Heigh Ho the Derry-o My Little Farmers

When my girls were invited to join Fresherb's Little Farmers Day, I was quite uncertain if I'll say yes. Soil and worms - I definitely think they wouldn't be happy to meet and most of all touch these. Despite my hesitation, I said yes to the invitation because I love the idea of exposing them outdoors. To set their mind about the whole thing, I excitedly announced to my girls that we are going to the farm soon. To my surprise, they were delighted about my announcement, but then they started talking about cows, chickens and horses. Oh no! They were thinking about the big farm! So I said, the farm that I was talking about is a little bit smaller. They're not going to meet farm animals but they would see different flower, herb, and vegetable plants plus a lot of insects. Their faces were we-don't-want-to-disappoint-mommy faces so they said okay, they're going.

July 22nd was the very first Little Farmer's Day at Fresherb Garden. It is a farming workshop for kids where they get to experience hands-on farming for two hours. I am thrilled to share with you our (Yes, our, because I had my own share of farming and gardening too!) dirty yet fun-filled learning experience at the farm:

Workshop starts at 8:30AM but we arrived at the Fresherb garden a little bit early. They were amazed to see the flowers, the plants and even the butterflies. I let them explore the place. They followed flying butterflies, they smelled the flowers, they were astounded with the different colors and forms of leaves and flowers. I couldn't contain the joy in my heart and they haven't even started the workshop yet. I've predicted that they'll have fun in the workshop.

Mr. Carlo Aguilar, the master of the workshop and the owner of Fresherb Garden gathered the children to set the kids expectations. When teacher Carlo mentioned soil, the children shouted "eeeww" in unison. Then he mentioned worms and we heard even louder eeewws. We, parents, were looking at each other and wondering if bringing our kids into this workshop was really a good idea. But we just laughed at the situation instead.

Carlo lectured the children first of the basics - parts of the plants, how a seed grows into a plant, and the basic needs of a plant. This time, children were starting to be attentive and participative. Thus, making them curious about farming.

Their first activity was to feel the different kinds of soil. At first, the children were skeptical to touch the soil but when one volunteered to touch it, others followed. My girls were also good at following their teacher Carlo's directions. I also reminded them that it was okay to be dirty that day.  

The next activity was mixing the soil. More children were brave to touch the soil this time. But teacher Carlo made sure that all children participated in this activity.

One of the not so brave souls was my little girl Addy. I had to assist her in getting the soil from the pail but she did the mixing all by herself, which made me very proud.  I felt that it wasn't really easy not just for my girls but for all the children to embrace farming. It was something new to all of them.

Another activity was filling those small pots with soil. This time, the children no longer cared about them being dirty. I guessed their getting the hang of farming now. Even us, parents, were helping our children in filling the pots. Finally, no more eeewws.

The eeewws were back when teacher Carlo showed  the worms. After a while, children started to touch and even let the African night crawlers crawl (ANC) on their hands. I have known my girls to be scared of anything crawling and flying inside the house no matter how small these are. That's why I am so happy that my Addy even bonded with her newly found favorite pet. Yes, she even wanted to take it home. On the other hand, it took minutes before I finally encouraged Kiera to touch the ANC and she had done a great job too!

We also experienced to harvest some eggplants, chili and finger peppers, and okras. In here, not only the children had fun but also the parents. Teacher Carlo taught everyone the right way to pick the eggplants and which are the right ones to pick.

The fruit of our harvests altogether.

Of course, the activity wouldn't be complete without the children planting on their own. They all filled their pots with soil then listened to teacher Carlo's instructions on how to plant the seeds.

Kiera was poking the soil to make room for the pechay seeds while Addy and I were starting to put seeds on the soil-filled pot. Everyone was doing the same thing. Then, we watered the plants and covered them with plastic as instructed. 

The gang! Everyone went home with additional fruit of knowledge. Thank you so much teacher Carlo and Fresherb Garden for accommodating us. My girls and I had so much fun.

After three days, the seeds began to sproute. The girls are watering their plants religiously and check them upon waking up in the morning. I can say that Little Farmers Day really made them love farming. In fact, they are encouraging me to buy some pots and seeds so we can plant some more. Unfortunately, we do not have a garden or a backyard but buying pots is a good idea. 

The workshop costs only 200php per child, but the experience has made a big impact to all the attendees. They learned that even them, the little ones, can actually contribute in preserving mother nature. As they say, not all can be learned in the four corners of the classroom, so I encourage moms to let our kids explore and experience farming on their own. Let them put down those screens and get dirty once in a while. Let their hands get busy with the real things that will make them see actual results which they can be proud of. 

Also, mommies who love cooking. You might want to consider buying real herb plants instead of the powdered forms. Fresherb also sells potted herbs for only 75php to 100php per pot. The price is equivalent to one bottle of powdered herb which needs to be refilled but with an herb plant, as long as it is being nourished, we might not need to buy it ever again.

I would also love to share with you another write-up about Little Farmers Day by a co-parent, Ms. Carolyn Gutierrez-Abanggan, whose children also attended the workshop. Here's the link to the article: https://www.facebook.com/notes/carolyn-gutierrez-abanggan-author-speaker/why-farming-is-great-for-your-kids/912560182230522/.

Feeling the need to take your child into this kind of workshop? There's another one on August 26. Reserve a slot for your kids now. Visit and like Fresherb Facebook page for more details. You may also want to follow @carlothefarmer on Instagram. 

Lastly, thank you to Fresherb for allowing me to use some of your photos for my blog. I got so busy during the second part of the workshop and I forgot that I am planning to post about it on my blog. I have to admit I have enjoyed Little Farmers Day as much as my girls did.

Giveaway Alert: Organic Beauty Products

Mommies, are you ready to bring back the mommy confidence in you? I am giving away these products from our generous sponsors: Laurent Cosmetics, Cleopatra's Secret and The Happy Organics!

Lip & Cheek Stain and Eyelash Serum from Laurent Cosmetics, Pink Lips Detox Mask and Anti-aging Face Mask from Cleopatra's Secret and Fruity Peel Skin Resurfacing Bar from the Happy Organics.

There are two ways to win:

I. Via Facebook. Here are the mechanics:

1. Like the following Facebook pages: Laurent Cosmetics, Cleopatra's Secret, and The Happy Organics.

2. Share this post, Bringing Back the Mommy Confidence featuring Laurent Cosmetics, Cleopatra's Secret and The Happy Organics, on your Facebook account with the hashtag #iamaconfidentmommy. Don't forget to set your post to public so I can validate your post.

3. Tag 3 of your mommy friends on your post.

II. Via Instagram. Here are the mechanics:

1. Follow @meettheagarans, @laurentcosmetics, @cleopatrassecretph, and @thehappyorganics on Instagram.

2. Repost my Instagram post that contains the picture above with the hashtag #iamaconfidentmommy. Don't forget to set your post to public so I can validate your post.

3. Tag 3 of your mommy friends on the photo.

Remember, one entry per mommy only. You can only choose one social media platform, don't do both. Hope everything is clear! Announcement of winners is on Friday, August 4, 2017. 

Bringing Back the Mommy Confidence featuring Laurent Cosmetics, Cleopatra's Secret and The Happy Organics

In a perfect world, moms are expected to always look pretty and neat all the time. They should dress nicely and smell good. In reality, moms are being puked on, peed on and even pooped on. Hair's being pulled, sometimes face is being leaked or bitten by our little ones too. Most of the time, we forget to brush our hair and sometimes sleep without even taking a bath. In as much as we want to be pretty all the time, we just can't, simply because we're moms! 

As a mom who shifted from being a working-mom to a stay-at-home-mom, I have experienced a drastic change on my daily beauty routine. Back when I was a working mom, I made sure I moisturize my skin, I used sunblock to protect myself from the sun and I am required to wear full make-up at work. My hair was always neat, I even curl it sometimes. I've done all of these because I need to, they were necessities for my job. Now that I stay at home, my daily beauty routine are taking a bath and brushing my teeth all in five minutes or less. Sometimes, even when I go out to do some errands, I just tie my hair, dab a little baby powder on my face then go. Until I felt the need to change my routine not to meet other people's expectations, not even to please my husband but I simply has to do it for myself. There were times that I literally hide myself from people I know when I see them in malls because I'm not ready on what they have to say about me. Usually, when we accidentally bump into people we know, they would leave us with comments we will never forget and may either make us or break us. Some of them are, "Uy, tumaba ka ata?" (Hey, you look like you've gained some weight!) or "Gumaganda ka ah!" (You look more beautiful!) or "Tumanda ata itsura mo?" (Don't you look quite older than your age?). I realized I am not ready for any comment, especially if it's a bad one. I lost my confidence, but now, I'm ready to win it back.

I won't necessary be like the mom in a perfect world, but I will at least find time to take care of my face, skin and hair. I will also try to make a five minutes or less make-up routine whenever I leave the house to run some errands or when I go out with my family and especially when I'm out with my friends.

I'm not really a selfie person but I feel so confident in this photo so I'm sharing it with you. Guess what? I'm actually about to clean the kitche here. LOL

Of course, I would like to encourage all moms to do the same. Let me share with you some tips that I personally do regularly (or at least I'm trying to). These are all done at home considering the fact that I can't go to the salon and spa with my mommy situation.

1. I wash, tone and moisturize my face at least twice a day (morning and evening) with products that match my skin type.
2. I use extra virgin coconut oil for my hair at least once a week for deep conditioning.
3. I treat myself with face mask at least once a week for hydration, to remove excess oil and impurities and to minimize my pores.
4. I'm not really a fan of lotion so I use body oil to moisturize my skin. I do this whenever I feel the need to.
5. I ask my husband to give me a back massage or a full-body massage at least once a week, I also do the same for him.
6. Of course, I make sure that I take a bath at least once daily.

For my less than five minute make-up routine:

1. I only use four products: lip and cheek stain, mascara, eyebrow make-up (because kilay is life, lol), and powder (can be loose or compact).
2. First, brush a thin layer of powder on the face and neck.
3. Second, do the kilay (eyebrows).

4. Third, put your favorite lip and cheek tint for an "au naturel" look.
5. Fourth, put some mascara on.
6. Lastly, brush another layer of powder to set the look.
7. In addition, style your hair as desired.
8. Wear a nice OOTD. :)

Here are some of the products that I have used, my review and where to find them:

Cleopatra's Secret Anti-aging Facial Cleanser and Brightening Papaya Face Mask. My husband and I are currently using the facial cleanser. It's 100% natural so it's very gentle on our skin. No sting feeling at all. It removes excess oil on our faces but leaves our skin moisturized and soft. The brightening papaya face mask has a cooling effect which made us feel really relaxed. 

Here's the reason why the face mask is empty. We used the full 30 gram package and as you can see, my husband didn't want to waste any of the product so he used it even on his neck and shoulders. Thus, 30 grams can be used by up to three persons. This is our before and after photos. We also used the facial cleanser before putting the mask and used it to wash the mask. The result, soft and fresh looking faces.

Next 2 Nature Extra Virgin Coconut Oil. I used this to deep-condition my hair and also to grow back my post-partum hair loss. The oil stayed on my hair for one hour before I washed it thoroughly. The result is shinier and healthier hair. This can also be used as a body oil to moisturize the skin, I only use a little amount but it feels smooth on my skin. Lastly, we also use it as a body massage oil. It's a wonder-oil. It has many uses.

The Happy Organics Lavender Green Tea Body Oil. Another good oil for the skin. I love the mixture scent of lavender and green tea, so relaxing. It's a body and massage oil in one. It is made of organic argan and sweet almond which can both do wonders on skin. I love that it doesn't leave the skin with a sticky feel but adds a natural glow on it.

Laurent Cosmetics Lip and Cheek Stain. This product can make you look great in a minute or less. Since I've received this product, I used it religiously when I go out. It's thin on the lips and cheek, it doesn't easily fade and it gives me a natural glow. It's also organic so it's safe to use even on my sensitive skin.

Here's my Laurent Cosmetics Lip and Cheek Stain look (photo taken during the day).

The Happy Organics Lip and Cheek Stain. Another organic product for my less than five minute make-up routine. I love that aside from giving me a natural glow look, it also smells tutti-fruity good.

Here's my The Happy Organics Lip and Cheek Stain look (photo taken during the night).

Laurent Cosmetics, Cleopatra's Secret and The Happy Organics offer a lot of affordable, 100% natural and organic products for our skin. Visit and like the following Facebook pages:

Laurent Cosmetics

Cleopatra's Secret

The Happy Organics

and follow their Instagram accounts:

@laurentcosmetics

@cleopatrassecretph

@thehappyorganics

I am so happy to announce that one lucky mom will get the chance to try their products. Watch out for my next post for more details. Moms, let's bring back our mommy confidence because we deserved it!

Little Miss Rainbow Educational Toys Giveaway Winners

Hoooray! Thank you for these three beautiful and special mommas who joined our Little Miss Rainbow Educational Toys Giveaway. I used random.org this time to determine what toy you'll be receiving:

Winners! Congratulations!

Your number will be paired to the toy you have won.

Of course, thank you to the beautiful and special momma behind Little Miss Rainbow Educational Toys.  xoxo

Art Time with Global Art Pampanga

As a mom, it pains me to see how tablets, ipads, laptops or any screens are depriving my kids from discovering more about themselves. Screens are wasting our children's time to explore the world and see its beauty. Of course, as a parent I want to do something about it. I want my children to discover their talents, hone them and most of all enjoy them. I want them to know that the world is more than just what they see on Youtube.

I know, it's our (me and my husband) fault that we had introduced screens so early to our children. That's why, we are doing everything to make it right for them. Since we know that Kiera loves art and Addy loves whatever her "Ate" loves, we sign them up for Global Art Pampanga's free trial. 

Global Art teaches creative drawing, painting, sketching, cartooning, poster making, glass painting and clay modeling. It offers programs like Visual Art, Cartoon & Comic, Acrylic Painting, Clay & Craft and Cultural Programme. Global Art aims to inspire children to explore and develop their artistic skills and creative thinking through the different programs that they offer. It started in 1999 and has now numerous branches all over the world. In the Philippines, they have 14 branches which includes Global Art Pampanga.

Inside Global Art Pampanga, artworks all around.

Even the reception area is full of artworks.

Global Art Pampanga is Kiera and Addy approved :)

Global Art believes that children naturally loves art and its main goal is to nurture this love while they're young. I can say that people behind Global Art Pampanga are doing a great job in achieving its goal. My girls output after the trial are more than what I have expected. See it for yourself:

They were asked to draw and color an apple.

Kiera's art. On the right side is her own version while on the left side is how they were taught to do it the "Global Art" way.

Addy's art.

This is my favorite part, watching them paint on canvass.

Addy enjoyed painting as much as Kiera.

The good news is, we get to take home their paintings. Thank you Ms. Marlene De Mata for this wonderful Global Art experience.

You may schedule a 20-minute free trial with Global Art Pampanga through these contact information: 0928-550-3904 and globalartpampanga@gmail.com. Learn more about Global Art Pampanga, like their Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/globbiepampanga/ and follow their Instagram account, @globalartpampanga.

Ballet Dancing at The Dance Conservatory

An ordinary Saturday for my girls means playing Roblox all day with just few minutes of rest in between. One Friday night, I told them that tomorrow is going to be a special day. They asked me why and I told them, we are going to ballet class tomorrow! Kiera's reaction was priceless because she loves ballet. She couldn't hide the excitement on her face. Addy, on the other hand said, she didn't want to go. Of course, in the end, Kiera had convinced her to go with us.

We were scheduled for a free trial class at 10am but Kiera was already awake at 6am. She was so thrilled to dance ballet. Addy woke up next and said she was also excited about it. I dressed them up and did their hair like ballerina's bun, it was the least thing that I can do to make them feel that they are ballerinas. then we went straight to The Dance Conservatory.

The girls joined the baby ballet class with Teacher Pau.

Both were attentive to their teachers' instructions.

The girls in action.

Dancing with the music with Teacher Bubbles and Teacher Pau.

It was the girls first time to dance on a real dance studio.

After the class, my girls were tired but happy.

The Dance Conservatory is located at Unit 5, 258 Sto. Rosario St., corner St. Catherine Street, San Jose, Angeles City. It started in 2006 at their former studios in Provebsville School and Blossoms Forth School. Why is it the right dance school for our children? First, it is a member of the Association of Ballet Academies in the Philippines. Second, it offers a diverse program of dance courses including ballet, hip hop, jazz and contemporary ballet. Third, it has a professional dance floor. Fourth, it has small class size to make sure each student is given individual attention. Fifth, regular students of TDC perform on stage through Annual Dance Recitals. Their higher level intensive students are even given the chance to compete on different national ballet competitions. Last but not the least, it has powerhouse members of the faculty which includes Ms. Bubbles Encarnacion, The Dance Conservatory's Director.

Kiera was obviously happy with the experience. Surprisingly, Addy said she wants go back there soon. Unfortunately, due to our current set-up, having no yaya and all, I can't promise to them that we can go back soon.

As a parent, it is nice to know that non-academic schools like The Dance Conservatory is available for my children. While regular schools develop our children academically, a school like TDC helps in honing our children's God given talents and skills.

TDC offers year round classes and enrollment. It is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm. It also offers adult classes. Visit and like their Facebook page The Dance Conservatory and follow them on Instagram @tdcpampanga for more information.

Product Review: Happyganics PH

As a busy work-at-home mom with four kids, it's so hard to get all the work done. Since I don't have a helper or a yaya with me, I sometimes have to send our clothes to the laundry shop to make sure we'll have something to wear for the coming days. However, I leave important clothes behind like school uniforms, my husband's office clothes and most especially, my twins' clothes. I make time to do the laundry myself for these clothes.

When Kiera was the same age as her brothers, she had atopic dermatitis caused by laundry detergent, as per pedia's diagnosis. I remembered that I had to use Perla to wash her clothes. Perla doesn't have a powdered form so I used to grate it so I can machine wash the clothes instead of hand washing them.

Now, a lot of mild laundry detergent made specially for babies' clothes are available in the market, local stores and online shops. One of them is Happyganics. Happyganics is an all-natural laundry detergent made of 100% natural, non-toxic, hypo-allergenic and ultra-concentrated ingredients to make sure it wouldn't harm our babies' most delicate skin while making sure that our babies' clothes are clean. It has 2 scents: lavender and natural. It comes in the cutest packaging I've ever seen in a laundry detergent (see photo). 

Happyganics Lavender and Natural 900g or 60 loads in cute tin cans packaging. 

I've been using Happyganics lavender scent for two weeks now. It is so concentrated that I only need 1 scoop for 1 load or 5 kilograms of clothes. It cleans well and doesn't leave the strong scent of lavender on clothes. I also used it on white school uniforms of my girls and even on plush toys too. I love that it is mild but does its job on cleaning clothes well. It's gentle on my hands, thus giving me an assurance that it'll be gentle on my kids' skin too.

Newly bathed plushies using Happyganics Lavender.

Here's Happyganics' pricelist:

Happyganics Natural/Lavender 150g or 10 loads - 249php

Happyganics Natural/Lavender 900g or 60 loads - 990php

Happyganics Natural/Lavender 1.5kg or 100 loads - 1,390php

Don't be deceived! If you think Happyganics is expensive, try to divide the amount over the number of loads. Each load will only cost 13.90php which is equivalent to one sachet of one ordinary detergent powder. 

I recommend Happyganics especially to moms who have babies with sensitive skin. To know more about Happyganics, like Happyganics PH on Facebook and follow @happyganicsph on Instagram.

Looking Back: Unplanned but not Unwanted

Lately, I see posts in mommy groups of moms who feel so upset about getting pregnant again, too soon. That's why I felt the need to share this article I have written five years ago. I used to be in the same situation and may have felt worse than everybody else's feelings about their unexpected pregnancies.

My pregnancy with Addy and her 3D ultrasound.

October 4, 2011-- Two red lines? I couldn't believe it. Kiera has just turned 10 months last September 17. We were not planning for a new baby, we were just planning for her first birthday. I silently walked out of the bathroom and rushed myself to our room. I was about to cry, and though I was silent, my actions speak so loud that my husband knew exactly what was going on. He joined me in our room and I immediately showed her the pregnancy test result. He told me to do another test just to make sure, but I told him, one is enough, I am sure that I am pregnant.

I have to admit, it was a painful moment for me. I mean, I just gave birth 10 months ago. My body has just started going back to its normal size. Plus the fact that I don't have a job at the moment, what will happen to my career? Who would hire a pregnant woman? What would be the reaction of our extended family? What will other people say? Our daughter is not even one year old, and here I am, pregnant again. For a moment, I thought my life was totally wrecked, all because of an unplanned pregnancy.

I didn't think of abortion. But I was somehow praying that God will make a way not to continue this pregnancy. I wished that I'll slip in the bathroom, stumble or fall somewhere. I knew it was a selfish thought, but I was so emotional about the whole pregnancy thing. 

My husband told me that he was happy about the new baby, but his face didn't justify that. I asked him to keep the pregnancy a secret for a while, at least until Kiera's first birthday. Being close to my sister though, I revealed the news to her a week after. She just lost her baby at that time, and hearing the news made her happy. She told me that the baby is another blessing from God and never mind other people's opinion. She helped me disclose the news to our parents, too. To my surprise, no violent reactions at all, but they were a little worried about our finances.

Contrary to my thought, I found a job. We revealed the pregnancy even before Kiera's birthday. I also started to feel better and finally accepted the fact that I'm having a new baby. I even posted on Facebook about it. I received so many beautiful comments but there were some not so good comments too. I didn't mind the negative comments because I was so overwhelmed by my friends' support on the pregnancy. My husband kept posting so many beautiful things about it on Facebook as well. One of my favorites was, "I am proud of my wife".

I called her unplanned because we were not ready in all aspects, for a new baby, but she was planned by God. And God's timing is always perfect. In about 22 days, I'm going to give birth to a pretty little girl and we will name her Laureen Adriella. I never thought that the feeling of excitement would be the same as the first one. I love you our Addy. Forgive my selfish thoughts. I pray nothing now than for you to be born healthy and normal. I'll see you real soon sweetheart.

Tears still fall from my eyes whenever I read this one. I feel so blessed to have my sweet little Addy. God has been so generous to me, He gave me a big family to love and I wouldn't want it any other way. 

Product Review: Bubble Man Dishwashing Liquid

Should we trust ordinary dishwashing liquid in washing our babies' feeding bottles and utensils? My answer is no to most of them. Here are my three reasons why:

1. Most of them contain chemicals that are not eco-friendly.

2. They usually have a strong scent that may retain on the bottles or utensils.

3. They form a lot of soapsuds that should be washed repeatedly to make sure they will not stay on plates or worse, on feeding bottles and babies' utensils.

#BetterwithBubbleMan

However, I found one of the few exemptions, Bubble Man Dishwashing Liquid. It is made of biodegradable materials, making it eco-friendly and gentle on hands, too. It has three scents - lemon (yellow), calamansi (green) and antibacterial (blue). Tried all of them on plates and they don't leave any strong smell at all. It doesn't also form a lot of suds but it cleans plates just fine and even removes grease from pots. It uses coco-derived surfuctants so it is safe even on feeding bottles, tried and tested it myself.

I saw on some Instagram posts that some even use it for cleaning tiles and surfaces, aside from it being a dishwashing soap. That's why I decided to give it a try. I used the antibacterial one to wipe the floor and surfaces of the kitchen. It requires an ample amount of the liquid to be mixed with water but yes, it can clean just about anything! Bubble Man is really not an ordinary dishwashing liquid, as their hashtag say, it's better with Bubble Man. Not to mention that it's a lot cheaper than leading brands.

Check out Bubble Man's official Facebook page, Bubble Man and Instagram, @bubblemanph for more information on the product. Don't forget to like and follow!

Thank you Ms. Jennifer Dizon of Mikewell Corporation for giving me samples of your product for my review.

Sharing is Caring: Little Miss Rainbow Educational Toys

Let me share with you the beautiful story of how Little Miss Rainbow Educational Toys online store was created.

Ms. Marie Corpuz, owner of Little Miss Rainbow Educational Toys, has a nine-year-old daughter who has autism. She was diagnosed when she was just two years old, year 2010. Ms. Marie, who happens to be working in a corporate world in Singapore, decided to resign to closely look after her daughter. She brought her daughter to therapy centers and met other special moms like her along the way. The realization that therapy is not enough for the development of her daughter and other kids like her, brought the idea of Little Miss Rainbow Educational Toys. Special moms like her need educational toys to help them become effective mommy teachers to their children. Since therapy can be costly, they can't afford expensive educational toys from malls anymore. Thus, Little Miss Rainbow Educational Toys was born to cater for children initially from Pampanga only. These toys are also readily available on two therapy centers in the City of San Fernando, Pampanga. Now, even parents outside the province buy toys from her.

Why Little Miss Rainbow? In the autism society, "Autism is a rainbow." You must see its beauty to appreciate it. It also signifies faith, hope and love both of the parents and their children. Most of all, it is a spectrum of colors that represents the wide range of abilities of kids with autism. Let us not treat them as kids with disabilities, but as kids with different abilities. 

Ms. Marie and I believe that sharing is caring. To continue the mission of Little Miss Rainbow Educational Toys, we are giving away three wooden educational toys to three children with special needs. 

Multi-functional board, wooden clock and wooden lacing shape.

Mechanics:

1. Like Little Miss Rainbow Educational Toys on Facebook and follow @little_missrainbow_toys and @meettheagarans on Instagram.

2. Share this post on your Facebook account with the hashtag #agaransmeetlittlemissrainbow and tag one or more special moms like you. Don't forget to make your post public.
3. Special mom/s can win one of these three toys.

We will be accepting entries until July 16th. Winners will be announced on July 17!

*Extended until July 24! Winners will be announced on July 25!

All children are uniquely created by God, thus making them all special!

Mellow Kids, Iflin Baby and Baby Moby Giveaway Winners

Yipee! Today is the day when we get to share more goodies with our moms and their little ones. Of course, a big thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Yiu for our giveaway items and thank you to all the participants as well!

I will randomly pick two winners via randomresult.com. Screen videos available on the links below:

Winner number one:

Congratulations Mommy @taniebinuya! These goodies are yours :)

Winner number two:

Congratulations to the little one of Mommy @shaira_sunga! Enjoy your new goodies! :)

To the winners, DM me on how to claim your prizes. More and more giveaways to come from our generous sponsors are to be given away! Everyone can join my next giveaway soon!  xoxo

Lessening Screen Time with Little Miss Rainbow Educational Toys

Nowadays, children as early as one year old can navigate gadgets like pros. At first we think it's cool. For a while, it'll make us proud that our kids can do this and that even without us teaching them. Until one day, they no longer talk to us. We have to exert the best effort to even get their attention. It makes them cranky if you take away their screens. They get impatient when their gadgets suddenly turned off or when the internet connection is slow. This is a sad reality and one of the main struggles of most parents, if not all.

My girls, Kiera and Addy, are addicted to a computer game named Roblox. Everything I have mentioned above, I am experiencing it first hand. That's why, I am trying my best to look for alternatives that will eventually help them do away with gadgets or at least lessen their screen time.

Children hate boredom that's why we need to keep them busy. The question is how? Remember, gadget is not an option. I made a little experiment with the help of Little Miss Rainbow Educational Toys. My goal is to draw my kids attention to educational toys upon arriving from school.

I already set-up the toys for them to see when they arrived from school. For the first time after a very long time, I didn't hear them saying, "Mommy, can I play the computer?"

Exploring the toys. I let them play while hoping they wouldn't remember computers or Roblox.

She was so happy when she found out she can build a tower out of these wooden building blocks.

Kiera pretending to be a teacher.

Wooden Lacing Shapes. It is composed of 30 wooden blocks/beads: 5 shapes x 6 colors with two long laces. These wooden blocks/beads will surely make use of your children's imagination, like my Addy building towers out of them. Stringing the beads into the lace like making a giant necklace will surely keep them busy while at the same time developing their eye-hand coordination, fine motor, cognitive and visual perception skills. 

8-tone xylophone for our children who love making music. 

Wooden clock. This will not only teach our children how to read time but also shapes and number. This can also help our children master abstract concept.

Multi-functional board. This board will make your kids love Math. It can help us teach our children simple Mathematical sentences on one side of the board.  On the other side, our kids can practice writing, it also comes with a small eraser and some colorful chalks. Since it is multi-functional, children can explore this toy and imagination is their limit.

Sofia and Minimus. Kiera and Addy did some role playing with these toys. Kiera was Sofia, and Addy, who loves horses, was Minimus. 

They played with these toys for hours. They were even planning to play these toys again the next day. Though, they still turned to their computers but only late in the afternoon. It was four hours of educational toys and an hour of Roblox, fair enough.

We rarely find wooden educational toys at the malls, most of them are made of plastics and of course, expensive. Wooden toys are great alternatives because they're cheaper and more durable. Like Little Miss Rainbow Educational Toys on Facebook or follow @little_missrainbow_toys on Instagram to find more affordable wooden and educational toys.

Parents, it is never too late to save our kids from what they say is the "modern heroin", gadget! Even we, are sometimes  guilty of being addicted to our mobile phones and tablets. To get our kids attention, we should also pay attention to them. Let us spend some time with them - play with them or do something together that they love. Remember, they won't be kids forever.

This is just first of the series of blog posts about how I am helping my kids lessen their screen time by giving them alternative activities. Do you have an activity in mind? Let me know in the comment section. :)