In fact, it’s mild and gentle for baby’s use and a great choice of cleanser for baby’s delicate skin. It smoothens and softens baby’s skin and it’s not drying nor irritating at all because it’s free of the strong alkaline ingredients that can strip skin of its natural moisture. Perfect this cold season when our skin tends to be drier than any months of the year.
It’s Hypo-Allergenic and Paraben-Free - Sa mga meticulous moms like me, we always look for the phrases na “hypo-allergenic” and “paraben-free” on baby products’ labels right? Good news! Babyflo’s Soap-Free Bath is paraben-free so safe siya talaga for daily use. It also doesn’t leave any residues or yung tinatawag na non-comedogenic which means, it cleanses without clogging pores or irritating baby’s skin. Because it’s fragrance-free too, it lessens the risk of negative skin reactions, so iwas rashes siya for my baby.

So bath time is always a happy time for both me and my baby! Ang sarap ng feeling that even if I go to work every day, I get to bathe my baby and let love flow between us with Babyflo® in tow! Agree din dito si Mareng Iya Villana-Arellano and Pareng Drew Arellano with Baby Primo, who are the first family endorsers of Babyflo.

Since mga millennial moms or millennials-at-heart tayo like Iya, we believe in the promise of every product introduced to us especially if it’s recommended by doctors and health experts. Babyflo has been in the market for a long time now and they have started to build recommendation habit among doctors for the Babyflo Bath products. I'm sure doctors will not recommend Babyflo if it's not safe for our babies right?

You know how also Babyflo made it to my Mommy Top Practical Picks? It’s made super affordable so that it can reach every Filipino families. Hindi kailangan mahal ang pagmamahal! And dahil malapit na ang Christmas, let love flow all the more and extend the love to your family and friends. Babyflo could also be a perfect Christmas gift idea to your inaanak, little baby nephew and nieces too!

Babyflo is a trusted heritage brand that promotes safe, hygienic and gentle products that make each moment spent with baby more memorable. From the sole of your baby’s feet to the tip of his head, Babyflo’s wide range of quality personal care products offer the best care for your precious one.

For more information, like Babyflo on Facebook: www.facebook.com/BabyfloPH