First of all, HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to all of us! It never crossed my mind that I’d be receiving so many text messages and online greetings in celebration of Mother’s Day but I really am a mom now! And it’s such a great feeling! :)

Having a kid has made me feel even more grown up than ever. Even my looks have changed, my body most especially, and my taste and style have somewhat deviated from the usual. Maybe it’s because I’ve been raiding my mom’s closet for stuff to wear because of my weight gain. Yup, so I’m 2 sizes larger now and even my shoe size is also bigger. And while looking at magazines and websites for ideas regarding my wardrobe issues, it doesn’t help my self-esteem looking at photos of celebrity moms. Why? Well, take a look for yourself.

Kate Moss:

Gwen Stefani:

Katie Holmes:

Jennifer Garner:

Victoria Beckham:

Gwyneth Paltrow: 

So what do these ladies have in common aside from looking so sexy and fashionable!?!? Well, they’re all MOMS! Though they don’t look like most moms I know (in real life!)… but that’s just because they are CELEBRITY MOMS!!! Which, in my opinion, entitles them to have awesome personal trainers so they can get back to their pre-pregnant shapes in no time, diet coaches to control their eating habits, time for yoga or pilates, and money to buy all the hair & beauty products and to submit themselves to whatever aesthetic treatment they need. The rest of us non-showbiz people will just have to make do by trying to look half as good as them, or even just a fourth.

Even during casual days with their tiny tots, these moms look amazing! They can turn any wardrobe into a fashion statement. Have a look-see…

Kate Moss gets away with anything being a supermodel and supermom.

Gwen Stefani is a rockstar mom!

Katie Holmes is just classic.

Jennifer Garner gets away with anything with her smile.

Mom fashionistas are all about Posh Spice!

Gwyneth Paltrow plays it down so cool.

There, you see… I don’t really think they place any effort to dress up when they are out with their kids. I try to look like a mom without trying but I don’t think it’s working out for me.

Case in point, during the Sinulog.

Then there was the trip to Baguio.

Seriously, these are subtle fashion boo-boos but still, I think it could be better and there’s a lot of room for improvement. I’m still struggling with my weight gain so I need clothes that I can still wear should I ever manage to lose the extra weight I’ve put on. I also think I try too hard that I end up looking like a fashion victim. I look at the rest of my photos after I gave birth and nothing gives me more sadness than looking at myself and not recognizing who I am!

I’m not wearing my own clothes. The style is so not me. I try so hard to look like a mom… and I am miserably failing!

But then a few weeks ago I received an email about a new shop that just opened online and was giving PHP250 VOUCHERS the moment you sign up for their newsletter!

Enter ZALORA PHILIPPINES.

Because I am geographically-challenged, one can assume that I rely HEAVILY on shopping for most of my stuff online, which I think is very convenient really since I don’t even have to dress up just to shop! I can be nursing my kid on my pajamas and I can go ahead and shop for the next proper wardrobe I could wear for my next big day out!

Aside from the awesome FREE SHIPPING NATIONWIDE service they offer, they’ve got shoes, clothing for WOMEN AND MEN, accessories, sports items, things for the home, and kid’s stuffs! It’s like a whole department store right there on my computer! Plus there’s just sooooo many brands to choose from! As a shoeaholic, I immediately browsed their shoe section and found all of these:

Of note, ever since I started collecting Havaianas in 2006, I’ve always wondered when will the Philippines ever have distributors like AmericanSole that carry all sorts of great footwear ONLINE and where we can BUY SAFELY and not worry about getting SCAMMED. :(

So as soon as I finished consuming the website like a hot freshly baked chocolate chip cookie, I ended up with these items in my wishlist:

I mean, it’s so easy to mix and match clothing and accessorize with all the photos provided and in just minutes, I was able to come up with this outfit. I name it, my mommy look or THE MISSUS. It’s my style, my look, and I really think it’s something I can pull off effortlessly!

Why did I chose these? I got my sunnies for this crazy summer heat, my flip-flops for comfortable walking, a really nice top that can hide my *ahem* extra baggage with an art illustration that is making a huge statement about WHO I AM right now, a pair of white pants that I see a lot of chic moms wear and of course, a bag that does not scream “ROB ME I HAVE $$$” but should be big enough to carry my essentials and some baby stuff I carry around a lot now that I’m a mom.

Click to view larger image.

With Zalora, I can create all the mommy looks to my heart’s content. Even copying the styles of celebrity moms can be done with Zalora. And what’s more? We can pay for the items we want in a LOT of wonderfully convenient ways!

I have found a new oasis. This quenches the thirst I have in trying to find a new look for the new me. If you’re on the same boat as me and have lost navigation to fashion, this is it! This is the place where you can find yourself and get that look that says who you are! My friends and dear readers, I am very thrilled about this new shopping experience that is why I’m sharing to you what I feel right now and it is nothing but pure joy in discovering that ZALORA PHILIPPINES is here to save the day… or just save me and my fashion faux pas. Tee hee!

Anyways, I suggest you go to WWW.ZALORA.COM.PH, register an account, get your free voucher, and enjoy a whole new level of shopping day or night, 24/7.

Oh, do share with me your great finds. I’d be happy to check them out.

BTW, they have a SALE going on! So you better go… and I should go there, too! Tara lets, bagets?

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

My little NoodleLito aka Little Mao just had a lot of FIRSTS this summer. He had his FIRST boat ride, FIRST plane ride, and FIRST road trip! We went on vacation up North which you can read in my other blog or in HERE. We also had our FIRST vacation as a family and without a nanny with us! Super mom and dad mode on!

It felt like a huge accomplishment for me and Noodle Boy. Six days, 24/7 with our 11-kg bundle of joy! Good thing we had the rest of the extended family and relatives with us to help carry Little Mao at random times of the day. Whew!

Since this is actually the first time we went on vacation with a baby along, there’s so many things I really didn’t expect and was not actually prepared for. I did pack thrice the number of everyday usual baby stuff for Little Mao but managed to keep it to a minimum without exceeding our baggage allowance.

So in addition to XX number of cloth diapers (lampin), onesies, pajamas, short-sleeved and sleeveless white shirts, jackets, shorts, socks, sandals and shoes… here’s a list of what I consider very essential things to be included in a baby’s traveling kit (suitcase, in our case!) charged to experience:

• Baby stroller. Sure enough, we didn’t require one or so we thought at first. Two days along and 4 Alaxan capsules later, it’s no longer fun to carry a baby that’s 11-kg heavy. I did a quick research on baby strollers and we actually found some Chicco and Graco ones at a department store. They looked very heavy duty and just right for our little big Mao. However, there were rather pricey. Luckily, we found this Goodbaby stroller that was just the right size and the right price I should say. It had the same features as the more expensive baby strollers and it does its job wonderfully, taking off the weight off our shoulders… Literally. Thank you Grammy for buying the stroller during the trip!

• Baby wipes. Lots of it. Kids are messy beings no doubt and keeping them clean with baby wipes is joy. I prefer Precious Moments especially during travel. The cheaper Nursy brand works for me at home but the PM wipes with Aloe Vera and Vitamin E is such a refreshing thing to have on the road. It smells great, too!

• Pull-ups. We brought along more than enough diapers for this bouncing baby boy but soon enough we realized something. During one challenging diaper change that took place inside the van, my awesome sister-in-law, with two kids in tow, recommended we get pull-ups for Little Mao. It’s slightly more expensive than your regular reliable diaper but using it was way much easier! I can change Mikko’s diapers in 6 seconds, but with pull-ups, I can do it in a blink of an eye. Tee hee! Thanks Ninang Ish for the heads up!

• Disposable feeding bottle system. I’m still breastfeeding Little Mao so it was a big bonus for the trip. I can nurse him anywhere, anytime. This also means we save space without having to bring along a sterilizer and feeding bottles. However, there is only so much breastmilk I can make and being on the road, I can’t drink so much liquids because then I’ll have to pee a lot. Enter Avent Tempo Nurser and Liners. When friends learned we were taking NoodleLito on vacation, they suggested to bring a disposable feeding bottle system. It’s really very convenient to have when you’re traveling with a kid and every family should own one. Even Mikko’s super cool pediatrician recommends it! Thanks Ninong Pajan & Ninang Xiang for the advice!

• Baby hip carrier. We could no longer make use of Mikko’s baby carrier because his thighs are too big to fit in it anymore. But thanks to the Hippychick hipseat, carrying a 2’6”, 11-kg, 7-month-old child all day doesn’t seem so brutal after all. With the really wonderful back support it provides, it does a lot of kindness and is very ideal to bring along during trips. Thanks to Tita Sarah!

I guess that about covers it. Oh, and I almost forgot… I had to bring with me Mikko’s birth certificate for identification purposes. You’ll need that when you have a baby with you on a plane ride and as per his pedia, during flight you should feed the baby so he doesn’t make a fuss with the air pressure. I’m happy to say that Little Mao really did enjoy traveling. He was all giddy and happily bouncing even during the zigzag in Kennon Road. He does have the makings of a viajero and I have a feeling this simply marks a series of many trips in the near future. 

Do you have tips and tricks for travel with a baby? Please share!

As much as I want to keep blogging and updating my Tumblr, I just don’t have the time to… yet. But I promise, this will change. I doubled my work load thinking it’s going to help us get by with all the expenses that we incurred after Mikko and I got sick and had to buy a ginormous amount of medications. But now I realize, Mikko is growing up so fast and I just can’t afford to miss the smallest details and the joy of seeing my little boy grow. So now, I’m trying to get rid of the extra work load so I can spend even more time with Mikko and save some time for myself. I got eyebags the size of Mt. Rushmore now. Booo!

So that’s the plan. Me = work less, spend more time with Mikko. Sounds good, right? Yeah, well. Also, to cover for the growing expenses of raising a rather big boy, we have embarked on a new business venture. That I will write about at my other blog.

Mikko had his first solids a week ago and when his pedia warned us he may or may not like Cerelac (Wheat & Milk), we are very pleased to report that Mikko loves this! Thank God! And instead of giving him just 1 or 2 teaspoons, he asked for 4-5 on the first day! Now he eats about 5-7 tsp, I think. Or is it 10 tsp already? 

I feed him while watching Sesame Street and Brainy Baby (He likes music and counting numbers. Math!!! WTF!). So he seems to enjoy eating while watching something. Hmmm. Just like mom & dad. :)

Oh and we had to give him the octopus/squid tentacles first before we had him eat his solids. Why? Because it’s tradition. Hahaha! I was told they fed me pig’s tail. Whatever! The reason behind the tentacles is for Mikko to have skills (superpowers?) to prevent himself from falling. I don’t know. Sounds like it’s going to make him surefooted, is all. 

Mikko Vincenzo is 6 months old (+2 weeks & 4 days as of this blog post).

He can sit, crawl, stand, and move about in his walker. :P

Ain’t he a darling? He’s getting moody, too. And he has his days where he just doesn’t want to be left alone so one must carry him all the time. (ugh!) I know, he’s heavy. He’s like 10 kg now! And I recently took note that most of the time when he’s in his Jumperoo… he poops! So the Jumperoo is going to be his first step in potty training! HAHA!

And check this out… 

He’s on walking wings!!! It’s too early.. we try not to force him but the boy insists. He wants to walk. He even slides at the edge of the bed and it’s really quite the challenge to watch him not fall off the bed when he sleeps because he rolls around a lot.

Sleeping, he looks like a year old! PURYA BUYAG! :P

Oh and did you notice that he looks straight at the camera? Yup, count 1-2-3 and he smiles! :) FTW!

Kid loves the camera. What can I say? Just like mommy!

What’s a real challenge is to bathe this baby boy! I feel like a scientist decontaminating a creature from outer space. 

Yes, coz he splashes water all over the place and whoever bathes him ends up all soaking wet.

Can’t wait for the time to teach this little boy how to ride a bike! That should be really fun, too!

So I guess to sum it all up, being a mom for the past 6 months has been more fun than a barrel of monkeys! Really… I never thought motherhood can be this awesome. It honestly never crossed my mind and all I could imagine was wiping poop all the time and getting fatter by the minute. I admit that’s part of the whole thing but the joy that comes with seeing your kid grow and discover the world around him is just priceless and full of the joys of spring.

So until then. I expect to be more hands-on this time especially that we have lots of trips planned for the summer and we’re sure going to have a whale of a time vacationing with the Little Mao.

‘Til then!

Sorry for not updating so much over the past weeks. You know how it goes as your child demands more of your time. Balancing time for work has been really challenging as well. Though, I have videos posted every now and then on Youtube, in case you want to see more of Mikko’s progress and milestones. It’s pretty fun watching this adorable little boy grow up and I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. You can also see some of Little Mao’s intagram photos in my Tumblr photoblog.

Anyways, for this post I’m going to blog about Mikko Vincenzo’s first Sinulog experience. Though we didn’t go to Cebu (again!) this year because this time I didn’t want to travel with a little kid with me just yet. Perhaps when Mikko’s older and he can walk, stand, or at least sit by himself then we’ll take him some place for his first travel experience. For now, we celebrated Sinulog right here in good ol’ Ormoc City.

When I was smaller as you can see, my grandma always took me to Sinulog and dance with the Sto. Niño. As I grew older, I would still do it. This is is probably the ONLY time you will ever see me “dance”. One step forward, two steps backward. How hard can it be? :D

But this year was even more special. Because Mikko was with me! 

I was taught to celebrate Sinulog the way I think it should be. Dancing with the Sto. Niño and celebrating the innocence of childhood. Not partying and getting drunk as heck like what is happening now. Some people forget the real celebration of Sinulog and the devotion to the Sr. Sto. Niño.

The carnival and the festival are just highlights. The real show is the reenactment of how the Sto. Niño came to Cebu and the presentation of the image to Queen Juana and the other various interpretation of the story. I’m not really a big fan of religion, but there are some traditions I do observe and put my faith into. The Sr. Sto. Niño being one of them.

I look forward to more Sinulog stories as Mikko grows up. I might even dress him up as one in the coming years and join a parade. Tee hee.

Pit Senyor, kang Mikko kini!!!

Until then!