Foodie Goodie | Eat, Drink, and Crave Healthy!

Constant food cravings are normal during the early stages of pregnancy. When I was pregnant with my son, my food cravings varied from the 'normal' ones such as chicken cordon bleu, tamarind candies, and siomai drizzled with lots of calamansi; to the more 'outlandish' food combinations such as green mangoes and mayonnaise, and carbonara with salted egg. Crazy, right?

Occasionally, I would crave for junk food like potato chips and the like. However, I do not want to risk my then-unborn baby's health just so I could satisfy my desire for overly salty, fatty, unhealthy food.

Fast-forward to 2017. If I were pregnant now and craving for junk food, I'd probably grab a bag of Crave Healthy and eat to my heart's desires.

Crave Healthy!

Crave Healthy is the first snack product in the Philippines that is specifically designed for the pregnant woman by doctors and nutritionists.

It’s nutritious because it contains essential nutrients – Folic Acid, Iron, and Calcium that are critical for both the mom and her growing baby. It also has reduced salt and just the right amount of calories that give the pregnant woman that extra energy she needs daily.

It’s delicious because it tastes just like any regular snack. Crave Healthy is currently available in Sweet Corn flavor and does not have any aftertaste of nutrient fortifications. It helps support the nutritional needs of pregnant women and their developing fetus. A healthy way to satisfy hunger and food cravings of pregnant women!

A pack of Crave is worth Php 25.00 at 30 grams each. It’s available online at www.cravehealthysnacks.com, select Med Express branches, and select Robinsons Supermarket outlets.

Similarly, there's also a milk product especially formulated for women.
Women like us, who are always on the go, seek to strike a balance between work, household duties, and personal time to be able to enjoy life to the fullest. That is why we need to stay fit and attractive, to look good and feel good whenever you can. We have unique needs that only us women would truly understand.

Introducing Athena, the milk especially formulated to meet our special nutritional needs.

Athena - milk for women.

It is high in calcium, which is essential for optimum bone health. It is also a source of Vitamins D and K, Magnesium and Phosphorus – nutrients to help maintain strong bones. However, it is low in fat so you can enjoy this beverage without the risk of high caloric intake.

In addition, this milk is also a great source of anti-oxidants such as Vitamins A & E and Zinc to help maintain healthy skin and promote optimum immune function.

Choco flavor.

Athena comes in two flavors – Milk (180 grams – Php 130.00; 400 grams – Php 273.00) and Choco (180 grams – Php 130.00). It’s available online at www.athena.com.ph and in-store at Mercury Drugstore, Watsons, and Southstar.

Say Sayonara to Scars with Clearascar!

Advances in technology have thankfully made it possible for scars to be removed with little to no trace. However, the best scar treatments available could be prohibitively expensive and would require a visit to a surgical clinic.

Now here's a more affordable and more convenient alternative to costly surgical procedures. It's called Clearascar - a scar solution in a tube!

Clearascar Scar Gel.

Made with 100% silicone, this product has been clinically proven to improve the appearance of scars in as fast as 2 weeks. It can lighten, flatten, and soften mature (old) and immature (new) scars, and can improve the appearance of all types of scars most especially the elevated scars such as Hypertrophic scars and Keloids.

Clearascar is currently the only 100% silicone-containing scar solution in the market. Silicone is considered the first line of therapy for scar management as recommended by medical practitioners. It is proven safe and effective, non-toxic and easy to use, with no side effects.

Clearascar comes in two sizes: 6g tube, priced at Php 418.95, and 15g tube priced at Php 761.20. This product is available at all leading drugstores nationwide such as Mercury Drugstore, Watsons, and South Star Drug, and can also be purchased online through this link: https://shop.clickhealth.com.ph/index.php/clearascar/

Seoul Searching | Children's Day at Lotte World Mall.

Children's Day may have long been over, but this will always be Yue's favorite Korean holiday. After all, he has been part of this occasion for two years running.

In Korea and Japan, Children's Day is celebrated every 5th of May. Parents often give presents to their children, as well as spend quality time with them. More often than not, the children are taken on excursions to zoos, museums, parks, and other venues with kid-friendly entertainment.

Last year, I took Yue to Seoul Forest, where he fed deer by hand, went bird-watching, and enjoyed the beauty of nature as we strolled around. This year, we chose to go to the Lotte World Mall because we heard there'd be lots of fun activities on Children's Day. And true enough, there was already a great buzz happening when we arrived at the place. Kids were crowding around the mascots that made a surprise appearance at the Lotte Department Store!

Miniso mascot, and the Miniso pop-up store at the first floor.

Dokkaebi!

Snorkmaiden!

Playful Moomintroll!

The house-cleaning hamster, Ebichu!

More Children's Day photos after the jump!

The Top 5 Benefits of Co-sleeping with your Kids.

Kids and sleep go hand in hand, which is a good thing because sleep is very important. However, parents need just as much sleep but the question has always been, should you or should you not sleep with your kids. There are people who would never allow it because they tend to think that the kids will become clingy and dependent but there are those who prefer to sleep with their kids every night.

What most people believe is that co-sleeping affects the child psychologically but study show that it does not affect cognitive or behavioral development in kids negatively. As a matter of fact, co-sleeping has numerous benefits and affects the children positively in the long run.

Co-sleeping, why not? 

Ease of breastfeeding
Co sleeping with the kids while they are young allows you to breastfeed without having to leave the bed. The child does not even have to sleep in the same bed as you because you can use one of the best rocking bassinets as a co sleeper. Mothers who sleep next to their babies are more attuned to their babies as they are attuned to their mothers as well. The mother will react to the baby stirring and feed them before they start crying.

Kids get enough care giving and everyone gets enough sleep
When co sleeping, the mother does not allow the child to cry since being close allows them to feed the baby sooner. When the baby does not cry then nobody has to get up and everyone in the home gets enough rest through the night.

Co sleeping babies get a lot more attention and protective care than those who sleep separately. As a matter of fact, parents who co sleeps exhibit protective behaviors like cuddling, stroking more adjusting the blanket at least five times more.

Higher self esteem
Study has shown that boys who co-slept with the mothers between their births to five years have higher self-esteem and experience less anxiety and guilt. For girls, co sleeping is associated with comfort about physical contact and affection when they grow up. Co sleeping promotes intimacy, confidence and self-esteem.

Positive behavior
A study shows that children who never co slept with their parents are harder to control, throw more tantrums and are less happy in general. These children also experience more fear than those who co-sleep with their parents all night.

Safety advantage
Co sleeping had safety benefits in the sense that kids do not fall in deep sleep that can cause life threatening apneas of breathing pauses. When kids sleep with their parents, smelling their mothers close or hearing them snore helps them, to sleep lighter.

Conclusion
Study has shown that co sleeping exhibits a feeling of satisfaction in life. Kids who sleep with their parents also know that they have nothing to be afraid of in the bedroom and once they grow old enough to sleep on their own, they are more positive and feel more secure about sleep time.

Sneak Peek | The Face Shop x Marvel Collection.

Heads up, comic geeks! And beauty junkies, too!
The Face Shop has just launched their summer collection, and this has got to be the fiercest, most bad-a** collaboration collection in the K-Beauty market just yet!

From the lovely Disney princesses to the cute and colorful Trolls, The Face Shop now joins forces with comic book giant Marvel to bring us The Face Shop x Marvel Collection!

The Face Shop x Marvel Collection.

Available for a limited time only, this recently-launched collection features an array of eyeshadows, eyeliners, mascaras, lipsticks, and nail polishes. Also included is a Captain America-inspired cushion, and a complete skin care line for men. 

View the entire collection after the jump!