Hiatus

I apologize for not blogging enough. New tasks. New people. New responsibilities. Going through a learning curve. 

Meantime, I am enjoying Edwin Casimiro's Cure All Manual. I hope to start at least one of his protocols. The avoidance of any cosmetic will be very challenging though. :) I doubt if I will be brave enough to chuck them completely.  Try to visit his blog and be challenged. 

I have started with 2 books in my 30-book Amazon wishlist. A Different Bookstore in Serendra is on sale up to February 28th.  The Vaccine Book by Dr. Sears is a good read. The Leader in Me by Stephen Covey is equally engaging. 

BB Cream

A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon this product called the BB Cream. I first heard about from this Li(z)terati, whose site I lurk. Askmewhats made an extensive product review as shown here.  It took me serious googling to finally find Indulgenzes, a local supplier.  I bought a tube from Indulgenzes before she ran out of stock. 

The rave about BB Cream, particularly the BRTC brand is captured by Indulgenzes description as follows:

"Blemish Balm, also called BB Cream, is known to have been formulated as an after-treatment cream to help patients who have gone through laser skin surgery to soothe and regenerate the skin. Soon, it became popular with many Korean celebrities.

ADVANTAGE

-Helps soften skin texture

-Prolonged use of product may help improve overall texture of skin and fade acne scars

-Acts as makeup base and foundation

-Helps cover the irregularities on the skin, even out skin tone, camouflage under eye circles, scars and add radiance to face."

Of all the BB Creams available in the market, BRTC (Bio Remedies for Therapeutic Cosmetics) has the best reviews. I liked the sound of a cosmetic that actually heals the skin instead of ruins it. So far, it is an amazing makeup base. The Perfect Protect BRTC BB Cream  leaves a dewy effect instead of a matte effect. 

How do I apply?

1. Cleanser

2. Toner

3. Moisturizer (I skip it during the day because I tend to get oily.)

4. Sunblock spf 50 (My BRTC BB cream has no spf.)

5. BRTC BB Cream

6. Foundation (for better coverage)

7. Powder (to set)

Bye Google Chrome, Welcome Back Firefox

I wanted to like Google chrome. Downloading it was amazingly fast. It was like magic. It has a malware/spyware alert system that actually prevented me from opening sites including blogspot sites that have some issues. I would have wanted it to work!

But, it was freakingly sloooooooooowwwww. I don't get it! It can hardly open its very own Google reader. It doesn't allow me to reply to my yahoo mail messages. I was unable to reply to group threads or to private messages. I don't get it.

Now, there is a theory floating around that google chrome's sluggish performance is due to its secret activity of actually mining information on the user's web activities. Ah ha.

That's it. I am outta here and running back to firefox!

50 Favorite Nursery Rhymes

In October, 2008, the store Baby Company released the collection, "50 Favorite Nursery Rhymes: An Anniversary Collection" to mark SM's 50 year celebration.  I was in Baby Company at that time buying diapers when I heard this beautifully sang, "Hush-A-Bye Baby." I asked the sales girl how much a CD costs while bracing for the usual PHP300 and above price range. My jaw dropped when she said they were selling it for PHP60 only.

I hurried to the CD rack and I let out a major oohwah when I saw the collection:

1. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
   
2. Hush-A-Bye Baby/Rock-A-Bye-Baby
3. Ride a Cock Horse
4. Hush Little Baby
5. Are You Sleeping Brother John
6. Mary Mary Quite Contrary
7. Rain Rain Go Away
8. Row Row Row Your Boat
9. London  Bridge
10. Hickory Dickory Dock
11. Mary Had A Little Lamb
12. Humpty Dumpty
13. Jack & Jill (Original)
14. I'm a Little Teapot
15. Happy Birthday
16. Alphabet Song (A-You're Adorable)
17. Supercallifragillisticexplaidocious
18. Little Bo-Peep
19. I Have Two Hands
20. Old King Cole
21. Hail! Hail The Gang's All Here
22. Getting To Know You
23. Hello! How Do You Do
24. The More We Get Together
25. Sit Down, You're Rocking The Boat
26. Three Blind Mice
27. Ten Little Indians
28. My Toes, My Knees, My Shoulder, My Head
29. Eency Weency Spider
30. (How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window
31. Musical Alphabet Song
32. Little Sunny Water
33. Where Is Thumbkin
34. One, Two, Buckle My Shoe
35. Ring Around the Rosy
36. B-i-n-g-o
37. Old McDonald Had A Farm
38. On Top of Spaghetti
39. Pop Goes the Weasel
    
40. She'll Be Coming Around the Mountain
41. Skip To My Lou
42. The Little Pig Went to Market
43. Three Little Kittens
44. I've Been Working on the Railroad
45. He's Got the Whole World
46. Six Little Ducks
47. Three Little Piggies
48. Here We Go Looby Loo
49. Shake My Hand
50. The Farmer In The Dell

The whole CD was a real steal! Only problem is, I bought only one and it is no longer available after October. So, SM, if you are reading this, please, please make it available again.

 The CD is a real stress buster. The baby  loves it and sleeps soundly after we play it to her. It is a constant companion to our out of town trips. It has preserved my sanity by preempting some of baby's major meltdowns. 

Fabulous Blog

Amy of http://amy200686.blogspot.com/ gave me this fabulous award. Thanks so much girl!!! Do check out Amy's website. 

Pat of http://www.patscupoftea.com/ also handed me the same award. Thank you, Pat. This time, though, I have to reveal my addictions. Uh oh. So here are the five:

1. Hubby and baby. I get really bad separation anxiety when it comes to my baby. Working on that. 

2. Japanese food

3. Internet surfing and lurking at other people's sites 

4. Books

5. Probably shopping, but not that much really.

In turn, I am passing on this award to those who visited me these past days despite my lack of activity. Well, Pat is one of them, but I can't give her back this award. These are:

Ask Ms. Recipe of http://askmsrecipe.com/

J of http://www.ozjacaranda.blogspot.com/

http://www.ixanova.com/

Eds of http://edsmommylife.com/?p=900

BPA free bottle - Medela

When my baby was just a few months' old, my really good friend from Canada emailed me to dump my non-BPA free bottles and switch to safer bottles. At the start I said, nah, it's no big deal. I was using Avent at that time and I found it pricey to change bottles since Avent is not offering to replace bottles here in the Philippines. 

After some time of deliberating and tossing and turning, I relented. I figured what is a few hundred bucks of savings but with a possibility of a potential damage to my daughter's health.

What convinced me was the decisive action taken by the Canadian government based on the studies by Health Canada. On October 17, 2008, Canada announced its drafting of regulations banning the importation, sale, and advertising of polycarbonate baby bottles that contain bisphenol A (BPA), as announced here. As far as I know, the US has not initiated similar steps. 

There are two main sources of BPA for infants: (1) baby bottles; and (2) tin cans containing baby formula. Heating the bottle or putting in hot liquid may cause leeching.  I have been mixed feeding from the start and shifted to pure formula feeding when my baby turned 8 months. I have figured out a way of ensuring BPA free bottles by purchasing Medela bottles. However, I have not been as mindful of the formula cans containing my baby's formula. 

How to check if your formula tin can is polycarbonate. Check the bottom of the bottle for the number 7 in the center of the recycling symbol with a PC beside it. 

BPA Health Risks.  Bisphenol A is a hormone disruptor. Studies have linked low-dose BPA exposure with permanent changes to the genital tract; increase prostate weight; decline in testosterone; breast cells predisposed to cancer; prostate cells more sensitive to hormones and cancer; and hyperactivity. 

The scientific studies are not yet very certain, however, I find it best to err on the side of caution. 

After all this information, I went up to see Beng of Codienne Enterprises. It is my understanding that Codienne Enterprises is allowed to distribute Medela products provided that they distribute directly to consumers and do not put out their products in stores. Maybe, that is why their Medela products are cheaper. I was in luck and Beng had stocks so I bought 4 pieces of  250ml/8.5oz bottles with medium teat at  PHP 600/piece.

According to Beng, the Medela bottles are flexible as they can be used with all Medela breastpumps. The bottles are also shatterproof and do not crack or splinter when dropped. Best of all, they are BPA free!

Beng Feliciano

Medela Mom

Exclusive Authorized Distributor

Medela Philippines

mobile:  (0926) 7016248  

<medelamoms@yahoo.com>

Massage Oil

Once more, I found this fabulous massage oil at the Legaspi Sunday Market. It is made and sold by the same people behind the very effective gugo shampoo with real gugo bark, as I posted here. I also bought from them the pure soap which I use as baby bottle cleanser described here.

What I love about the massage oil is that it is made of ginger. It is not oily or greasy. More importantly, it doesn't leave oil blots on my sheets or strong smell on the skin. That part I didn't like about coconut oil.

The label says:

Ginger Massage Oil

Folk medicine for centuries has regarded ginger as one of 

nature's most health-giving gifts to mankind. 

Modern science has attested to the fact that the rhizoid's oil

 and extract possess anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties. 

Aestheticians the world over claim it helps beautify the skin 

by easing dermal tension  that may cause

wrinkles or varicose vein formations. 

The bottle shown about sells at PHP250.00. I already used some of it  once for a 2-hour massage. So sulit.

Anyways, I finally snagged the booth's owner's name and contact details:

Gerry Ruiz Villena

Mobile: 0927 577 2075

0922 471 0741

Email: grvprods_services@yahoo.com

Gerry claims that he can ship his products. If you need more details, better reach him directly. His small booth is attracting attention at the Sunday Market. Celebrity sightings include Angel Aquino and Cory Quirino. I hope that doesn't affect either its quality or pricing.