Thursday, January 21, 2021

Teaching My Daughter How to Cook

January 21, 2021 0 Comments

My daughter is interested in cooking, she's so curious and wants to get involved whenever we prepare and cook our food. She joined the Junior Chef's Club when she was in Grade 1 and they made a lot of no-bake and no-cook foods, most of which are desserts. Before, she would just watch us prepare our meal, and then later on she would volunteer to help prepare the ingredients. Since she's really interested to learn, we taught her how to prepare and cook simple foods like scrambled eggs and pancakes. 


For now, she only knows how to fry but there's this one-time where she got interested in how to cook the rice, so I taught her how to wash the rice first before cooking it. She just did it once and never did it again (LOL). I think she's more interested in making desserts because she enjoyed doing it.


I'm happy that she wants to learn how to cook, not all kids are interested in cooking. When I was her age, I am not interested in cooking that's why most of the food that I know is fried except for my favorite foods: adobo and pasta. Hahaha!


Cooking is a great activity for kids and one of the important life skills that they can learn. We just have to be patient in teaching them how to do it and supervise them during the cooking process for their safety, most especially in operating the stove and handling the knives. :)


Tuesday, January 12, 2021

Holcim Philippines Launches New Eco-Friendly Mortar Product

January 12, 2021 3 Comments
One of the country's leading cement provider has launched a new multipurpose mortar product called Holcim Multifix. This new innovative and easy-to-use product aids contractors and masons improve the quality of walls, floors, and tile installation in their building projects. 

Holcim Philippines Launches New Eco-Friendly Mortar Product - Multifix
  
The Holcim Multifix is a combination of sand and cement enhanced with polymer for outstanding adhesion compared to on-site mixed mortars as well as better crack resistance, this can be used just by adding water. It is produced in the company’s drymix plant removing the need for masons to combine materials on site thus ensuring uniform quality and right proportions for the application of the mortar. This product reduces wastes of building materials such as sand because it's factory produced, making it safer and environment-friendly. 

Holcim Multifix helps address common challenges of builders in producing mortars such as high-quality raw materials and varying skill levels of workers. Having poor quality mortars is one of the main reasons that impact the quality of the walls said Holcim Senior Vice President for Marketing and Innovation, Ram Maganti. Aside from being an excellent wall plaster, Holcim Multifix can also be used for screeding, a finishing layer of concrete slabs for leveling floors. It can also be used for tile laying. 

“We developed Holcim Multifix in line with our company’s commitment to continuously produce innovative building solutions that do not just bring value to our customers but are also sustainable for the environment. Holcim Multifix helps make it easier for our partner builders to produce good quality walls. It is factory-mixed using Holcim cement and quality sand for superior performance. ”

Holcim Multifix is the only all-in-one drymix product in the Philippines. “Holcim Multifix’s Five-Star Advantage means more business for contractors as it helps improve building quality and lessens reworks that can eat up time for additional projects. The simplicity of Holcim Multifix, meanwhile, provides homeowners convenience and value for money,” Maganti added. 

The Holcim Multifix is currently available as 25-kilogram bags in select locations in Luzon and will be available in Mindanao in the first quarter of 2021. The Multifix is the latest in the company’s line of drymix products which includes Holcim Skim Coat and Holcim Tile Adhesive.


Sunday, November 8, 2020

A Fun and Learning Picnic Session + Useful Tips for a Healthy Toddlerhood from the Experts

November 08, 2020 0 Comments
NIDO 3+ Todo Expert TIPS (Toddler Indoor Picnic Sessions)

We had a fun and learning experience during the NIDO 3+ Todo Expert TIPS (Toddler Indoor Picnic Sessions) held last month. Thanks to NIDO, we really had fun and it was a breather for us parents since we are stuck at home for months since the quarantine started, so glad to experience this unique event and first-ever virtual picnic with other moms and kids from all over the country. It was an afternoon of exciting games, fun activities like AR (augmented reality), and useful toddlerhood tips from nutrition experts. 

NIDO 3+ Todo Expert TIPS (Toddler Indoor Picnic Sessions)


Check out our Unboxing video of the Picnic Basket


Raising a child is never easy and NIDO® 3+ is one with parents in prioritizing the health and well-being of their kids especially in this new reality where immunity is a prime concern. As a parent, it is helpful to listen to experts who can guide you in protecting and supporting your 3+ toddlers during these unprecedented times. During the event, nutrition experts shared advice on how to provide the right nutrition and health protection to help your 3+ toddlers become a #TodoExplorer. 

NIDO 3+ Marian and Zia Dantes

Here are some Todo Expert Tips from the event, to guide parents who seek to give the best support for their 3+ toddlers:


Get to know the ins and outs of 3+ toddlerhood years


Challenging yet fulfilling, the journey of toddlerhood may be overwhelming for some parents, that is why NIDO® 3+ gathers expert tips to help parents know more about what goes through a child’s life and know how best to support it. 

3+ toddlerhood is when kids begin to explore, start self-discovery, and a very critical period in their growth and development. During the Todo Expert T.I.P.S event, parents learn from the invited experts what key developments do a 3+ toddler goes through during this stage. From physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development, it is during this time that the toddlers start walking and running, interacting with family and kids, exploring the environment, and learning during active play. To ensure healthy growth and development, parents must support their +3 toddlers’ brain, body, and behavior development by providing them with proper nutrition.


Mind the nutritional gaps 


Based on a global project collaboration between Nestle Research Center and the Philippines’ Food and Nutrition Research Institute, there is an inadequate intake of important vitamins and minerals in all age groups of Filipino children. These nutrients are important to support physical and cognitive growth and development as well as normal immune function during toddlerhood.


As evidenced in scientific studies and dietary surveys, this inadequacy is likely a result of the typical Filipino diet which is heavy on carbohydrates and refined sugars, and not enough vegetables, fruits, and age-appropriate milk. 

Experts constantly remind parents that they play a key role in shaping their +3 toddlers’ diet, and how growing up milk plays a valuable role in meeting the nutritional needs. 


As the true expert in 3+ toddlerhood, NIDO® 3+, the #1 Growing Up Milk, developed the NUTRITODS™ program which is a scientific program specially designed by experts to address the growing up needs of Filipino toddlers through the nutrient it contains. Through the program, the new NIDO® 3+ is developed to be rich in age-appropriate nutrients, such as LACTOBACILLUS PROTECTUS®, 50% More protection nutrients like Vitamins A, C, E, DHA, PREBIO3®, Iron, Zinc, and other essential vitamins & minerals, and has no table sugar added. This is to ensure that our 3+ toddlers are TODO protected and can be #TodoExplorers as they continue to grow and develop.


Be mindful of your toddler’s daily sugar intake


Choosing the right growing up milk is not just about the nutrients, as parents also have to check the label for its sugar content. The typical Filipino diet, which includes many milk products and sweetened beverages, is filled with refined sugars that can lead to problems such as dental issues as well as increased risk of obesity and diabetes.

In fact, the World Health Organization recommends that daily sugar intake should not be more than 7 teaspoons a day. Ensuring that every 3+ toddler gets enough healthy energy to be a #TodoExplorer, NIDO® 3+ uses lactose, a naturally occurring type of sugar, and has no hidden sucrose and may help in the digestion of calcium needed for bone development. 


Parents always want the best for their kids, thankfully NIDO® 3+ finds ways to help parents in providing the best nutrition and support for their kids especially during this uncertain time. 


Learn more about how you can TODO PROTECT your kids as they journey through their healthy 3+ toddler years through this www.momandme.nestle.com.ph/nido3.  


Para todo protected ang 3+ Toddler mo, choose NIDO 3+, the true expert in 3+ toddlerhood. For the latest news and updates, visit www.facebook.com/Nido3PH.


Saturday, October 31, 2020

Life and Learnings during the Quarantine

October 31, 2020 0 Comments
During the quarantine, I tried to get busy with things to keep me preoccupied so I will not have time to think of all the negativity this pandemic has brought us. Many people have learned new skills or talents that they never thought they could do if the pandemic never happened. As for me, I have learned to make Homemade Blue Butterfly Pea Jelly last summer which the kids loved. I also have learned another skill, which is video editing. I really enjoyed doing it even though it was quite hard learning how to do it all by yourself, but with the help of friends and YouTube, it was bearable and fun. I also went back to blogging and I was able to update my blog, not regularly though but at least I am trying to keep it up after a long hiatus.


I am also into gardening long before the quarantine happened and it has helped me keep those negative thoughts away, it's actually my stress reliever. We have planted vegetables and other fruit-bearing trees before and I am happy to harvest the fruit of our labor. Seeing your plants grow healthy and harvest them to add to your food makes us really happy and proud that we made it as a family because we also included our daughter in planting those vegetables and other plants. It makes her happy and excited whenever she sees that our plants have bloomed and produced fruits and vegetables. Gardening is fun and teaches us to be self-sufficient and frugal.

This is our daughter, Miel harvesting the Blue Ternate flowers that we used to make tea, juice, or homemade jelly. Our Blue Ternate plant is not as bushy as in this photo from last year but it is still growing a handful of flowers which we mostly used to feed our pet. By the way, our pet rabbit also loves eating these flowers aside from grass and feeds. Now that we are homeschooled, she learned to be more responsible for her pet, she feeds him every day and makes sure he has enough water for the day.

We have fruit-bearing trees like guyabano, guava, pomegranate and the recent one that we planted a few months ago is the avocado tree but only the first two have produced fruits as of now and we have sold most of it to our friends. Our front yard is not that big so we recycled some old plastic bottles and planted some of our plants like the chillis, chives, and pechay in those containers. 


We have also added some herbs into our garden and we have sold some of them and other extra plants that we have like my cactus and succulents. We have bartered some of the plants online and this was the first time that we have experienced trading on social media through Facebook. We have bartered some of our plants for fruits, milk, eggs, and different kind of meats. It was actually a great experience and we were able to have a food supply for more than a month because of the plants we have bartered online. I am happy that someone initiated the Facebook group "Davao Barter Community" because it has really helped many people in our community especially those who are trying to survive and have food on their table after losing their jobs because of the pandemic.


Aside from vegetables and fruits, I have a cactus collection that keeps on blooming, there were two cactus from my collection that bloomed on the same day and both of them are of different variations. I tried and experimented on cross-pollinating them manually using cotton buds. After the flowers had bloomed and dried out, I was so happy to see a seedpod on each of the cactus; it means that I have successfully cross-pollinated them! After a few weeks, I harvested their seeds but unfortunately, I misplaced it and it took 2-3 more weeks before I saw the seedpods on the farthest corner of our house! I planted them immediately hoping that the seeds are still okay. After more than a week, I checked on them and saw that the seeds are growing! Those tiny green sprouts really made me happy because it is my first time to cross-pollinate two different kinds of cactuses and it was a successful one! For now, they are still tiny but I am really hoping they would grow healthy with no complications or whatsoever. 


(Seedpods from my Gymnocalycium mihanovichii and Gymnocalycium Damsii)

I know that cactuses are very resilient and those tiny cactuses have proved that even though they had been tossed around (I'm pretty sure they've been because it was way too far from where I remember I put it in) and some of the tiny seeds are scattered on one corner for weeks but surprisingly they are still okay and I was really amazed to see them grow after a week. Then, I thought... maybe this is a reminder that no matter how many times we've been tossed around, even though life is hard for us right now, there is still hope and like those tiny seeds, we can overcome those adversities and grow to be the best version of ourselves and be more resilient should there be a crisis that may come again in the future.


Life is tough since the pandemic started and it was not easy but we have to keep moving or else we will be stuck in a hole and it will be too hard to get up. As the saying goes, “Life goes on”… Whether we want it or not, life goes on even if there is a pandemic. While some of us feel scared and anxious, some are holding on and keep their hopes up not for themselves but for the family they have built. 


During the quarantine, we've learned to value and appreciate the small things that we have often taken for granted. We've learned to appreciate the people whom we didn't expect to extend their hands during our difficult times and we are so thankful for the people who were just there to offer their time and lend their ears and listen without judgment. We are beyond grateful for our friends and families who have been there for us to overcome these trials. We've learned to value more our family now that we have a lot of quality time to spend with them at home. On my family's side, I haven't seen my Mom and some of my siblings for a while but I am so glad that despite the distance we still get to communicate and update our family member's status from overseas, thanks to social media, it helps to lessen our worries and the good thing is that it has brought us closer than we were before pandemic happened.


For now, we try to live each day as best as we could, hoping and praying that this pandemic will be over soon and everyone can go back to his or her lives packed with all the realizations and lessons that this pandemic has taught us.

May this photo of a cactus inspires and reminds all of us to be resilient and that we can still bloom despite all the adversities life throws at us...


“This is an official entry to the Davao Bloggers Blog Caravan for October 2020 with the theme Quarantine Lessons.”

Wednesday, September 30, 2020

DIY Robot Using Recycled Materials for Math & Science Week Activity

September 30, 2020 0 Comments
DIY Robot Using Recycled Materials for Math & Science Week Activity

This is the DIY Robot Using Recycled Materials that my 8 year old daughter made for their Math & Science Week Project. She gathered the recycled materials that we have at home and used it to make this DIY Robot. :) 

Here's the short video introduction about her DIY Recycled Robot named Cubee.

The recycled materials used to make this robot are
  1.  Cardboard box 
  2.  Japanese Paper 
  3.  Plastic Caps 
  4.  Pipes 
  5.  Scotch tape 
  6.  Glue 
  7.  Glue gun 
  8.  Buttons 
By the way, you can also use any type of papers or pages from newspapers or magazines to cover the box. :) It's all up to you and your imagination. 

I hope you like this video and comment down below if you have made something like this too.

Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Watsons Haul 2020 + 9-9 Shopping Day Sale!

September 09, 2020 0 Comments

 Watsons 9-9 Shopping Day Sale!

Don't miss out on amazing deals at Watsons on 9.9 Shopping Day Sale which starts today September 9 until Sept. 13 only! 

There will a lot of items where you can get huge discounts most especially on their skin care products and vitamins. You can enjoy deals like Buy 1 Take 1 and Discounts at 50%! You can also get an additional 10% Off with this one-time Use Code: SHOP99 when you spend a minimum of PHP 2,000!

With the pandemic going on, it's best not to go outside and just order online the essential items that we needed. Watsons offer deliveries on selected branches nationwide. So what are you waiting for?  Shop here!
Watsons Haul 2020

By the way, I just want to share my Watsons Haul last month on my YouTube Channel. Enjoy watching!  :)

Wednesday, September 2, 2020

How to Create or Make a Facebook Avatar?

September 02, 2020 0 Comments
How to Create or Make a Facebook Avatar? Paano Gumawa ng Facebook Avatar?
How to Create or Make a Facebook Avatar? O, Paano Gumawa ng Facebook Avatar?

It's so easy, guys, just follow the steps below:

First step is you have to go to your Facebook App, and go to your Facebook's Menu and click "See More" and you will find "Avatars", click or tap on it and you can start creating or making your very own avatar. You can edit your avatar's skin complexion, hair design, eyes, nose, lips, and their colors. Also you can add a fashionable dress or clothes, earrings and head-wears to match your personality. 

I have made a video on How to Create or Make a Facebook Avatar, you can watch it and use it as a guide. :) 

After you have finished making your own Customized Facebook Avatar, you can use it as a profile picture and you can also use the different sets of your customized avatar emojis on Facebook Messenger and you can also add your avatar stickers when you comment on your friend's post or even at your posts. They are so cute by the way. :)

And that's how easy it is to make your very own Facebook Avatar. Have fun exploring the new Facebook update and I hope you will subscribe to my YouTube Channel - Mama Miah! :)