Product Empties February 2016

So here are the products that I finished this past couple of months.

Human Nature Bug Shield - This is a definite lifesaver for us especially for my husband and baby since the mosquitoes loves to bite them. Its all natural DEET free product with your trusted citronella scent, safe for kids and adult alike. This is a staple in our household and we will forever repurchase this product.

Bio Oil - This is the top recommended product for diminishing stretch marks and during my pregnancy I've accumulated quite a lot of stretch marks on my legs. It is very noticeable when I wear shorts and skirts so I've been using this product for a month now and I've yet to see some changes but the product instruction says to use for a minimum of 3 months so I'll continue to repurchase this product and report back soon with before and after pictures. But so far I love how it feels on my skin and the scent is not offensive.

Etude House Mineral BB Cream - Its a standard BB cream complete with SPF 30. I love the coverage of this BB cream, its medium coverage but it needs powder to set. This also comes in a darker shade which I find is perfect for my skin tone unlike other BB creams which is too light and ashy. I like this BB cream but I'm not committed to it, because I found a CC cream which I'm loving for daily use at a lower price point. 

Revlon ColorStay Foundation - My go to foundation if you have an important event that you need to look your best. This foundation is tried and tested full coverage foundation and it will not let you down. I will definitely repurchase this when I have important events. The only downside of this foundation is the scent, but for the coverage I'm willing to overlook it.

Revlon PhotoReady Foundation - I did not like this foundation. I have oily skin and this foundation made my face even more shiny than it usually is. It may work for dry skin people but I will not be repurchasing this product.

Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation - This is a light coverage foundation and it feels it feels good on the skin. This would have been a perfect everyday foundation but on me it does not last that long, maybe because of my oily skin but nonetheless, I used it all up but I will not be repurchasing.

Artistry Hydra-V Fresh Softening Lotion - My Holy Grail Toner! I love this!!! 

Artistry Hydra-V Fresh Foaming Face Wash - Its a gentle face wash but it's too expensive for what it is.

Artistry Hydra-V Vital Skin Serum - Very effective Serum and will definitely recommend for those those women aging 30 years old and up. 

The Artistry Hydra-V Line is a very effective line of skincare but it's very high-end. If you have the money, I highly, highly, highly recommend this line. I love using this because it makes my skin so refined and smooth.

Dove Ultra Wide Deodorant - Its a standard deodorant, it smells great but I'm not committed to it. I will not be repurchasing it.

Maybelline Rocket Volume Mascara -  Its an okay mascara, it does give me volume and its waterproof, but I find that it clumps up on me and I don't like that look. I will try out other mascaras.

PureDerm Argan Oil Make-up Wipes - This is the ultimate best friend for all lazy girls. For the days the I can't be bothered to do full face cleansing at the end of the day, I make sure to at least remove my makeup with these wipes. It gently removes my makeup even the waterproof mascara while making my skin smooth and soft with the Argan Oil. I've repurchased multiple packs of this and I will forever keep this by my side.

Stock Market Investment made Easy

What do you know about the stock market?  If you don't have a finance degree then I'm sure you have never heard of it.  For those who are fans of Leonardo de Caprio and have watched his movie The Wolf of Wallstreet then maybe you have some idea. Basically there is a great potential of money making in stock market investment. 

Investment in stock market is very lucrative, it generates more earnings than bank deposits. For every stock that you own, the companies declares yearly dividends and your share in the declared dividends is directly proportionate to the amount of stocks that you own, which also form part of your earnings. 

You can grow your money fast or gradually depending what kind of investor you are. If you prefer to grow your money in a short amount of time, then you would be classified as a stock trader, while for those who want to grow their portfolio gradually they are classified as stock investor/long term investor. For traders they usually monitor the stock market constantly and buy and sell shares of stocks by the hour or day, the longest trade would be a week and for the long term stock investors they hold stocks for months even years. 

But what about for those people who want to get into stock market investment but don't have the knowledge on how to go about it, what do they do? Well, I happen to know of someone who made his house help invest in stock market with the little salary that they have and now his house help will retire at the age of 40 to 50 y.o. as a millionaire. He is no other than Brother Bo Sanches.

Bro. Bo have this advocacy of helping those who want to get more out of life by giving financial advice and spiritual advice as well. I've been a subscriber of Bro. Bo for years now and his advice in what stocks to buy and sell have really helped me grow my portfolio. If you have no clue on what to do, Bro. Bo. will do the analysing and market research for you and recommend sound stocks for you to buy or sell. See BRO. BO SITE to learn more about stocks and get started. Happy Investing!

2016 Life Goals

The year is coming to an end and 2015 has been very good for me. A lot has happened to us in 2015 that I'm thankful for, I gave birth to my little angel Lucas, my husband got a new job, moved into a bigger house, got our first family car, and most of my 2015 goals got crossed out from the list. 

I like to list goals or resolutions before the end of the year so that I have a plan going into the new year. Being somewhat of a control freak, I feel a lot better when I get all my goals written down on paper to get them off my mind and have fewer things to worry about. Besides it's true when they say "things written down gets done".  I will not only list them down but I'm gonna share them here in my blog and that would make me extra accountable for them.

Since we are now a family of 4 including the hired help, my goals have definitely changed. My goals now are more grown up compared to when I was still single. The goals will generally broader but as I go into the year they will be broken down in smaller monthly goals and eventually to specific action plans or to do lists.

Family Goals

1. Start House Construction -  we are still renting a place but we already have acquired a lot for our future home.

2. Pay-off Debt (Credit Card and FICCO)

3. Have a chill/date night with my husband at least twice a month

4. Pay-off 50% of the Car amortization 

5. Increase family savings by at least P50K 

Personal Goals

1. Bring weight down to 60kg (Pregnancy weight was around 77kg)

2. Finish the Planner Project
3. Start online business
4. Keep up with blogging
5. Learn cooking/baking
6. Become a Smart Shopper (use up all opened products before repurchasing)

I hope 2015 was a good year for you and as we start anew with the new year may your year be filled with happiness and excitement.  Happy New Year!

New Mom Essentials

Being a new mom, I had no Idea what to prepare for me and my baby so I watched many YouTube pregnancy videos but most of the videos were made by US and UK based moms. Philippine hospital policies might not be the same with the US and UK ones.  Here are some things or essentials that I actually used and needed when I had my baby.

            1.  Hospital Bag

                    a.     Two sets of newborn clothes

b.     Newborn Diapers

c.     Adult Diapers (2 to 3 pcs) 

d.     Baby Wipes

e.     Going home clothes baby

f.      Going home clothes mother

g.     Overnight Sanitary Pads

h.     Lip balm (very useful during labor)

i.       Philhealth MDR

j.       Health Insurance (if applicable)

The hospital where I gave birth is an exclusive breastfeeding hospital so we did not bring any bottle and baby formula. Aside from those listed above the hospital provided for everything else.

2.  Belly Binder/ Body Shaper – I used this about 3 days after I gave birth to help my tummy contract and get back to its pre-pregnancy state.

            3. Breast Pump and storage bags (if breastfeeding) - I highly recommend getting the electric one than the manual pump.

            4.  Breast Pads – when the milk comes, this will really come in handy for those leaky breasts.

            5.  Baby carriage and Car Seat

Life Update : First Time Mommy

Hello, its been awhile. I've been MIA for almost a year now because I've had a difficult pregnancy that required all of our efforts to be directed to ensuring that the pregnancy will be successful and the baby would come out healthy.  Thankfully I've just given birth to a healthy baby boy named "John Lucas" last November 24, 2015. 

A lot have changed in my life since my last post here and I thought that I would share my pregnancy experience with you and maybe you can get some tips if your a pregnant or planning to get pregnant. To start, I got pregnant last November 2014 and thinking everything was fine, I went to a normal OB/GYN when I was about 6 to 7 weeks along for my first ultrasound, we found out that the baby or fetus did not fully develop for some reason and we were advised to go back a week after for a second ultrasound to double check if there is a heartbeat or signs of growth of the fetus. Unfortunately the result of the second ultrasound was still negative and we went to a High Risk Pregnancy Doctor for a second opinion and she said that she concurred with the findings of the first doctor. She suggested that we undergo the D and C with my first OB/GYN and come back after I've recovered for a full physical work-up.

I had my D and C operation in February 9th 2015 and by the 3rd week of February I went back to the High Risk Pregnancy Doctor and we did numerous lab test. After two to three weeks we got the results and according to her I tested positive for the Lupus Anticoagulant test, it is a strong indication for Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). APS is an autoimmune disorder that is associated with pregnancy complications, including preeclampsia, thrombosis, autoimmune thrombocytopenia, fetal growth restriction, and fetal loss.

Basically, she explained that my body is treating the baby/fetus as a virus. My body will try to eliminate the fetus by making my blood thicker so that the fetus will not absorb the nutrients from my blood and it will eventually lead to another miscarriage. So she had to start me with Aspirin one tablet daily for three months before she advised us to get pregnant again and once we get pregnant we have to undergo some kind of treatment.

Things did not go as planned, my period was delayed in March so I decided to take a pregnancy test, and to my surprise it was positive. We immediately went back to my doctor and told her I was pregnant, she did an ultrasound and we were so nervous that it would not develop again but she told us that it already has a heartbeat and we should start with the injectibles. I was given heparin 5000IU to be injected twice a day in the belly up until 2 days from my expected due date. Heparin is also an anticoagulant that will help thin the blood out. So along with the other pre-natal vitamins I had to take Aspirin, Heparin and Euthyrox (thyriod hormone supplement). I also had to watch my sugar levels as well because the baby was getting bigger for his gestational age, it was found out that I had gestational diabetes so I was also put on a strict diet mainly, 1 cup rice per meal, fish or chicken for viand and a lot of vegetables. Fruits were restricted to apples and 1 banana per day. Basically its a NO for FATTY, FRIED and OILY FOODS.  A total of 3 main meals per day and 3 snacks in between. 

Since knowing my condition, every time we come in for a check-up the doctor will always perform an ultrasound to check the condition of the baby and we are so thankful that we get to see the baby move and the progress of his growth. A total of 39 weeks, a 7 lbs baby Lucas came and so far he is normal and healthy. 

So for those who have had multiple miscarriages or those having trouble conceiving a baby, I suggest having a work-up so you and your baby would be given the proper treatment. Going through the strict diet, meds and injections was definitely hard but it was a worthy sacrifice for my baby. I hope my experience can help some mommies to be or first time mommies. Good luck!

Road trip to Davao in Pictures with Yuppies

Going on a company trip can sometimes be boring and lonely, especially if all you do is sit around and listen to the lecturer the whole day. Luckily, this time all the new hired were sent for the seminar and we had a blast having a mini road trip along the way. Life really is more fun when you get to spend it with like minded people who likes to have fun and explore. This was one of the most memorable seminars I had. We took a company vehicle from Cagayan de Oro to Davao and we did some touristy stuff along the way. We stayed at Marco Polo Hotel for our seminar and during the nights we went to some of Davao's tourist spots.

 

 

Weekend in Bohol with my girls!

It has been awhile since the four of us have gathered together. I think the last time was on my wedding day. I miss my girls so much and since they are not physically here with me I'll settle with reminiscing thru this blog post. I had so much fun relaxing at Flushing Meadows Resort at Panglao Bohol. Nothing compares to a weekend with girlfriends just catching up and relaxing by the pool. I can be 100% myself with them and they will love me just the way I am. 

Korea Vacation (photo dump)

Nami Island

Grand Palace

Cool Wall Art

Korean Wedding Preparation

Korean Park

Seoul Tower

The Teddy Bear Shop

Lote World

Play time at Trickeye Museum in Korea

This is essentially a photo dump from my happy time at the trick-eye museum at Seoul Korea. I took a little holiday with my girlfriends last year to Korea, months before my wedding to unwind and to finally see the sparkling country of Asia. I had a wonderful time exploring Korea but the little kid in me went a little crazy in the museum. 

Ooohhh naughty girl!

.

Now I know why he made that face.haha

Any last words?

These wings are made to fly

Dude! you should really stay dead.

my time is running out

Don't eat me... I'm not that yummy!!!