How To Create An Account On Bloglovin'

Alright, now I am panicking because Google Reader will cease starting July 1.  That's next week already, the day of my blog's first year anniversary!  I usually read the blogs I follow using Google Reader and I bet some of you do too.  

So now that Google Reader is closing, where to go?  Where to get updates from me and the other blogs that you follow?

HELLO BLOGLOVIN'

I've read from fellow bloggers that they recently created an account on Bloglovin'.  It's an alternative to Google Reader which is very clean, easy on the eyes and easy to use.  It has a capability which lets you migrate all the blogs you follow from your Google Reader to Bloglovin' after you've signed up.

I recently signed up to Bloglovin' using my email address.  You could also sign up using your Facebook account.  Let me take you through it.

STEP 1: Go to http://www.bloglovin.com

My Working Mom Practical Saving Tips On Glam-o-Mamas

Being a working mom has both disadvantages and advantages.  The downside is that you are away from your kids the whole day from Mondays to Fridays and don't get to spend as much time as you want to.  In effect, you tend to be guilty from working away from home because you don't get to attend to their needs, do the loving chores for them, clean and dress them up, and play with them. 

But come to think of it, there are advantages too.  Working gives your household a steady income, a secured hospitalization benefits, a group insurance, bonuses here and there, and for moms, a good pack of self-confidence and oozing boost to self-esteem.  The only challenge that we face most of the time is - BUDGETING and SAVING.  Because we're always out, we can't help but spend, sometimes beyond the allowance we set for ourselves daily. 

So I came up with some money-saving tips for busy working moms and it was published on Glam-o-Mamas! 

My published contribution on Glam-o-Mamas.com

Value For Money Back-To-School Shopping

Are you done shopping for your children's back-to-school needs? Honestly, I'm not yet done, but I already started. After almost experiencing a heart attack when I enrolled my son, we went to SM Manila to do some shopping using the SM Accessories gift vouchers I received in the mail and of course our budgeted back-to-school shopping money.

In my recent post about SM Accessories Kids Cool School Savers, I mentioned that they've got discounted merchandise which will give any moms big savings! I've bought the big ticketed items for him such as his school bag, lunch kit, uniforms, shoes and other accessories. I haven't ticked any item yet on his books and school supplies list. :)

I just want to share the great deal I got from my recent shopping at SM. When they said, "We've got it all for you" they really weren't joking.

School Bag
Since my now Grade 4 student son is no longer fond of character-designed bags, he spotted this plain trolley bag sitting at one corner.  When I picked it up, I was so surprised that it was on 50% discounted sale!  From P1,700.00 it was down to P800.00 +!  Imagine that huge drop in price?  If I were to buy him the character-branded bags of this size, it would have been a slash of P3,000 on my budget!  The material of the bag is very durable and made of quality.  You could tell with the stitches and the canvass used.  I'm so glad we noticed this bag!

Practical Fashion: Let's Think Green

Have you ever bought something, like a piece of clothing that you know the moment you fit it, it's meant for you?  How about, knowing that particular dress came with an unbelievable tag price, worth less than Php500.00 but looks worth more than a thousand pesos?

I know that very EXACT feeling!  Since I've been singing regularly in a hotel lounge, looking good is a requirement, at least with the clothes I wear.  Lately, I've been scouting for sales in the metro because I don't feel comfortable buying an expensive outfit which I will get to wear only once (in my performance days).  Plus I don't like the feeling that all my talent fee will just go for shopping.

Being the practical shopper that I am, I knew I scored 10 on this pretty green long sheer dress!  You wouldn't believe that it costs ONLY Php 399.00.  I bought the winner dress at SMX during their 3rd edition of "The Great Luxe SALE" last weekend. 

Taken inside the elevator of Luxent Hotel after our gig

Necklace for less than P200.00

Let's Think Green

Now forgive me for the blurred photos, took this using my mobile phone in a dim-lighted hall of the hotel.  Have you scored on a winner purchase lately?  :)

The Outfit:

Green Dress: P399.00 at SMX The Great Luxe Sale

Shoes: 4 year old Parisian Shoes

Bag: From Ukay-Ukay 

Necklace: Bazaar P150.00

Back-To-School Special: Notebook Covering 101

Hello JUNE!  We finally meet again.  How time flies, it's already half of 2013 which also means that it's Back-To-School time once again.  Some schools had started their classes today, June 3.  My school boy will start theirs next week which is the reason why I'm still 85% to completion for our preparations.

I've done some back-to-school shopping mid-May covering major purchases such as school uniforms, school bag, lunch kit, shoes and some accessories.  This time, what I am busy with is covering his notebooks and books and buying the remaining small items for his grooming kit to say I'm 100% done with back-to-school preps for him.

Speaking of writing notebooks, I'm a bit particular with the quality of my dear school boy's notebooks.  Their school sells their own but it was sold-out when I was supposed to buy for him.  Plus, I find it a bit expensive for P45.00 each!  So off to National Book Store we went and my practical shopping powers boosted once more.

I've had experience in some types of notebooks in the past.  Because kids will always be magnetized to
super heroes or other cartoon characters, notebooks with them on cover sell like hotcake.  I was a victim of what you call in marketing "pester power" when kids have convincing power or influence over mommy which item to buy.  I bought poor quality notebooks last year.  The paper used was very thin and the red and blue lines were not clear.  Here's a sample of his old low-quality notebook:

Notice how the print on the next page could be seen on the current page? It's that thin.  The paper wasn't that white too. 

Below is an image of the notebook that I chose for him.  I'm satisfied with the quality of the paper and the printed red and blue lines.  Each leaf of the notebook is thicker than most of the writing notebooks sold.  The paper is clear white as well.  This is the closest, maybe even better, to the school-logo-printed notebooks sold at my son's school.  Winner pa is that it's almost half the price!

Below is the image of the writing notebook sold at my son's school.  Quality wise, it's better than most notebooks sold at the popular bookstore we grew up with.

But when I placed them side by side, the writing notebook I bought at the bookstore for almost half the price his school notebooks is at the left, while the notebook sold at his school is at the right, the former's paper was whiter than the latter! 

With this, it's confirmed, my purchases were of quality and more practical choice.  The character notebooks were the same price as this one but with poor quality.  The only CHALLENGE was, it only comes in one color: PINK! 

I don't think my son would appreciate it being seen in school with pink notebooks.  The solution is, cover the notebooks with boy-looking wrappers.  Gift wrappers cost between P3.00 - P7.00 in bookstores.  In one wrapper you could cover 2-3 notebooks.  Let me show you a step by step on how to easily cover notebooks, should it be your first time to do so.  I've been covering notebooks and books since I was a student myself.  It's a therapeutic activity for me.

Homeys Cafe Makati, Feel At Home

Homeys Cafe
Miriam House Building
151 Legazpi St., Legaspi Village
Makati City

Somewhere along the subdued part of Legazpi Street in Makati City lies a welcoming restaurant named Homeys Cafe.  Although Homeys Cafe has been around for a year, it was just last week that I had a chance to visit it when my best friend Karina invited me to have dinner with her. It was truly a treat for me to recently discover a new place to dine with friends and colleagues. 

Homeys Cafe counter with old bottles

When I got there, I was impressed with the restaurant's interior decors. It's modern yet sentimental at the same time.  The owner intelligently made use of old picture frames, old bottles, old pictures, sewing-machine-turned-table, old wedding invitations, medals, and old letters which give you a feeling of being close to home. 

Old sewing machine turned table, sungka and wooden furniture

Beauty Bar Philippines Launches BeautEshopping

Last night, Nuffnang Philippines and Beauty Bar invited me and a few other bloggers to the launch of Beauty Bar's BeautEshopping held at Beauty Bar, Bonifacio Highstreet.  From the sound of it, you could already expect that they've taken the beauty retail store to a digital and futuristic level.  High-Tech diba!

The good news is, you can now shop at Beauty Bar online when you're at home or still in the office, then pick it up at the branch of your choice where it is available. 

Shop online for Beauty Bar products

You could go to any of their branches, sit somewhere (if you don't feel like going around their shop to look for beauty products) and a friendly Beauty Bar staff carrying an iPad will assist you for a convenient and stress-free shopping.

At Beauty Bar, a friendly specialist with an iPad will assist you shop comfortably

What's more amazing is that you could readily check if the product you want is available or not, at which branch and the remaining number of stocks through their online finder.

What? Yayaless For A Week!

Today is the 7th day that I am Yaya-less to my toddler.  As a working mom, for as long as I can remember, being able to do the rituals with my children is something that I wish I could do everyday.  But it's something that schedule doesn't permit regularly when you are working away from home.

Sad to say, when you are a working mom, you only get to spend a little of your time in the morning with the kids.  At night, if you're not on overtime, a few hours to play, do assignments with the older boy or read books to them.  That's why these times are so precious to me.  As much as possible I drop everything when I get home, as long as they are awake.  I just get to do me-stuff when they're asleep.

Going Choco Loco Over Nestle Koko Krunch for Breakfast

School season is here once again and for me, nothing beats preparing my son to school than giving him a nutritious breakfast to start his day right!  Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, they say and I do believe that!  When we give our children a healthy breakfast, it fills them with energy to last the day.  It helps them focus in school and gives them in good moods.

Cereals in the morning

I remember my mom preparing our breakfast everyday before I go to school, and I'm talking about HEAVY breakfast.  Now I perfectly know why.

For breakfast, we usually have,

• Rice - plain or garlic
• Bread
• Eggs
• Meat: Corned beef, sausage, hotdog, sliced ham, bacon, longganisa, etc.
• Pancakes with butter and maple syrup
• Oatmeal 
• Cereals