Be Insta-Summer Ready with #SkinPhilosophie

Get exclusive discounts on these Summer Quick Fix

Summer means it's time to hit the beach! Everyone wants to have fun and relax. Unfortunately for some of us, beach time can cause some unnecessary stress because of insecurities with our not-so-beach-ready bodies.

Donning a bikini is optional yet fun. But what it you can't because of those bulging tummy or dark underarms? For most, these are a big cause of concern and put a shadow over the fun under the sun everyone had been planning for weeks!

To bring your confidence back, Skin Philosophie Medical Aesthetic & Lifestyle Solutions, one of the leading skincare centers in the metro, offers great Summer Deals so you can get ready to sizzle in no time! You can Get Insta-Summer Ready with #SkinPhilosophie.

RF Body Contouring Promo

The Therma-Conductive RF Body Contouring treatment targets the lower abdomen, love handles, and inner thighs through the use of RF (Radiofrequency) energy delivered directly to the fat cells. This causes the fats to liquify so it can easily be disposed off naturally by the body system so the treated area will reduce in size. The procedure not only shrinks those hard to manage areas but it will also help tighten the skin to minimize sagging as you slim down. Visible results are seen with just one treatment so you can be Insta-Summer sexy!  Click here for more information.

RF Body Contouring Promo PROMO RATE: 

P560 per session per body part 

(80% off of P2,800 Regular Rate)

Underarm Whitening

Can't wear sleeveless shirts or tube tops during the hottest days? Afraid to lift your arms because of your black underarms? Underarm peel exfoliates the dark upper layer of the skin to reveal the whiter, healthier skin you can flaunt. Be Insta-Summer Confident wearing the trendiest summer clothes! Click here for more information.

Underarm Whitening PROMO RATE: 

P960 per session for both underarms 

(40% off of P1,600 Regular Rate)

Laser Hair Removal 

Nobody enjoys shaving and waxing endlessly. Neither do painful laser treatments. Skin Philosophie gives you the liberty to flaunt you healthy skin without worrying about your stubborn hair in the underarm and bikini area. The Palomar® Lux R, with its groundbreaking Contact Cooling^TM and Smooth Pulse^TM technology permanently removes hair comfortably with less risk for complication by killing the follicles that generate hair Compared with the more popular and cheaper IPL that only thins out the hair which would mean continuous treatment is still needed, go for a lasting solution! Click here for more information.

Underarm Laser Hair Removal PROMO RATE: 

P2,700 per session 

(40% off of P4,500 Regular Rate)

Bikini Laser Hair Removal PROMO RATE: 

P3,430 per session 

(30% off of P4,900 Regular Rate)

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ALL MILA STOLE MY HEART READERS GET ADDITIONAL 10% DISCOUNT.
Just show this blogpost or tge photo above when you avail the service.
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Take advantage of these exclusive offers from #SkinPhilosophie and #MilaStoleMyHeartBlog and get Insta-Summer Ready Now!

Skin Philosophie Medical Aesthetic and Lifestyle Solutions is located at the 3rd level, The Fort Strip, 28th corner 7th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City (BGC), Taguig. For inquiries and appointment booking, contact: 0917-8860646, 0917-8906800, 02-2118662, 02-21580780, or 02-8567451.

For more details, visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/skin.philosophie.

{Disclosure: I am an accredited online lead generator for Skin Philosophie}

#milaOOTD: Dance, Act, Sing

I saw these photos on my mom's cellphone and I could not stop laughing. I wish we knew what the story was behind her arte poses. I remember we were waiting to get all ready to leave after a quick trip to Zambales. Everyone was so busy and Mila was just playing around on her own. I didn't see this moment when Mila was modeling for her Yoya. I wish I did. I would have been on tears laughing. She just looked so adorable and very much like a big kid. Where did my little Cupcake go?

I think she was just trying to get all our attention with a little Dance, Act, and Sing. These photos surely got me looking. 

#milaOOTD:
Headband: set from Carters
Blue Cropped Top: IG @mommyandbabyshop
Skirt: Gingersnaps
Shoes: Zara Baby (boys)

Easy and Creative Ways to Record Baby's Firsts

When I was a kid, I remember asking my mom a lot of questions about the time when I was still a baby. Unfortunately, she has so little to tell. She's not really the type to take note of details like how big or small I was, what month I started walking, or when I got my first tooth. I know those are just small details but I always envy those kids who know a lot about the time they were still a baby like they remember it from memory.

They say you want to give your baby what you were lacking. So I want Mila to have a good resource of stories about herself. Hey, that's really the purpose of this blog, right? I want to chronicle every single thing about her if I can. I want her to know the highlights of her young life even if she cannot remember them yet. To be fair, I barely remember every detail of Mila's first year too. Unless I look in my notes and cheat sheets, everything is just too much and they're muddled up into a blur . I knew I want to chronicle everything because I want Mila to have fun reading about herself. I know I will learn a lot with these stories too, when baby number two come.

I'm not the scrapbook-type mommy. I don't have enough creativity nor time for that. I attempted to start one but it just ended up as another unfinished project. Mila still does not have a baby book. One that will record her tiny hand and foot print, her going home outfit, her first haircut and nail clipping, or her first smile. I have facebook and instagram for that but I bet there are other creative ways to do so. One that will not take too much effort from me.

Here are a few thing I got from the net that I think are Easy and Creative Ways to Record Baby's Firsts (emphasis on easy)

1. MONTHLY COMPARISON PHOTO 

I took mothly photos of Mila on the same play mat next to CeeCee the Seahorse. You can clearly see how fast your baby is growing!

2. USE FILL IN THE BLANK "MY FIRST YEAR" POSTERS

Source: Strangebirdy

Not only will is this record your baby's firsts, it's also a cool art that you can "create" yourself.

3. CUSTOM INFOGRAPHIC

Source: poppydesignsboutique

Ok, so this may not be so easy but hey, how creative is it? If you are artistic enough, this is definitely a great way to record your baby's firsts. You can order it too if you want. That sounds easy!

4. CREATE A COLLAGE

You already have thousands of pictures. Why not print them out, create your own collage, and frame it. You can add some hand written notes or even the greeting card you gave your baby for her first holiday.

5. START A BLOG

Need I say more? You don't need to do an online diary of every detail of her daily existence. You can maybe write a poem or an open letter to mark your baby's firsts.

6. NAME ART

I got one for Mila as a prize from MonogramsMNL. It's just a fun, simple way to display some of your baby's stats. You can DIY it if you are good with design apps or just save time and get a pro to do it. MonogramsMNL uses the best quality paper (we even got a glittery one) and the frame that comes with it is nice too. All I did was to give the theme and color choice and she does all the magic. It was very easy to transact with her. I had to do a couple of changes on the design because I changed my mind but she was very ok with it. She even suggested a few things that made the design a lot better. Go to http://www.monogramsmnl.com/ to order yours now.

7. BABYBOOK APPLICATION

From the beloved Pampers BabyBook application

Pampers sees the need for moms to capture, celebrate and share their baby's firsts especially in a country hailed as the social networking capital of the world. With this, new Pampers FirstBook was launched to preserve wonderful moments in the best possible way.

As simple as logging journal entried, uploading images and videos, Pampers FirstBook goes on this journey of development with moms from baby's first overnight sleep to his first few steps. Pampers not only enabled baby a good night's sleep that leads to another day of firsts, but also helps moms remember, celebrate, and share milestones with family and friends.

Baby's first journey continues after Pampers FirstBook, as moms have the ability to collect and document baby's first 12 accomplishments through Pampers FirstMovie.

To create Pampers FirstBook and FirstMovie accounts, Filipino mommies can log on to http://www.firstbook.ph and begin documenting and treasuring baby's Firsts.

I Say NO To Cough Syrup and Here's What I Do Instead

I was typing another blog post when a Facebook notification popped up. It was from a mom group I follow where a mom was asking if it was ok to give her 18month old daughter Benadryl Syrup (an antihistamine Diphenhydramine) for her cough. It was a popular thread because a lot of moms wanted to know the right answer.

When this first showed on my news feed, I could not help but add a comment. I had recently been re-reading on cough medicine for infants because my daughter seem to be clearing her throat a little too often. One thing that stuck to me: it is not recommend for infants 2 years old and below to take any form of cough medication, Diphenhydramine included. 

On the concerned mom's post, the medicine was given to them by the Health Worker in their Barangay Center. She already gave a dose to her child as instructed. Afterwards, she noticed this warning: Not Recommended For Children Below 2 Years Of Age

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) "reminds all caregivers never to give a child under two years of age any kind of cough and cold product containing decongestants or antihistamines, without seeking the advice of a healthcare provider.  These cough and cold products include those that contain the decongestants ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, or phenylephrine, and the antihistamines diphenhydramine, brompheniramine, or chlorpheniramine."

Even if it says you can consult your pediatrician and they can maybe provide the 'right' dosage for your child, please do not risk it. Research says that for the cough medicine to really work, the dosage needed is way too much to be fatal to your young child. Most moms would argue that these decongestants and antihistamines worked wonder for their child, as noted on that facebook thread. To a certain extent, they do. Cough syrups and antihistamines make you sleepy. A sick child needs their rest for the body to be able to do its work in fighting off the virus. These medicines causes drowsiness so your child gets that deep sleep (and so do you) which can do wonders to the weary body.

I confess that at about 11 months, I gave Mila Alnix Plus (Cetirizine + Phenylephrine HCI). It was given by her pedia for her allergic rhinitis. I did not even noticed the active ingredient Phenylephrine because we had been using Alnix before (Cetrizine Dihydrocholride). The Plus made the difference and the label says so too. I guess that's also the danger of cough medicine. It is very too common to misread or completely ignore the label and dosage. In fact, according to FDA.gov, cough medicines is one of the top causes of accidental overdose for children.

With that said, I say no to cough syrup and here's what I do instead - I go for natural treatment. I had found that there are alternative, more effective ways on treating your infants cough. My daughter is 19months now. Last week when she had cough, it only lasted for 2 days. That morning I first heard her coughing, I gave her a teaspoon of pure honey that I mix with a few drops of calamsi (or lemon if available) juice. She loved the  natural sweetness of honey  so it wasn't too hard to have her drink her 'medicine'. I only did this once every morning, right before breakfast. No more cough on the third day but we continued giving her the honey concoction for the full week. 

Honey from the groceries are rarely pure so I really request my mom to get a bottle for us everytime she goes to Tagaytay. Hubs and I also use honey for our morning tea so we don't mind having lots of it. Besides, good quality pure honey will never go stale. Parents are given warning not to give honey to babies less than a year old because it can cause a rare disease called infant botulism which can be fatal. As soon as Mila turned one, I started giving her small amounts of honey. A pea sized drop just to test and make sure she would not have any problems. She didn't, hooray! We love using honey instead if sugar so I'll be disappointed if my little girl would not be able to take advantage of this very nutritious liquid gold. 

Mila only had a couple episodes of having cough within her one year. Since honey was not an option for us then, we rely on double dose of vitamin C. instead of the normal 2.5ml/day her pedia recommended to give it twice a day. At night, to her her sleep better, we make sure that the upper part of her body is elevated. We co-sleep so it's easy for me to monitor her. We also use Giga Cold Rub which works wonders on making her breath better. And we top everything off with lots and lots of water! 

Oh, I also remember that when I was younger, my mom and aunt gives us sisters Oregano or Ampalaya. But I guess that is for older kids. I'm not sure my Mila can take that yet. We might try it though if her cough is accompanied by a really nasty, thick mucous since these are the best expectorant I've taken so far.

How about you mommies, how do you treat your little child's cough? Do you still use cough medicine for your little one? Or do you prefer natural remedies? Please share!

DIY Multipurpose Rattle

When I was preparing for Mila's first birthday party, I came across an Instagram shop selling lots of cute beads. I ordered a big bag of colored bow-shaped beads that I wanted to turn into bracelets to give away. I decided instead to make necklaces that we used as props for Mila's birthday photoshoot. We used a lot but we still had more left over. Mila loved playing with them so I decided to use the rest of the beads in another DIY project - a Multipurpose Rattle.

We got great milage to this virtually free toy. With the beads inside the recycled bottle, Mila can go crazy shaking it and making (noise) lovely sounds. With strict supervision, we use the beads too to teach counting, and colors. Of you have other beads to use, it can also be used for learning about texture, shapes, and size. When we're ready to pack up, I have Mila put each bead back in the bottle. She leans how to put things back in place and practice her hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. Our DIY Multipurpose Rattle is still a favorite toy since we made it 9 months ago.

Here's how we made our DIY Multipurpose Rattle:

Step 1: Prepare your materials - A recycled bottle and a pack of beads. Best to choose different types with different shapes, colors, and sizes.
Step 2: Make sure your bottle is clean. Check if little hands can easy hold on to it for a firm grip when shaking. We got a sexy bottle from Dr. Edward's which works really well.
Step 3: Open the bottle. You may also test and make sure little curious babies cannot open the bottle cap themselves.

Step 4: Count how many beads you have. Take note of it so you are sure nothing goes missing before and after play.
Step 5: Put the beads inside the bottle.
Step 6: Go crazy!

Again, I cannot stress this enough: PLAY WITH CAUTION. The beads are choking hazards. We're lucky Mila does not usually put things on her mouth but we still only play with strict supervision.

Creating a Benchmark for Volunteerism and Social Responsibility: The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf®

PRESS RELEASE

Long before corporate social responsibility and volunteerism became a buzzword for brands and corporations, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® has already made it an intrinsic mission and company philosophy.

It’s a commitment that they took on back in 2008, when they started the Give In To Giving, 12 Cups with The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® campaign, an initiative designed to share this mission with its loyal customers. “It began by taking something that was relevant to customers at the time—the “planner craze,” if you will— and creating something more meaningful that could be an extension of our commitment as a brand to giving back. What spurred out of this intention was a Commemorative Notebook that became a medium for us, and our patrons, to support advocacies in need and share their blessings. It was and continues to be the only journal that encourages more purposeful action towards ones’ social responsibility,” explained Paolo del Rosario, Vice President for Marketing of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf®.

Customers were asked to collect 12 stamps and choose from any of the 12 advocacies and organizations that The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf was supporting. These ranged from women’s groups, to children, animals, the environment, indigenous people or those with disabilities and illnesses. Completing all 12 stamps meant the customer could bring home the commemorative notebook that featured artworks from contemporary Filipino artists and proceeds collected went to each customer’s chosen organization. The original artworks featured in the covers of the Commemorative Notebook were also auctioned and were donated to the charities.

The entire campaign was such a success that not only was it well received by loyal patrons; it also won numerous awards.

The following year, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® introduced its follow up with 24 Cups of Goodwill, where proceeds from the campaign were given to its 24 partner organizations. In 2010, for Changing Lives with Every Cup, they shifted their focus on sending scholars to school by partnering with Real Life Foundation and their Adopt-a-Scholar program, where the company was successfully able to send 8 scholars to university.

In 2012, they continued their efforts with the iBuild campaign, which helped raise sustainable housing solutions for impoverished families. And by 2014, they introduced the Brew Your Best Year campaign, which evolved their efforts into giving back to their loyal patrons by helping them give back to themselves as well. Through this initiative, they hope to help each person in their journey towards becoming the best version of themselves.

Their efforts through the years prove how a brand can become meaningful in addressing social change.

“It’s so much more than being well-intentioned; because at the end of the day, taking on social responsibility has to be part of a brand’s DNA,” says del Rosario.

Is it naïve to expect businesses to take on a responsibility as great as this, the way The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® did?

Not necessarily.

Companies today, locally and worldwide, are putting more focus on developing a culture of volunteerism and social responsibility—recognizing how working together can make a real difference in the community, while at the same time opening up opportunities for learning, cooperation and leadership within the organization.

What makes The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf®’s efforts stand out however, is the sincerity that drives their initiatives, where they have managed to uplift the true essence of what it truly means to care.

Case-in-point, expanding annual efforts to now cover a full year of advocacies.

Consistently, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® brings people together to participate in various community outreach events. “We place great effort into putting such events together not only for the sole purpose of helping the community, but also to encourage our own Customers and Team Members to spend meaningful time bringing joy to others in an impactful and sincere way,” explains Nella Lomotan, Engagement Marketing for The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf®.

These pocket initiatives, held monthly, are part of the Caring Cup series. And whether it’s a simple story telling event in a hospital, a physical fitness session with public school students, a tree planting project, an art workshop for children with disabilities, each event is designed to foster the spirit of volunteerism and giving among its participants.

In fact, last February 14, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® made sure to create an avenue to give love and receive love as they mounted the “Paint the Town Red this Valentines’ event. Volunteers spent the day of love giving love to children with disabilities at AIME home via a t-shirt painting activity with the intent of giving kids something that they will always remember.

“The Caring Cup is a way for us to expand and uphold a vision that we have long established for the company, where we hope to cultivate the spirit of volunteerism in our Community. We strongly encourage everyone who wants to be a part of something that impacts the life of others in a meaningful way to visit our stores and sign up for our next events.” ends del Rosario.

Follow The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf®’s social media pages and subscribe to www.brewyourbestyear.com to stay updated on their Caring Cup events.

Facebook: facebook.com/coffeebeanphilippines
Instagram: instagram.com/cbtlph
Twitter: twitter.com/cbtlph

Baked Donuts from Pan de Manila

Pandesal + Donut + All Pinoy Flavors = Happy Mila = Happy Mom

I really love Pan de Manila's Hot Pandesal and used to have them daily right after I get off work in the morning. It's been more than a year since I was able to visit a Pan de Manila store since there was no store near our place in Pasay. .

When we moved to Quezon City last January (oh, this reminds me I haven't shared that story yet), I can't be too happy that my jeepney drop off is a few steps from the Pan de Manila branch in Mindanao Avenue. I can get my pandesal daily again! On my first visit, instead of pandesal, I got enticed by the Pan de Donuts displayed on the counter. Baked-Not-Fried, it says. I noticed too the Pinoy flavors they have and I could not resist anymore. Nevermind that I'll be eating sweets for breakfast. Life's too short not to! :)

The aftermath. Guess which flavor she picked.

Review: Sandaya Yakiniku Fisher Mall

The first time I visited Fisher Mall, it was for a children's party and I had a cranky Mila with me. We were still staying in Pasay so I was not interested in exploring this new mall in faraway Quezon City. Now, Fisher Mall is just one quick jeepney ride from our new place, I decided it's time to see what it has to offer.

When I got an invite for a Zomato #FoodieMeetUp in Sandaya Yakiniku Fisher Mall, I said yes with no hesitations. I knew I had to go to work right after our early dinner but the lure of freshly grilled meat is just to hard to resist.

Sandaya Yakiniku Fisher Mall is easy to locate. It's at the 3rd Floor of the mall, right off the escalator. The restaurant had its grand opening on November 30, 2014. Barely 4  months and it's already making a name as the top Yakiniku place in town.

The facade of the restaurant is a little intimidating for me since I am not into fancy dining and Sandaya Yakiniku looks so elegant. As soon as I entered, the crew was ready with their enthusiastic greet. A good sign of great service. We had time to wait because few people from our group was running late (yeah, I'm talking about you Elaine, LOL). Someone approached up then to ask if we want the food served already or if we prefer to wait. We opted to give it some time and we were told we can order anything off the menu while we wait. That's on top of the meal they prepared for us. I was impressed. Turned out that that someone was Avin One, Vice President and COO of Sandaya Yakiniku. He is a very nice, approachable guy. He explained to us each dish served and even cooked for our table.

Our meal started with a serving of Kani Salad. I love kani and I was not disappointed because you get generous amount the crab sticks in every spoonful. If I didn't know better, I would eat the whole plate up and may not have enough space for more. But there's the Spicy Tuna Sushi waiting for me and you know how I love anything spicy. I have high praises for this because the tuna is so fresh and the spice has that special kick that complements the whole dish rather than take over. No need for any dipping sauce. For our soup, we were given a choice of Miso or Mutsuni, which is the Japanese style beef stew. We chose the later since Miso is just too common. It was a good choice. The ox tripe was so tender and the soup base really tasty. Just be careful not to eat it all up because it'll really make you feel so full.

Then it's time for the star of our meal. The special yakiniku meat platter specially prepared for us by Avin. It's a combination of six high-quality meats from the: (1) US Short Plate, (2) US Hanging Tender, (3) US Chuck Tender, (4) US Boneless Short Ribs Prime, (5) Japanese Wagyu Inside Skirt or Harami, and (6) Japanes Wagyu Premium Sirloin. I can't sing enough praises for this plate. It's my first time to eat wagyu and it's heavenly. The beef just melts in your mouth. No wonder there's a high premium on this meat. Avin grilled these for us and gave us a few tips on how to properly cook the meat without looisng all its goodness. Sandaya Fisher Mall has special spicy and sweet sauces to match your yakiniku but I preferred the goodness of the meat on its own. This meat combination is not yet available as a set but you can order individual plates for each meat.

We also had a taste of the Japanese Kurobuta Sausages and the US Beef Special Marbled Tounge. Each bite of the sausage gives you big tender chunks instead of ground meat. The Marbled tounge is a delight too. It can be hard though if not eaten immediately. I was feeling a little adventurous and tried Uni both cooked and raw for the first time. I was surprised that I loved the raw Uni better. A little intimidating at first but it just tastes exactly like fresh oysters. We also had Salmon Sashimi and Shrimp Tempura but nothing too special with them.

As I was editing photos for this post, hubs couldn't resists and had to try it out too. So off we went to Sandaya Fisher Mall, braving the weekday after office rush hour, for our early dinner. For three and a half persons (including yaya and miss Mila), we ordered 900 grams of the Special Assorted BBQ Set which the menu says good for 4-5 persons. Each yakiniku set comes with lettuce, kimchi, crispy cabbage, nira, and fresh sprouts salad. We had additional 3 cups of rice and a bottle of Sake that hubs and I shared! On hindsight, the rice may not be needed because the I felt that the goodness of the meat is best enjoyed Lettuce Wrap style. We could barely walk as we leave and barely finished what was served. We spent a little over P3,000 for this meal. It's a little splurge but believe me, it was well worth it. If you are on a budget, get the Wagyu plates. Just a couple bites of it and you'd know you made the right choice.

Follow Sandaya Yakiniku Fisher Mall's  social media pages to get updated on upcoming promos.
Facebook, Instagram (@sandayafishermall), and Zomato

#milaOOTD: Solo Act

During church last week, Mila picked up a toy guitar and would not let go. As the service went on, she held on to her new instrument of adorable distraction. This little girl sang at the top of her voice while 'playing' the guitar and it was too cute. Everyone around us was giggling.

Hubs needs to pick up his own guitar again really soon so he can coach Mila. I think we have a budding Solo Act - an acoustic wonder perhaps?

"Run fast if you can. I'm gonna get you anyway there's nowhere to hide Baby." ♫♪♬

"Make a wish and the dream in you grows" ♫♪♬

#milaOOTD
Dress: Gingersnaps
Sandals: Zara
Bag: gift from Bangkok

Lemon Kiss - Perfect For Little Ladies

I wanted to dress Mila like a more fashionable little version of me - casual and a little boyish. But since she turned one, she had shown her love for dainty things. When given 2 to 3 outfit choices, she almost always pick the ones with flowers and frills. Dresses rather than shirts. Well, she doesn't always get her way but I love to indulge her. I've recently been hoarding dresses for her. There are just so many

When I was introduced to Lemon Kiss, I knew this is perfect for us! It's a clothing line for little girls. Sold primarily at most SM department stores nationwide, it's also available for online order through their Facebook page. Lemon Kiss have dresses that has the cutest prints and the most flattering fit. It's mostly made of cotton so it's light and comfortable. Perfect for our perpetually hot weather. The designs are classic and trendy, something that can be used for any occasion. Mila gets to wear these dresses for Church and parties. Sometimes, even on play dates too. She loves the full skirt when she twirls dancing to Hi-5. The dresses are available for little ladies aged 2 to 8 years old and the price ranges from P300 to P700+.

Here's some of my favorites from Lemon Kiss' past and current collection:

I love all the  dresses and it was hard to pick just a few designs. I also love the full skirt. It's fun and does not restrict movement for my active toddler. I can definitely see Mila as one of the models on Lemon Kiss' summer shoot. Princess tea party anyone?

#milaOOTD: Princess Tutu

Today, I thought I'd post a #ThrowbackThursday version of #milaOOTD since well, it's Thursday!

One of our favorite things to do on a hot afternoon is to play dress up. Sometimes, we use costumes. Most of the time, it's just a theme that we do based on random inspirations. For this #milaOOTD, the inspiration was the anime Princess Tutu. The titular character does not really look like Mila nor their dress the same. I was reading this manga about Duck (the cute yellow animal that Mila loves so much) that transforms to an elegant, graceful ballerina called Princess Tutu. At the time, I just receive the tutu dress I ordered online and we have the crown headband, so there goes our #milaOOTD for the day. On hindsight, we could have included Rubber Duckie to tie our photos back to our inspiration.

#milaOOTD :
Crown Headband: Robinson's Department Store
Tutu Dress: (FB Shop) Caprichosa, purchased for P75.00 only
Shoes: Disney Princess (Hand-me-down)
Photo Dated: November 2014

My Dreamy Tutu Princess

Beyond those gate is a world left unknown.

Dear Tutu Princess, the world is for you to conquer.
You just have a little more growing up to do.

Stay graceful and elegant, my Tutu Princess

Tons Of Fun at The Kid's Workshop

{This post was written about 5 months ago, I don't know why this was on drafts so I'm posting it now}

We got an invite to schedule a playdate at Kids Workshop in Greenhills through Mommy Bloggers Philippines. After almost a month, we finally went and my only regret is that we didn't go sooner.

This was Mila's first time to go to a play area where she will be with a lot of kids from different age groups whom we don't know. The overprotective mom in me was too afraid to have her a go. What if Mila doesn't like it? She may just cry and throw tantrums. What if she gets hurt? I'm not sure how I will react if other kids bully her. She may fall or bump her head. What will I do if she refuses to leave when it's time to go? Too many what ifs. Just as with most of my first-time-mom fears, I just decided to let it all go (enter Frozen theme. Haha).

We went to Kids Workshop on a Friday to try and avoid the weekend crowd. The place was very easy to find. The place wqs welcoming and feels safe, which is important if I was to keave my child. The doors are locked and monitored. 

There were 3 sixers running around when we got there - twin boys Batman and Robin and Ate Elsa (that's what they want us to call them). I was a little afraid they might accidentally hurt Mila but they're really sweet and even joins Mila in their games. Yup, Mila joins the big league and she can hold her own. 

The first thing that caught Mila's eyes were the wooden horses. And there I was again, panicking on the inside with thoughts of a my cowgirl baby falling off the horse head first. But this is time for exploring. So off she goes, wearing a super hero cape, all brave and proud! At that point, I really let go and started to have fun myself. It's like I'm a kid again, showing Mila how to play all the toys scattered everywhere. Pretend play is so much fun! Mila and I were heroes for a day. 

We spent a good time in the ball pit. It's not the safest part I would say since the area is too dark and the ceiling is quiet low. Ate Elsa had to crawl so she can play with Mila. If anything, that will be the only feedback I can give. 

Some parts like the hanging bridge and the rope ladder are for older kids and Mila cannot enjoy yet. I tried them myself and it took my weight and they feel sturdy. 

There's an upstair loft and the little girl got to explore it show  I showed her how to play lego and got some quiet time on the beanbags. As always, she gets drawn to the bookshelf. I think she took half of the books off the shelf and flipped through their pages. I really have an avid reader here. We would have spent all our time reading but Kuya Batman was too eager to play with Mila, he kept going up and down the stairs and I'm afraid he'll fall so down we go. 

Another first for Mila: slides. We had to go up and down a few times, because I love to hear her scream with delight. Right before we go, the attendant (sorry I forgot their names) said we still have art&crafts time. I was quite surprised since the play areas I know don't have anything like this. Mila made a mess making her art snake. Doesn't matter because we had fun!

#milaOOTD
Ribbon: from her Birthday Dress
Top: Gingersnaps
Pants: Zara
Shoes: Mini Melissa replica

Zorro?!

My Superhero

Supermom and Superbabe

Mila's favorite areas: Ball Pit and Slide

Another favorite spot: Bookshelves

Mila looks so grown up!

Since we I was too tired already, we had no time to shop around Greenhills anymore. I'm sure we'll be back though. It's a little too far from our place but I know Kids Workshop is a good place to have Mila play and learn. Next time, I know I can leave her (with yaya or dad, of course) for  a great hour of shopping time for mommy. 

KID'S WORKSHOP Greenhills
Website: http://www.kidsworkshopghills.com
2/F Shoppesville Arcade, Greenhills Shopping Center, San Juan City
Telephone: 723-09-32
Mobile: +63-917-599-5324

Play Schedules:
Mon - Thu: 10:00 am - 8:00 pm
Fri - Sat: 10:00 am - 9:00 pm
Sun: 10:00 am - 8:00 pm

Admission Rates (Mon - Fri):
Unlimited Play: Php 410.00
One Hour Play: Php 300.00
Level Up (Upgrade from 1hr to Unlimited): Php 150.00
Adult Pass: Php 50.00

You can sign up for a Kids FUNclub membership for Php 500.00, valid for 1 year. All members gets tons of freebies and discounts.