Blog Review: Pepperific Life

This blog inspires and gives hope and love to all the moms out there. Pepperific Life is a personal blog of Pepper which is obviously where the blog name came from :)

I like the way how Pepper expresses her thoughts through writing. Her articles are really easy to read and simple yet they are full of valuable information and at the same time they are hilarious, that is what I am looking for in a blog and that is why I am also trying to do the same in my own blog.

Seriously, I think that she will be a good writer in a newspaper or magazine if she will pursue that career, and I will be one of her greatest fan. She sometimes make the blog title serious and yet when you read the post itself, it’s actually funny and light, one example of this is her post about the “Top 5 dreams for her daughter”. I thought that it wil be the usual mother’s dreams like: getting a good career, having a good husband, having a beautiful house, but it wasn’t, I think you should visit her blog and read the article for yourself to find out.

By making her article’s useful to others, her traffic and readers are increasing. An Alexa stats of 272,000 and a Google Page Rank of 2 even though she just started blogging last February 2011 is a big achievement.

I would appreciate if you can drop by her blog and give this single mom some loving comments.

Blog Review: Pinay Ads

I first had a chance to visit Pinay Ads after I met the author – Aeris Acosta at our Pinay Mommies Community Grand Eyeball last April 2011.  I found lots of latest events, media coverages, shows and press releases in this blog and since I don’t go to lots of events, I found this blog useful to see what’s happening outside and what’s new in the market.

The blog site's aura is clean and neat, and you can easily navigate on it. Pinay Ads was given a Page Rank of 4 out of 10 by Google and that’s quite high for those who know what page rank means. It has 2,445 Feedburner readers as of this writing, I hope this blog of mine will reach that high too. It’s alexa rank is below 280,000 which means she has lots of traffic on her blog. Also this blog has a total of 3,009 Fans on Facebook (whew that’s a LOT!)

Since I had already started my food blog and now I am in a hunt for blog-worthy foods in the Metro (and hopefully in the entire Philippines soon!), Pinay Ads post about the Yummy Roast makes me curious about this restaurant since I saw it just opened a branch at SM Manila.

I hope you can drop by her blog and see for yourself what I am talking about.

Oh mickey... you blow my mind!

I have read that Mickey Mouse and Friends will visit Philippines again this year, oh he loves Filipino kids so much. Mickey and Friends will first perform at the Waterfront Cebu City from September 23-25, then at Araneta Coliseum on October 5-9.

I would love to watch this show together with my son. Last 2009, he was still too young to appreciate them but now I think he is ready. He loves Woody and Buzz Light Year and they will be at the show so I know Ren will be happy to see them singing.

Tickets price ranges from: (Seat location and Price)

VIP (101 & 103) (Reserved Seating) - P2,970
PATRON(104,105,106, 107,112,113,114,115) (Reserved Seating) - P2,650
LOWER BOX CENTER (200 & 201) (Reserved Seating) - P2,230
LOWER BOX SIDES (202,203,204,213,214,215) (Reserved Seating) - P1,910
UPPER BOX A CENTER (300 & 301) (Reserved Seating) - P1,590
UPPER BOX A SIDE (302,303,304,319,320,321) (Reserved Seating) - P1,280
UPPER BOX B CENTER (400,401,402) (Reserved Seating) - P960
UPPER BOX B SIDES (403,404,405,421,422,423) (Reserved Seating)- P 640

As early as now you can reserve your tickets, just call Ticketnet at 911-5555 or you can buy it at any SM Department Stores and also at the Araneta Coliseum.

For Cebu shows, tickets can be purchased at SM Tickets (032-231-3876) located in SM Cinemas, Waterfront Cebu City Hotel (032-232-6888), Ayala Center Cebu and also at Ticketnet.

What is the best insect repellent?

My 20 years old sister had Dengue 3 years ago while my nephew also had it when he was only 5 years old, the experience was really horrifying for the person who had it and to the family of the victims as well. Since I already have an idea on what are the symptoms of a Dengue fever I don't panic easily when my son has a fever.

BUT, since the mosquito carrying a dengue virus is now mutating, they say that some new victims were not aware that they have it since the symptoms were not visible. And that it's too late for it to be treated when they finally discovered it resulting to the death of the victims.

That is why the saying "Prevention is better than cure" is still the best defense in this case. One of things I knew to prevent the spread of mosquitoes is to spray insecticide every two weeks in the areas that are dark like bodegas and our dirty kitchens. Also, I see to it than my son and the rest of the family will use anti-mosquito lotion.

But since there are lots of anti-mosquito lotions out in the market nowadays, what brand do you prefer to use and why?

Me, I have 3 variants of insect repellent in the house  right now.  We have HUMAN NATURE Bug Spray, HUMAN NATURE Bug Shield and I found out that I have a sachet of GUARD Insect Repellent.

 Here is my review of the three aforementioned items:

Human Nature Bug Spray

positive:

1. It is 100% chemical and DEET free so it's very safe and I don't worry much if I will be applied to my son's arms and even neck.
2. It's very affordable. The 50ml only cost P79.75
3. It's effective, I usually put this to my son's legs when he sleeps in the afternoon and I even spray some on his bed and unlike before when he wakes up in the middle of his sleep because of itchy legs made by a mosquito or an ant's bite now he sleeps soundly.

what I don't like:

The SMELL - it's so strong that you will think twice to use it outside.  My husband who use it in his office said that his co-worker says that the smells irritates their nose especially if you smell it for the first time.  But after a while you will get used to it.

Human Nature Bug Shield Lotion 
positive:
1. Just like the Bug Spray, it is 100% Chemical and DEET Free too.
2. The price is the same as the bug spray. Which is very affordable.
3. Since it has sunflower extract, prolonged use may make the scars lighter, and it's also effective.

what I don't like: 

same as the bug spray - The SMELL!

Guard Insect Repellent
I just saw this one in my cabinet, and I can't remember where it came from.  I decided to try it yesterday.

positive:
1. It smells GOOD! It has a Powder-Fresh Scent and I feel comfortable putting it on even outside the house since it doesn't smell strong.
2. It has a Picaridin formula and is guaranteed safe on the skin. It is also DEET Free.
3. It has a non greasy feel.
4. I used it to my son a while ago and just like the above mentioned items, this one is effective too!

what I don't like: 

NONE as of the moment. I don't know the price yet so I am not sure if it's affordable.

Since, it's raining almost everyday and mosquitoes are everywhere looking for their next victims, it's advisable to shield our family with the best, effective and safe way.  I highly recommended any of the items above that you can use to prevent insect bites.

What do you look for in a toy?

Since I did not grew up playing with toys, I have no idea how it makes a kid happy until I had my own child. A toy, even how simple it is, can make a child smile and happy and looking at them while playing with it is priceless!

But what is your basis on buying toys? Honestly, the first thing in my mind every time I buy toys for my nieces and Godchild before are just cheap toys since I was thinking that they will grow up fast and that a toy will only last for a week so why buy expensive ones. I usually buy it during sales in the mall or in Divisoria.

But when I saw that the cheap toys that I also bought for my son only lasted for a day, I realized that I wasted my time and money for it. So, I tried to buy more expensive toys like this viking car toy

it cost P100.00 but it already lasted for almost 8 months now! A cheap one may cost P20.00 each but the longest time it lasted for my son is just a week, so do you think you got a good deal with cheaper toys, I don't think so!

Yesterday, co momblogger Pehpot invited me to accompany her to Richwell's exhibit of their toys at the Wack Wack Country Club. I was so glad I've been a part of this event since I saw a lot of nice quality toys in the exhibit (even this viking toys was there).



 Pehpot and Levy with Barbie :)

In July of 1982, Richwell was awarded the exclusive nationwide distributorship of Mattel Toys, an American company that manufactures the world famous Barbie Doll.



 Barbie Doll "The museum Collection" inspired by: L-R Vincent Van Gogh, Gustav Klimt and Leonardo da Vinci)

For Barbie Collectors out there check out this Holiday 2011 Collection

 



From the year 1989 onwards, Richwell continued to acquire new brands for exclusive distribution in the Philippines. These includes American brands such as Hotwheels, Shelcore, Cosco Juvenile, MegaBloks, to name a few.



(this Hot Wheel race track is attached in the wall, when I saw it I was amazed. This is a perfect gift for your little racers.  You don't need to have a large floor area to have this toy. It is awesome!)

Richwell is also  the distributor of Hong Kong brands such as Video Technology (Vtech) products and also baby products such us Pigeon, Chicco, Fisher Price etc
(info via: richwelltrading)





Guess what? when I told my husband that I saw the owner of Richwell he said that his dad knew them too.  It is because my father in law is the one in charge of the Goodyear Service Centers in the entire Philippines and that Richwell  was a franchise distributor of Goodyear Tires and Prestone Break Fluid.




 (L-R: Ms. Karen - Brand Assistant ManagerPehpot- blogger: Make or Break Yours Truly Ms. Julie Ann - Brand Manager)

Anyway,  I am so glad I discovered and saw a lot of upcoming quality toys in the said exhibit. Since December is near and that most of us are on the look out for toys as a gift once again, then why don't you look for toys with good quality and more value for your money like the ones that Richwell company is being offered.

It will surely make the child receiving it happy for a very long time.

Photos at the event are all from Pehpot of Make or Break. Thank You!

Birthday Giveaway ideas!

I found a nice giveaway for my son's 4th Birthday, and I know his classmates will love it.

I bought this Delightful Candy Cookies Lollipops by Cake Avenue Bakeshop, Makati via Save on Pinoy voucher for only P350.00 a dozen.

Angry Birds

Plants vs. Zombies

Aren't they cute???

cake decorating activity!

Today is Sunday, and the 3 of us doesn't have any plans to go out since Ren will review his lessons today to prepare for his 1st Periodical Exams this coming Tuesday.

Anyway, Ren will be turning 4 this coming Saturday and daddy and I are planning to celebrate it first with his classmates on Friday. It's the last day of their exams and we want to treat the kids with a fun activity that (I hope) they will enjoy, and it's a decorate your cake (errr mamon) activity. Daddy promised to help us with the activity and he will file a leave from the office that day since he knows decorating better.

Yesterday, I bought some "do it yourself" cake decorating from Goldilocks.

Here's what you need:

3 pieces Mamon P19.00 each

3 pieces icing P40.00/set and 1 set animal characters P95.00/set

We cut the tip of the icing first and designed the mamon in our own way.

 Here is one of the finished creation (sorry for the blurry picture) and I am the one who did this.  It's called a "dog playing in the water".

Ren had fun doing this, actually he likes the eating part more than decorating it himself.  He got this attitude from me I think.

So, if you have nothing to do over the weekend, why not try this activity with your kids.  We really enjoyed it and I know you will too.

Bonding in the rain!

It's raining again today, Ren and I usually cannot do anything outside when it rains but today I decided to make it different. I decided to teach him to make a paper boat and since there is rain water outside we sailed the paper boat there.

Ren was so happy with this new found activity.

then he put the paper boat in the rain water outside the house.  He really liked it and we had a good time.

How about you, what do you do with your kids during rainy days?

Let's support the PASKO sa AGOSTO Caravan!

Time really flies so fast.  My son will be turning 4 this month and it's feels like I just gave birth to him yesterday.  I can still remember how we celebrated 2010 Christmas and now December is already approaching fast again.

There are lots of things we received and trials we have conquered this year and like me, there are lots of bloggers out there who wants to celebrate and give thanks too.  That is why the "PASKO sa AGOSTO" caravan was established (thanks to Mommy Ruby for hosting it).




My other blog LEVYousa is included in the said caravan and I am giving away Human Heart Nature items to one lucky winner that will do my easy peasy mechanics.

If you want to win these 100% Organic and Chemical Free items just check out my entry HERE

Human Heart Nature Natural Moisturizing Shampoo 200ml – P129.75
Human Heart Nature Sunflower Beauty Oil 50ml – P119.75
Human Heart Nature Natural Kid Shampoo and Body wash 200ml (watermelon scent) – P119.75
Human Heart Nature Body Butter (cocoa and mango scent) 50g – P107.75
Human Heart Nature Feminine Wash 50ml- P59.75

5 Ways Regular Exercise Can Improve Your Quality of Life

If you want to take your health to a whole new level, then regular exercise is the key. There are so many wonderful benefits to regular exercise and it’s well worth looking at what they include.

1. It can improve your mood: They aren’t kidding when they say that exercise releases endorphins and those are the happy hormones. When released these hormones add pep to your step and allow you to be a much happier person. This is all good for the everyday and makes you much happier. It also contribute to better mental health as when you are happy you tend to feel more balanced out as well. If you need a mood booster, then this is it.

2. It can make you feel better about yourself: When you exercise you are automatically going to look better and feel better as a result. So long as you are mixing the right exercise with eating right, then you are going to lose weight and tone up. You will get rid of excess weight, tone up your muscles, and ultimately have a much better body. This is one benefit but add to it that when you like what you see in the mirror you will actually feel better as well. It’s all tied together and exercise can help dramatically.

3. It can help to relieve stress: If you are looking for a way to escape the stress of daily life, then exercise is it. This is a natural way of getting rid of stress and making yourself better able to cope with it. We all have stress that we must cope with in our lives and exercise can be a healthy way of getting rid of it and managing the things that come at us in the course of our day.

4. It can contribute to a better picture of health: If you want to get rid of health problems, then exercise can really help. If you want to avoid the potential for health problems developing, then exercise can help. If you have a family history of certain health problems and you want to be proactive, then exercise can help. No matter what type of health issues you may have or may be confronted with, regular exercise can almost always help to make it better or get rid of it altogether.

5. It can make you a happier and healthier person: The bottom line is that if you exercise on a regular basis you are going to look good, feel good, and be much healthier. The excess weight will go away, the bad moods will be gone, and your health will be in a much better spot. No matter what you are trying to accomplish with your health, the more you exercise the better off you’ll be.

We may not realize just how important exercise is to our lives. If we look at good health and living a longer and more enjoyable life, then exercise is a big part of that.

Mary M.M. Frederick covers an array of topics involved in earning an exercise science degree online.

I want to have MORE blogs!

Recently, I've been thinking of adding more blogs with different niches. My husband has an arts, crafts and design blog already. This blog (original name: Living Life to the Fullest) will be my parenting blog (originally a mixed bag), that is why I changed the title to "A mom who tries Living Life to the Fullest". I am now posting here any parenting related post, unlike before that it doesn't have any particular niche. I am still thinking of transferring it to it's own domain. My other blog "LEVYousa" will tackle mostly my personal experiences as a woman and wife. 

Now, since I usually post articles about food and/or restaurant reviews I've been thinking of having a FOOD blog. I also have a chance to travel a lot, even though traveling for me means a simple trip to the mall, the supermarket, the park or just nearby places, that is why I want to have a TRAVEL blog as well. I am not a fashionista, but I usually read lots of fashion magazines, I am also always on a look out for the latest fashion bargains and I have this fascination about shoes, branded bags, and clothes so I want to have a FASHION blog too.

These are all just in my mind right now. This is my dream and it needs a lot of work for it to become a reality, so as of now, they are just plans. I hope I can make it possible as soon as possible.

Kudos to other bloggers who maintain a lot of blogs and can update it regularly, I salute you.

Will I still watch CARS2 in the theater?

My family is eagerly awaiting for CARS2 to be released in theaters ever since Pixar announced that they are going to release the part2 of the series.  My son loves CARS so much, when he turned 1 we decided to choose CARS as his birthday theme.  He loves Mater character, yes, he loves Mater than Lightning Macqueen.... maybe he can see that Mater and his mommy has something in common that's why Ren likes him more (hehehe).

Cars2 was already shown at Russia, which is why I had the chance to have a glimpse on it (streaming on line).  Cars2 is very different from the first series.  It is very action packed and kids will enjoy the thrilling James Bond like feel of the movie.  Just guide them while watching since there are lots of fight scenes and guns firing.

You will not see Doc Hudson here since as what my husband said the voice over of Doc Hudson died so Pixar just made a tribute to the character of Doc Hudson for him.

We decided to show it to Ren to see his reaction with the movie whether he likes it or not.  This will be my son's first time to ever watch a movie in the cinemas, although we don't want to spoil his excitement, we are quiet afraid that once he doesn't like it he will cry while inside the cinema and will ask to go out.

Even he has just saw a few scenes on the movie, he liked it so much, that is why we are excited to watch it with him inside the cinema.  We are all  sooo excited!

Can eating rice with Star Margarine make you taller?

Do you still remember when your mom prepared your rice, and that she put Star margarine on it?

My mom usually asked me and my siblings to eat it, since she believe that it may help us grow tall. My brother and sister did and liked it, but not me.  I don't know if it's really effective, but my brother and sister are taller than me and I am the eldest, so maybe yes.

My husband claimed that eating Star Margarine helped him go taller too.  He said that he always asked his mom to make Star margarine rice for him.  He is not a 6 footer but his height is fair enough, yet I still don't know if the Star Margarine makes him tall.

I remembered this because I bought Star Margarine today.  I don't like it together with rice, but I love it with my bread and with sugar bits on it.

I asked Ren to try the star margarine sandwich I made but to my surprise his taste bud does not like it that much.

How about you do you have the same story as mine with star margarine? 

Baby Elisha needs help!

My husband's cousin Eunice gave birth last July 23, 2011 at the Philippine General Hospital.  Eunice is very excited to give birth since this is her very first pregnancy.  Unfortunately, even though she followed all the doctor's advises during her pregnancy, there has been an unexpected complication on the baby on the time of delivery.  The doctors said that the baby has Sepsis. 

What is Sepsis you might ask? Here is an explanation from mamashealth.com

Sepsis is a severe illness caused by overwhelming infection of the bloodstream by toxin-producing bacterias. Microorganisms invading the body cause the infections. Sepsis is also called Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS).

Sepsis is very serious. It is often life-threatening.

I know how devastating it is to have a sick kid and most moms will even pray to switch situation with their child.  Until now she can't touch her daughter yet. She visits her everyday at the hospital and hoping that one day she can bring the little baby home.  She can't even take a picture of the little girl since it is forbidden in the ICU. That is why this 3D photo is the only picture she has for her child.

As of now, the baby is still in the ICU of PGH and was given a 50/50 chance of living by the doctors.  She is humbly asking for prayers and any financial support that you can extend to her daughter.

For donations you can send it to levy.martinez8@gmail.com