Happy 2013!!!

Did I just write 2013???

OMG!!! How time fly so fast (that also means that you and me aren't getting any younger LOL)!!!


Here's my new year's message for y'all...

Please don't forget to visit my YouTube channel--> KimchiiMommy

Thanks and see you there!!! =)


xHugsx
~ Geline

Nanny 101

Hey y'all!

Having a nanny for your child is quite normal in this side of the planet. I grew up with the care of nannies and I had a few for my daughter as well. I wanted to share my/our experience and what I know about the basics of "Nanny 101".

I'm inviting you lovelies to check out my YouTube channel and please don't forget to SUBSCRIBE, COMMENT and RATE.

Thanks for watching!!! =)

Show some love and support! See you there!!! <3 <3 <3

With love and kisses,
-Geline

Why YouTube?

Hey y'all!

This is my first sort of introduction of my vlogging "career" on YouTube. This is basically the start of showing more of my face in front of the camera. Get to know my reasons (those that I haven't mentioned on my previous blog post) of vlogging in YouTube. :)

 

 

 

I'm inviting you lovelies to check out my YouTube channel and please don't forget to SUBSCRIBE, COMMENT and RATE. 

Thanks for watching!!! =)

Show some love and support! See you there!!! <3 <3 <3

 

With love and kisses,
-Geline



 

 

 

 



Malunggay Smoothie for baby boo

Hello, lovelies! How was your weekend? It's Sunday on this side of the planet so tomorrow's another week! Anyhow, I made my baby boo a Malunggay/Banana smoothie yesterday. We grow Malunggay/ Moringa Oleifera in our backyard and that made me extra happy! You know why? Moringa is jam-packed with nutrients that you wouldn't even need to take vitamins if taken everyday! It's dubbed as "Miracle Tree".

Here's a bit of information to back-up my rave with it:

• It has 7x Vit. C in oranges, 4x calcium in milk, 4x Vit. A in Carrots, 2x protein in milk, 3x potassium in banana.
• It is a weapon against blindness.
• Along with potassium, zinc is also found in large quantities in moringa.
• Anti-anemia as it contains 3x more Iron than in spinach. 
• Helps in balancing cholesterol in the body.
• Contains Essential Amino acids.
• Since it is immunity-stimulant, it is being prescribed to AIDS patients.
• Stimulates metabolism.
• Fights diabetes.
• It is a nutrition booster and is known to promote a feeling of well-being.
• Aids in weight-loss.
• Increases milk supply of lactating mothers.
• Famous for anti-bacterial properties.
• Paste of moringa leaves is said to beautify the skin.
• Protects the liver and kidney.
• Can be used as a water purifier.

Speaking of Moringa, I remember a conversation with my OB GYN on my 7th month pre-natal check together with my husband. My hubby asked her what  food that I should be taking often to promote good health both for me and our baby. She said to let me eat or take anything that has malunggay. As a naive foreigner, my hubby had no clue what that was! Honestly speaking, I also didn't know malunggay's english name at that time. boom!!! hahahaha! My OB GYN drew a cluster of small circles and showed it to my hubby and he was still clueless. Solution to the problem? I showed to him a picture of Moringa when we got home. Our backyard was barren back then. 

So here's what Moringa looks like...

I hear some "aha!" over there! LOL. ^__~

Here's the vlog that I made...

Overall, I think I'm going to try loving this "Miracle Veggie" as well. As a mom, I know that I have to be healthy all the time because I have a family to take care of. I also encourage YOU to incorporate Moringa on your daily diet; prevention is way better than cure. 

Health is a precious wealth!!!

Love lots,

Geline <3

11 Tag Questions

I was "tagged" by Jannah Marie Lopez (her blog here)..errrr... I read her post and I saw at the bottom she wrote "I tag YOU" so that counts, right? LOL

Rules to the Eleven Tag Questions:

1. Each person must post eleven things about themselves on their blog/ Facebook.
2. Answer the questions your tagger has sent you as well as create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
3. Choose 11 people to tag and link them in your post.
4. Go to their page and tell them they were tagged.
5. No tag backs!
6. You really have to tag 11 people, not just say "If you're reading this consider yourself tagged!" or something like that.


11 Things about myself: 

1.I'm a God-fearing person and a believer.
2. I'm a wifey to an amazing Korean guy;  I'm a mom to an adorable half-Korean 'lil girl. :)
3. I'm a self-confessed 2ne1 fan. hihihihihi :))))
4. I enjoy spending time surfing the net.
5. I'm a blogger and vlogger.
6. I'm a great cook for fried food. ( I know, right? hahahaha)
7. I'm an addict with self-help books. I'm in a constant battle with myself.
8. I'm such a math wizard. ( please apply the Law of Reverse Psychology. LOL)
9. I run a group for Ilongga mommies here and abroad which started in Facebook. You can find us here. We recently had a photo-liking contest in commemoration of Mother's Day and we're launching our own IMN Magazine (first local parenting magazine in the region) soon. ^^
10. I am passionate with business.
11. I am striving to be better each day and give my best to my own little family. They are the ones that keep me going with life.

You may find Jannah's 10 Tag questions here.

Her 11th Question: 
What did you realize upon knowing the meaning to your answers?
- I think most of the traits cited are true. hahahaha!

Here are my 11 Tag Questions:

1. What do you do on your free time?
2. How many children are you planning to have?
3. Are you a cool or a strict mom?
4. Do you like shopping? Why or why not?
5. If given a chance, would you like to live abroad? Why or why not?
6. If you are living abroad, what are the things that you miss about the Philippines?
7. Do you like make up? Why or why not?
8. What can we find inside your make up bag?
9. If you can have all the money in the world, what are you going to do with it?
10. If you are given a chance to choose a celebrity husband who will it be and why?
11. What do you think about me (Geline)?


I TAG:

- Cristal Yoo of IMN
- Winlove McLaren of The Expats
- Rose Perez of CutieHotMom
- Nicole of Mommytipsbynicole
- Katherin Bengan of Katz Critical Minds
- Andrea Magalona of IMN
- Lorena Opong of IMN
- Diana Rose Kil of IMN
- Mhae Naig
- Milanie Lee of IMN
- Jorvy Espinosa of IMN

I also tag YOU!!!!
Please let me know of your answers, too. ^__~

Love lots,
Geline <3

Sae Hee's 6th Month Doctor's Appointment (and some breastfeeding issues ^^)

I always bring Sae Hee to her PD every month, regardless if she is well or not. I just feel that I needed to be assured that she's growing bushy-tailed and on track. The thing is, I didn't vlog on the previous months but I am vowing that I will from now on (help me, God ^^)

The main concern that I had for this month was about her milk. She is taking Wyeth's S-26 Lactose Free since birth. Her first PD tried Enfalac and another brand (my brain failed me again.sorry) but she was vomiting. The hospital did some tests on her and turns out that she's lactose intolerant. When a person is lactose intolerant, he has the inability or insufficient ability to digest lactose; a sugar found in milk and other milk products. It is caused by a deficiency of the enzyme Lactase, which is produced by the cells lining in the small intestine. Chances are she will recover from it as she ages or she may not at all. I'm still taking chances. So to check, we will try out other brands of "normal" milk. Her PD now recommended Wyeth's Promil. She said it is best to introduce a milk coming from the same company when having a shift because they are somehow "connected". Since they are "connected" it would be easier for baby's tummy to welcome the new milky-buddy.

\

900g

1,010 php in Mercury Drug Store

900g is just a week's consumption for my Korean princess. Ouch!!! I know right? hahaha :) The smaller one which I think is 400g, is @ 510php in Mercury Drug stores. I am going to stress that breastfeeding is still the best for babies; it's natural and economical. Nevertheless, if it's inevitable to formula-feed/wean your baby by all means, do so. It's not bad to formula-feed babies because it's better than let them undergo a hunger strike. I had to give up my "breastfeeding dream" because of some inescapable reasons. I mentioned above that my Korean princess had a series of vomiting sessions while at the hospital, her PD advised me to stop breastfeeding her because they were monitoring her milk intake. She was only allowed to take 2 cc of milk every feeding time. She stayed at the hospital for an extra week because we were waiting for the test results to come in. When she was finally out, she refused to latch on me. I was trying so hard to get back her love on my boobies but she was as persistent as a rock! She was screaming, crying and getting wild whenever I try to make her latch. I couldn't resist to see her in that situation plus the hunger that she was having. Just so much for mommy to take. Another thing was, I had a low milk supply. I forced myself to eat as much green leafy vegetables ( I'm not one of veggie's fans), seafoods (not a fan as well) and Papaya fruit (yum yum!!!). All of which are said to increase a woman's milk supply but I don't know what the heck happened to me. I even tried taking Natalac Feferol, a green capsule made from Malunggay (Moringa Oleifera), it was suggested by my cousin who swears by its effectiveness. But then again, I don't know what the heck happened to me. Oh well, we just have to accept things and move on isn't it? 

Anyhow, after Sae Hee's check up, we went to Jo's Chicken Inato House to have our lunch. They are offering unlimited rice, much to our driver's delight. *evil laugh* It's my and hubby's favorite chicken barbecue restaurant. After which,  we went to pick some things from my uncle's workplace then went home. 

Here's the video I made for this post:

Sae Hee's 6th Month Doctor's Appointment

I forgot to mention that her PD's RX on her is to add Ceelin Oral Drops for her daily Vitamin C supply.

See you on my next blog post!

Love lots,

Geline <3 

Happy Mother's Day!!!

This was the photo that I took of us (Mom, me and Sae Hee) during Mother's Day...

On my personal Facebook account, I uploaded this with the message:

These are the people responsible for making me celebrate Mother's Day today and in the years to come. To my beautiful mom, thank u for the gift of life; thank u for the unending patience, understanding, support,continued guidance and unconditional love to me and Sae Hee. We have gone through many arguments, "away-bati" moments but let's admit it,mom...we can't live w/o each other. hahaha! I may not be vocal about my love for you, but rest assured you're very na, much pa, loved by your unica hija. To my equally beautiful daughter Sae Hee, you are God's divine intervention in my life. I became a better person after i had you. I would never exchange the day I met your appa and the day we had you for anything. You are the reason why I got tons of greetings today. ^^ Happy Mom's Day, motherduck!!! Love you both so much!!! :-*

You might be wondering why my daughter has been "God's divine intervention" in my life, not that I was a criminal, but I had my own share of craziness and stupid decisions growing up. Who doesn't have? When I had her I started being seriously responsible and making smart choices for me and my own, little family. Motherhood is such a blessing. You may not believe me or understand me probably because you're not a mom yet; just wait and see for yourself when it's your time to join the club! ^^

Motherhood is a bitter-sweet experience for a woman. Many may have a phobia with the thought of raising another human-being and I used to be one of those. I got pregnant unexpectedly but embraced the whole challenge and blessing. I used to think that I am not ready to become a mom but turns out that even the "most prepared women" for pregnancy and motherhood still has tons of learning, trials and errors along the way. Fair enough?

Despite the odds and sacrifices, it is indeed the most rewarding experience one can have. No matter how tired you are during the day, seeing your child and by just kissing him brings so much bliss and a stress-reliever too! No amount of scientific research can explain, only felt by a mother's heart.

Here's a personal greeting from me and Sae Hee:

I hope you had/have an awesome Mother's Day.

 Everyday should be a Mother's Day if you ask me. *wink*

Love lots,
Geline <3

EQ Dry Diaper Review

In my YouTube channel KimchiiMommy, I did a review on Sae Hee's diaper which is EQ Dry; it's a Filipino-made product. She is now a Medium size (6-11 kgs.).

EQ Dry Medium size- 36 pcs; 245 php at SM malls

Like:

• It has a breathable cover therefore it is suitable even for sensitive-skinned babies.
• It has no leakage.
• It's affordable.

Dislike:

• None

I tried Pampers and Huggies on Sae Hee but she kept having a diaper rash. In my opinion, there's really no standard "best diaper" because it depends on the performance and if baby is "at-home" with the diaper. The trick is to try it out yourself. For starters, you may ask your family or friends for preferences and just buy the smallest size; test it out with your baby and if it comes out fine then it's high-time to buy the biggest size if you may. But if it doesn't, then at least you wouldn't have much of regret buying it and you can easily ditch it because you will only have to finish a few pieces. 

Was this helpful? What diaper does your baby use? ^^

Love lots,

Geline <3

V-Day...what?

Hallo, lovelies!

Valentine's Day has passed; I've seen innumerable happy couples, singles who spent time with their family and a handful of unhappy ones for no date or failed dates! I, myself, had no date because for the obvious reason--my hubby doodle is away.

I had the whole V-Day spent with my darling 'lil princess. We spent the day playing, cuddling, feeding, poo.....OK! 'nuff said. Basically, whatever a mother and baby does everyday. xD


Despite how simple it might seem, I can still say it was one of the most fulfilling Valentine's Day I've had in my entire life. There's just this mother and child connection and bonding that even the most brilliant scientist can not fathom.

How about you? How was your V-Day 2012? 


We'll be glad to read experiences here! :p

Catch ya later!

Love lots,
Geline <3

Valentine's Day? I like it Valentine's DayS better :)

Hello, lovelies! I made it to a point that my next post would be about Valentine's day. I want it to be a romantic post. weh????  Anyway, Valentine's day would be tomorrow ( Philippine time) and I know that a lot of couples are super excited about it. I actually had some friends who asked for my opinion on which restaurant would be nice to have a date, what would be a perfect gift for their partner, what to wear on their date so on and so forth.

I'm happy to help out and I can't stop myself from thinking about what my day would be tomorrow. My hubby/best friend/partner in crime is unfortunately not with me as I write this because he's working in Australia. I remember that last year was the first Valentine's Day date I've ever had. I had past relationships but I never got to have a date on a Feb. 14 because of...

• Long distance relationship
• Long distance relationship
• Long distance relationship
• ................................... 

I just realized that I've been a lover of LDR...nah!!! I actually hate it but I didn't have any choice. Last year's Vday was very memorable for me because of three things:

• It was a first for me.
• My THEN-Bf-now-hubby made an effort in making this...

Story: He told me that he has a make up class (English academy) when in fact he didn't and he just needed some time away from me to buy these stuff. We were inseparable. Then he stayed up until 3am to blow the balloons so the first thing I saw when I woke up was this. My Vday started with a bang!!! <3 

• Third, the guy who made it all possible will be with me from now and forever...

Some of the pictures during our Vday Date:

HIM: Stop staring at her, she's mine!!!

HER: I'm his private property

How time flies!!! It seems only yesterday and now I miss my hubby more. T.T *sad face*

If you're single or your partner is away, you can still celebrate Valentine's Day. For the singles, you can celebrate it with your family. They are the first people who loves you and you loved in return. This maybe the chance that God has provided you to have some quality time with them. For those whose partner is away, make a call; remind him/her of your undying love and admiration. Having a long distance relationship is such a challenge and the success of it depends on the effort that you put into it and how willing the both of you to make it work despite the odds. 

However, I think that Valentine's Day should not just be celebrated once a year but rather 365 days. Make the most of the time that you spend with your loved ones for you will never know until when you can be together.

Nevertheless, I thank the genius people who created the "Valentine's Day" date for this is one of the instances when love overflows in our insane world. Aside from Christmas season. :)

How do you plan on spending your V-Day? ^__^

Love, love, love forever!!!

Love lots,

Geline <3

DIY: Lip gloss/ Lip balm (For dry lips/ something to combat winter lip cracks)

I have been obsessing with Do-It-Yourself (DIY) stuff since I was in high school. I love how natural they are, easy to do, effective and the ingredients are usually found at the comfort of your kitchen! Since I am now blogging about anything and everything under the sun, I decided to share those DIY stuff. This will be the start of a series of DIY in my blog. yay!!!


For the pilot DIY entry on KimchiiMommy blog, here's a lip gloss/lip balm tutorial.

Lip gloss:


What you need:

• olive oil
• white sugar
• small container (a bottle cap or lid will do the trick)
• lip stick brush

What to do:

• Mix a few drops of olive oil to white sugar. 
• Stir until you reach the consistency that you desire.
• Use the lip stick brush to brush it onto the lips.

Lip balm:

What you need:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. honey
• 3/4 tsp. beeswax-grated (this will harden a bit the mixture; perfect lip balm!)
• flavored oil i.e. vanilla or peppermint (you may choose to skip this) 
• 1 Vitamin E capsule
• Container of your choice.

What to do:

• In a small saucepan, heat olive oil, honey and wax until melted.
• Remove from heat and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes. It shouldn't be past 3 minutes because it would be too hard for the next procedure to be done.
• Stir in flavoring (if you have/want) and contents of Vit. E.
• Pour onto the container of your choice.

Fact!

Olive oil is one of the best blessings from God to mankind especially to women. It's one of the best beauty "secrets" ever known. It is a natural, hypoallergenic way to moisturize skin as well as a strong antioxidant; Vitamins A and E that help repair and renew skin that has been damaged due to overexposure to the sun, cigarette smoking etc. Let's not forget the yuckyyyyyyy cracking of the lips that cold weather/ winter brings too!

Tip:

You may want to add color to your DIY lip gloss/balm. You may choose from the following:

Red Beet

Pomegranate (Seeds)

Strawberry

You will be needing the juice and mix it with the gloss/balm procedure. You may use a microwave for the red beet (40 seconds will do) and crush the other fruits. 

There you go!!! 

You may request for some DIYs and I will do my best to address to each one. Please comment below, Tweet me @KimchiiMommy (Twitter) or email kimchiimommy@gmail.com.

Stay tuned for more DIYs from your KimchiiMommy. ^0^

love lots,

Geline <3

A Filipino's New Year Celebration

It is said that the Philippines has the longest Christmas celebration starting from the "ber months" (September) but I also say that we have the most customs/beliefs as well as the New Year's (celebration).

See what I'm talking about...

It's more fun to be a Filipino! 

Despite how Filipinos do it, it's still  BIG brother Jesus Christ's birth which we value the most. He's God's greatest gift to mankind. He is the reason why we have all these celebrations after all. :)

What are you practicing in your household? ( for Filipinos)

What do you do in celebrating Christmas and New Year? (for foreigners)

Share it with us! Just comment below. ^__^

To God be the glory!!!

love lots,

Geline <3

REVIEW: HBC San-San Matte Finish Liquid Foundation

Product Info:

• 30 ml.
• comes in three shades (01, 02 and 03)
• 01 shade- very fair skinned; 02 shade- fair skinned; 03- morena skinned
• I got this in its original price of 130-ish (sorry I forgot the exact amount.haha!) (approx. $3)

Ingredients:

• Aqua
• Silicone oil
• Inorganic Mineral powder
• Hyaluronic acid
• Retinol ( Vitamin A)
• Tocopheryl Acetate (Vit. E)
• Ascorbic Acid (Vit. C)
• Glycerol Monostearate
• Propyl Paraben

May contain:

• Red Iron Oxide (CI 77491)
• Yellow Iron Oxide (CI 77492)
• Black Iron Oxide (CI 77499)
• Titanium Oxide (CI 77891)

Note:

I am using two shades, 02 and 03. I mix them together to achieve the color closest to my skin. I put more of the 02 shade. 

02 shade

03 shade

It has this spatula to scoop out the product from the bottle.

Pros:

• It's cheap.
• One bottle lasted for a few months.
• Small amount can cover up my entire face.
• It doesn't give a "heavy" feeling on the skin upon applying. 

Cons:

• I don't like its packaging 'coz it's boxy and crystal-ish. hehe
• It has three shades available which can force you to buy two shades if you find that yours doesn't fit any of the shades. 
• It has this coconut smell but it's tolerable actually. I just don't like it. :)
• It's heavy (packaging) so I don't prefer carrying it around in my bag.
• It still makes my face oily.

My Verdict:

This product is a so-so for me. I have super duper oily skin; oil still manages to see through even when I'm in an air-conditioned place. *sob* When I saw Maricarl Janah's review on her YouTube channel (on this product), I decided to try it out because she also has oily skin. Janah's raving about this foundation so it made me more eager to check it out. I'm a little bit disappointed with this because I still get oily a few hours after application. I still need to have several blottings and re-touches. I don't understand why this is happening to me; I was thinking maybe it's also due to the fact that Philippines is a tropical country and I have a super duper oily skin--- not a good combination! But my face still gets oily in an air-conditioned room...what is that??? Am I the only one suffering this unfortunate situation? T_T 

Anyway, if you have a dry skin and prefers matte finish for a foundation I'd recommend this. However, if you're oily-skinned you can still try this. It might work for you! Lastly, if you're looking for a cheap liquid foundation especially when you're just starting out with make-up, this is actually a nice grab. 

Additional note:

This is not a good foundation for pregnant women because it contains chemicals unsafe for the little angel growing inside your body. For a list of chemicals/ingredients that a pregnant woman should stay away from, refer to my previous blog post here. 

Have you used this product? What can you say about it? Comment below! :)

love lots,

Geline <3

Saehee at 3rd month ( It's a triple celebration!)

As I've mentioned in my previous post, today (January 19) is my baby love's third month since her grand entrance to this world.  We had the usual thing that we do; just munch on the food! My family gathered tonight in our house and they spent the time passing Saehee from one person to another. ^__^ They really adore her.hahaha!

Oh yeah, there's a twist for this month's celebration because we also celebrated my dad's birthday (January 17) and my hubby's birthday (January 9). Yey for a triple celebration of three of the most important people in my life!!! =)

My Korean princess. :)

Simple feast :)

Last but not the least.....

Omma (mommy) and baby Saehee <3

That's it for Saehee's third month, hubby's and daddy's birthday celebration rolled into one night. Stay tuned for Saehee's fourth month celebration. 

Thank you, dear Lord for always guiding and blessing our family. You're the best!!! Praise and glory to you!!!

love lots,

Geline <3