Apples and Dumplings x Storytell Prints Instagram Giveaway!

I'm kicking off this month with BANG! I'm having an Instagram giveaway in partnership with Storytell Prints! You can read all about Storytell Prints and my experience with using the app and ordering in this post.

To join the giveaway, just look for this photo on my Instagram (www.instagram.com/applesanddumplings)

Link to the post: https://www.instagram.com/p/BZup4sijfXs/?taken-by=applesanddumplings

I'm giving away 2 sets of Storytell Print GCs: (1) Php1,500 worth and (1) Php1,000 worth! I'm picking two winners! Giveaway will end on October 9, 2017 11:59PM!

I hope you can all join! Good Luck!

Apples & Dumplings x Pambatang Solmux 200mg Giveaway!

Pambatang Solmux 200mg has been our lifesaver during the rainy season. The holidays are fast approaching and the weather is getting cooler. My kids just got well from cough a week ago and it's always Pambatang Solmux that saves the day. I always make sure I have a bottle of Pambatang Solmux 200mg at home because it's the only medicine that gives me the #SiguradoKa feeling and a "subok na" medicine especially during those months with high incidence of cough occurrence.  Not only it's tried and tested by moms and pediatricians for over 35 years, it's also safe and effective because of because of its Bacterial and Viral Expel Action.

Contest Alert! Win PaZZes to KidZania Manila with Lady's Choice!

Have you tried the new Lady's Choice newest spreads: Chicken BBQ and Roast Beef yet?My family love the new variants and we each have our own pick. You can read my simple sandwich recipes and a quick review of the Chicken BBQ and Roast Beef spreads on my earlier post here!  If you haven't tried, it's about time you do because Lady's Choice is treating to you and your child to a day at KidZania Manila!

My kids LOVE (which is an understatement) KidZania and I'm sure your kids would also love to go and spend a day with just mommy only! *Please note that this promo is only open to Moms based in the Greater Manila Area (Metro Manila and parts of Laguna, Cavite, Rizal, Bulacan, Pampanga, Batangas, Tarlac and Nueva Ecija)

For the mechanics, just follow the steps below or check the full mechanics at http://www.ladyschoice.com.ph/articles/view/get-a-chance-to-win-courtesy-pazzes-to-kidzania-manila.

1. To join, participants must purchase either a Lady's Choice Roast Beef or Chicken BBQ sandwich spread and keep proof of purchase.


2. Participants need to submit the following:
   
   
   1. A Boomerang clip OR a photo of them and their child making a Lady's Choice sandwich.
      1. The Boomerang clip can be made through the Boomerang app, or can be a short 5-second video featuring mom & child or child alone with a Lady's Choice sandwich they personally made.
      
      
      2. The entry must be captioned answering this question: "What is your favorite Lady's Choice Spread, #ChickenOrBeef? Why?"
      
      
      3. Captions must contain the following keywords:
         
         
         1. Lady's Choice Roast Beef Spread or Lady's Choice Chicken BBQ Spread; and
         
         
         2. Hashtag: #ChickenOrBeef
      
      
      4. Once posted on Instagram, the entry should be linked to the participant's Twitter and Facebook. Twitter and Facebook posts must also contain the official hashtag: #ChickenOrBeef. Partipants must also tag the official Lady's Choice Philippines / KidZania Manila account.
   
   


3. The contest is open to all Moms based in the Greater Manila Area (Metro Manila and parts of Laguna, Cavite, Rizal, Bulacan, Pampanga, Batangas, Tarlac and Nueva Ecija.


4. All entries posted on Instagram, linked to Twitter and Facebook must always tag the official Lady's Choice Philippines / Kidzania Manila accounts and use the hashtag #ChickenorBeef.
   
   
   1. Accounts should be public for entries to be valid.


5. Entries must be submitted within the promo period from September 1-30. Deadline of submission is on September 30. An entry is considered invalid and disqualified if:
   * it violates any person's rights including but not limited to copyright and privacy;
   * it contains obscene, sexually explicit, offensive, objectionable, inappropriate and or libelous content;
   * it violates the Lady's Choice Philippines' House Rules, including but not limited to the provisions of the PH Cyber Crime Law, are considered grounds for disqualification; or
   
   
   1. it was submitted outside of the promo period.


6. Criteria for winning are the following:
   
   
   1. Alignment with theme (Boomerang): 40 points / 40%
   
   
   2. Engagement (likes / comments): 30 points / 30 %
   
   
   3. Creativity: 20 points / 20%
   
   
   4. Branding: 10 points / 10%
      
      
      1. Total = 100 points
      
      
      2. The top 15 (with the highest score) will win the KidZania Manila Courtesy paZZes.


1. Lady's Choice Philippines's decision in the selection and the determination of the winners is final.


2. Winners will be announced on the Lady's Choice Philippines' Facebook page on October 5, 2016. Winners will be contacted by the Spark IT team and are required to send their emails and contact numbers via private message.


7. Metro Manila and Provincial Winners will be sent digital KidZania Manila Courtesy paZZes through their emails. The winners are required to send a scanned copy of one (1) valid ID and proof of purchase before prizes will be sent.


8. Prizes are not transferable and not convertible to cash.


9. KidZania Manila Courtesy paZZes have the following terms and conditions:
   
   
   1. KidZania usually requires children to be accompanied by an adult.
   
   
   2. 1 prize = 1 pass = 1 person policy. Winners will get 2 Courtesy paZZes for one (1) child and one (1) accompanying adult.


10. All entries sent will become Lady's Choice Philippines' property. The use of the entries are subject to Unilever's Privacy Policy.


11. By participating in this promo, participants agree to be bound by the official rules, regulations, and decisions of Lady's Choice Philippines.


12. Participants shall, at all times, abide by the terms and conditions of the Facebook Social Network Site, Instagram Site, and Twitter Site. Should a User violate such terms and conditions, he or she shall be disqualified from joining the contest, without need of prior notice.


13. By joining the promo, the Participants agree to (a) be bound by these official rules and the decisions of Lady's Choice Philippines; and (b) have their names, photos, video, used in posters, commercials and other forms of multimedia as part of any advertising activity of Lady's Choice Philippines and/or winner's announcement advertisements without any notice or compensation. The Participant warrants that he/she is the owner of the post submitted, and that it does not constitute infringement of intellectual property rights and/or unfair competition.


14. By entering the promo, each Participant agrees and acknowledges that Lady's Choice Philippines is permitted to receive his/her registration data. All personal information will be used by Lady's Choice Philippines in accordance with the Unilever Privacy Policy.

Good luck, mommies!

Belo Baby Review and Giveaway!

It has been a month since the Belo Baby launch and we have been religiously using the Belo Baby Hair and Body Wash and Face and Body Lotion ever since! It's really been hot the last few weeks and the kids have been taking more baths than usual. All I can say is Belo Baby works wonders on our skin!

The Belo Baby line is available at leading groceries in Metro Manila!

The first time we tried the body wash and face and body lotion was on our trip to Narra Hill. Our trip was just a few days after the launch so I excitedly pack them in our overnighter bag.

Belo Baby up in the mountains! I hope they'll come out with travel-sizes!

Y is always excited for bath time. Since I am helper-less, I've been training Y to be more independent and one of the things I am training her is to learn to take a bath on her own. Start them young, right? My kids were used to using baby shampoo that bubbles so when Y tried the Belo Baby Hair and Body Wash, she was surprised why it wasn't bubbly. I explained to her that Belo Baby's has natural ingredients (like special leaves and flowers, heehee). She likes the scent, she said she smells like a baby! Haha! I really like the mild scent too!

I like how the bar soap is shaped like a bean!

I usually don't put lotion on my kids during summer because they don't like the sticky feeling but apparently, heat can cause dry skin din pala! With Belo Baby's Face and Body Lotion, it's very light on the skin and not sticky at all plus it's smells so good. It's safe to put it on your kid's face too! Y sees me putting cream on my face and she likes to imitate me by putting lotion on her face. I used to buy a separate lotion for her face, now I don't have to!

I also tried using the body wash and lotion on me too. I have skin eczema and it's really hard to find a mild soap that doesn't irritate my skin and won't cause any itch after bath. I am happy to say that with constant use of the body wash together with the body lotion, I haven't had any skin eczema flare-ups yet. I'm really glad I have found alternatives, no need to buy lotion or body wash abroad! Hooray for homegrown brands!

And because my family loves Belo Baby, I'm sharing the LOVE with you too so you can try out all the goodness Belo Baby offers! I'm giving away Belo Baby gifts packs to three (3) lucky readers! All of you have to do is to answer "Why are you excited to try Belo Baby products?" and fill out the Rafflecopter widget below! Contest will run until May 31 only! Winners must pick-up their prize at Belo Baby's office.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Belo Baby on Instagram is also running a contest! You'll get a chance to win a photo shoot with your kid!

Just post a creative photo of your babies. Photo must feature a Belo Baby product! Use the hashtag #belobaby and tag @belobabylove. There will also be three winners for this contest so join na for more chances of winning! This Belo Baby Instagram Contest will run until June 3!

Have you seen the latest Belo Baby TVC with Scarlet Snow Belo? She's super adorable noh? Check out the behind the scenes of the Belo Baby TVC!

The Feeling of Lux Soft Touch + an Instagram Giveaway!

When I became a mom, bathroom time also became a luxury. I had to master the art of quick showers so I can tend to my kids right away. While I do get to have long showers once in awhile, quick showers can also be enjoyable with the company of a good body wash or soap! And for last night's quick shower, I got to try the NEW Lux Soft Touch Body Wash!

When it comes to buying or choosing a body wash or soap, one of first things I like to check is the scent. The Lux Soft Touch has a floral and fruity scent which what I really love! Since I have eczema and almost always use unscented or mild soap, sometimes it gets so boring! So I always have to have a bottle of body wash to switch it up.

I've been using the Lux Magic Spell for a while now and I'm happy to try the new Lux Soft Touch. From my experience, one bottle of Lux Body Wash can last up to three months which is a really long time giving you value for money.

Lux Soft Touch Body Wash SRP: Php55 for100ml and Php120 for 250ml.

To use, just pour a drop of body wash on your wash cloth/bath puff or on your hand and massage all over your body. The Lux Soft Touch is infused with French Rose and SilkEssence, it really smells so good!!! The freshness of the floral and fruity scent is just what I need in this heat! It's really a treat from my boring unscented soap.

 

I love it makes my skin silky smooth after bath!

The Lux Soft Touch's fragrance is expertly crafter by master perfumer, Calice Becker. The bar soap smells as good too but a little stronger than the body wash. I like that I have an option if want to use the body wash or the soap!

I like the super pretty design on the soap! Lux Soft Touch Bar Soap SRP: Php19.50 for 50g and Php39 for 100g.

With Lux Soft Touch, quick showers or long showers will always be enjoyable! It feels like summer with every bath. Promise! And you can win a gift pack of Lux Soft Touch for yourself by joining Lux's Instagram contest!

The mechanics are easy peasy! But first follow @luxph on Instagram, then...

1. Post a selfie.

2. Tell us why you love having fragrant skin.

3. Don't forget to hashtag #BatheWithLux and #LuxSoftTouch.

That's it! Easy right? Good luck!

Giveaway will run from from April 28 to May 28, 2016. Lux will select 20 winners of Lux Soft Touch gift pack.

For more information, check http://www.houseoflux.com.ph/

Facebook: Lux Philippines

Expo Mom 2016: The Motherhood Journey + a Giveaway!

When I was a new mom, I'm grateful there's Mommy Mundo and Expo Mom. I discovered new brands, met mompreneurs who now are my friends, joined Pregnant Pause and even became a mompreneur who sells at Expo Mom because I really believed in Mommy Mundo's advocacy. Now on its ninth year, Mommy Mundo brings you Expo Mom 2016 on April 29-30 at the Glorietta Activity Center!

This year's theme is The Motherhood Journey. Being a mom is very challenging, whether you are pregnant, a new mom, a mom with a toddler, a mom raising a child/ren or even a mom to teens, you'll find both enlightenment and encouragement at this year's Expo Mom. This year, Expo Mom: The Motherhood Journey has four badges that represents what stage you are in this exciting journey of motherhood!

I'm a mom of two pre-schoolers! I still can't believe that R will be in big school already this coming school year. I no longer have a baby at home. Haha! I'm excited but at the same time very emotional about this new milestone. He'll be celebrating his first birthday in school and there will be a lot of firsts for him this year! With the two of them now at this stage, I already know the dynamics. Being yaya-less on/off for a year made me a more independent mom, sometimes it's still hard to handle situations when the both of them are being difficult! Haha! It's really a journey, a challenging but exciting one!

Share your #themotherhoodjourney stories and you might just win a prize! Check the prizes and mechanics below! See you at the Expo Mom!!!

Expectant moms can win a Snug-a-hug pillow, Blanqi supportwear, and Mother-K gift box worth P8,950.

Moms with babies get a chance to win a Georgia Sleigh Cot worth P28,000

Moms with toddlers may win an Aprica Stroller Luxuna Light worth P24,999.75

Moms of kids get to win an ETL Learning Book Set worth P49,915

Consolation prizes from our sponsors are also up for grabs!!

Contest Mechanics: 

1. Follow Mommy Mundo on FB, Twitter, and IG

2. (1 pt) Share what stage you are in your motherhood by reporting the (stage) icon  or using it as your profile picture. For all posts, use the appropriate hashtags as follows:

a. Stork: #bellyblessedmama #themotherhoodjourney #expomom2016 #mommymundo

b. Carriage: #momwithababy #themotherhoodjourney #expomom2016 #mommymundo

c. Sock: #momwithatot #themotherhoodjourney #expomom2016 #mommymundo

d. Pinwheel: #lovemykid #themotherhoodjourney #expomom2016 #mommymundo

3. (1 pt) Share your motherhood story by posting a personal photo and telling us about your motherhood journey. Tag @mommymundo and use these hashtags #themotherhoodjourney #expomom2016 #mommymundo

Make sure to tag @mommymundo and @expomom and set your account to public until April 30

4. (1 pt) Share the Expo Mom 2016 official poster and say that you are going to @expomom

5. Posts may be on Facebook, twitter, or instagram

6. Posts that are published until April 30 will be counted

7. Posts will be monitored and counted manually and winner will be drawn based on  accumulated points via Rafflecopter.

**Full terms and conditions for this contest may be found on: http://mommymundo.com/2016/04/the-expo-mom-the-motherhood-journey-giveaway/#.VwzGGLSFOfQ

Expo Mom: The Motherhood Journey is co-presented by Caltrate Plus, Pampers, and Belo Baby and supported by Sun Life, Clearascar, Mott’s 100% Apple Juice, Downy Baby Gentle, Fuji/Instax, Waters Philippines, and Stanley Ong Photography with Celebrity Mom, Working Mom, Diva Universal and Crossover as media sponsors, Glorietta and Ayala Malls as venue sponsor, and Creative Juice Communications as logistics partner. 

Entrance at Expo Mom is free of charge but a donation of any amount will be accepted for the Mommy Mundo MOMSHARE fund. Proceeds of the fund goes to literacy projects for the street children of Childhope Asia and public School kids under the Alpabasa programs.  MomShare also supports needs of underprivileged moms and kids. Mommy Mundo Passport holders get an Expo Mom tote bag.

Expo Mom is the banner event of Mommy Mundo, an organization dedicated to educating,  inspiring, and empowering moms with useful, relevant, and up-to-date information.

Kids' Crafts Made Easy With Wireless Printing With HP Deskjet 4515 + A Giveaway!

One of the many bonding activities I do with my kids is doing arts and crafts. The last craft we did was making origami airplanes just a few weeks ago and just last week over the holiday, I surprised the kids with another crafternoon but now with the help of the new HP Deskjet 4515!

Spot the little hand who was excited to make his superhero mask!

I usually leave the technical part to BOS but since he's not home, I did everything on my own. With the kids so eager to do their crafts, good thing that setting up was fast, painless, and it connects to our wifi automatically! Easy peasy!

Instructions area easy to follow.

Just snap the ink in and we're good to go. And there's a video instruction on how to install the cartridge! So cool!

With its compact size, it can fit right into my work space, but I need to clean up (read: kalat) my work space first hence we're working on our dining table hehe! So for now, I work on our dining table and it's where we also do our arts and crafts and everything else!

After I finished setting up, it was time to print their crafts for the afternoon! R picked Spiderman while Y wanted White Lady but there's none so she chose Wonder Woman instead.

The HP Deskjet 4515 prints so fast that I wasn't sure if I snapped a nice photo because R was eagerly waiting by the printer to grab the paper when it comes out of the printer. We printed this wirelessly! I love it! Now I can print anywhere in our home!

I let her practice her cutting skills while I cut R's Spiderman mask. You can get the superheroes masks from here.

Happy with their superhero masks and I love the how vibrant the colors are. HP's low-cost Original HP ink cartridges certainly give that quality result!

Our crafternoon wasn't done yet! After seeing how the colors came out that I had to look for another craft the kids and I can do together. Then I saw this 3D Anna Papercraft on Pinterest and I know I had to do it!

Looks easy to do noh? You can get the Anna Papercraft here.

Ready to print Anna!

I started cutting then when Y was starting to glue them together, I realized I forgot to print out the instructions. It's easy to have it on paper than on screen, easier to read!

Then I remember I can print from my phone (and even from your tablet).

It says 20 minutes on the instruction but it took me 1 hour to finish everything! Some parts were too advanced for Y so I did it for her. I almost forgot to cook dinner because I wanted to finish it. Haha! But I was able to finish it naman (and cooked dinner) and Y was so happy with this papercraft that she wanted me to do another one! We'll do another one on our next arts and crafts session!

Not bad for my first papercraft, right? Afar, you wouldn't thought it's made out of paper. I really really love my new HP Deskjet 4515!

I've printed Y's worksheet, scanned a few pages from her school books and activity books so we can do some advanced lessons at home (nerd! heehee). My next printing project is Chinese Phonetics flash cards for Y. My new HP Deskjet 4515 will be my best friend in the next few years as Y enters the more challenging years (read: Chinese & Math) in her school and of course our arts and crafts sessions will always be there for our bonding and learning activity.

Here's three of the many reasons why the HP Deskjet 4515 is awesome! Its value for money is what every mom wants to hear plus let us not forget the quality print you get!

They couldn't get enough of their masks and want mommy to print more for them!

Thank you HP Philippines for sending us this awesome printer for my family!

My post doesn't end here because HP wants you to experience the HP Ink Advantage and its wireless printing feature like I did, I am giving away a HP Desket Ink Advantage 4515 to one of my readers! Wuhooooo!

Just some reminders:

1. This giveaway is open nationwide. (NOTE: Prize will be picked-up by winner or representative in EON office in Makati)

2. I will pick the winner with the best answer.

3. EON will be the one to contact the winner to arrange prize pick-up.

4. Don't forget to use the hashtag #HPApplesandDumplingsGiveaway so it's easy to track your entries!

For your entries, just go to the Rafflecopter widget below and follow all the instructions to qualify. This giveaway will run for three days only! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

Super Coffee is What a Smile Tastes Like + Win One Year Supply of Super Coffee!

Coffee is my fuel. I think my blood type is really coffee. Heehee! I started drinking coffee in college while doing our thesis to keep me awake thru the late nights and now that I'm a mom, I need my coffee in the morning to jumpstart my day!

A new A&D discovery, Super Coffee!

Here's a new coffee brand I was introduced to last week, Super Coffee! Super Coffee is the newest 3-in-1 instant coffee brand out in the market today, inspired by the traditional coffee shop culture in Ipoh, Malaysia during the 19th century. Aside from the unique flavors it offers, Super Coffee boasts of its roasting and blending techniques to capture the aroma and buttery characteristics of this classic brew.

During the media launch, we were able to try Super Coffee's two flavors: Roasted Hazelnut from Charcoal Roasted line and Salted Caramel from the Palettes line.

Super Coffee kiosk all set up for the media launch.

Super Coffees being sold in the Philippines are created at Super Coffee's modern facility in Malaysia and are packed in Thailand.

You can have your Super Coffee hot or cold! Both flavors were good but I like the Roasted Hazelnut more. Read on below to know more about Super Coffee's different flavors!

There are three ranges of Super Coffee available in the Philippines. First is the Super Charcoal Roasted White Coffee which has the Roasted Hazelnut, Brown Sugar and Toffee Caramel.

Rich and aromatic classic with a twist of roasted hazelnut to give you that unique warm nutty creamy indulgence with a velvety texture that is so smooth to the palate

With the robust richness of brown sugar, giving coffee a mesmerizing aroma and a deep, rich flavor

For the true sweet tooth, an indulgent toffee caramel flavor, buttery and sweet to compliment the sharpness of coffee

The second range is Super Coffee Classic which has the Brown and Original flavors.

An enticing blend of coffee, non dairy creamer and the right touch of occidental caramellic brown sugar

The perfect cup of classic coffee, with the right blend of sugar and creamer for a smooth and delicate well-balanced taste and robust aroma

And last but certainly not the least is the Super Coffee Palettes which has the Salted Caramel flavor.

A surprisingly enticing blend of  sophisticated flavors in the palate – bittersweet, creamy and nutty with a hint of saltiness to bring out the harmony of flavors.

If you like the taste of coffee from the coffee shops near your office but don't want to break your budget or there's no coffee shops in your area (like where I live, heehee) but don't want to drive all the way to the mall, then there's Super Coffee for you!

This is me having my Roasted Hazelnut the other morning for breakfast.

Super Coffee is now available in supermarkets including Puregold and Waltermart! I went to the nearest Puregold from our house the other day and found Super Coffee! Yay!

Very affordable! Diba?

Super Coffee also launched its Smile Caravan featuring their Dancing Baristas last March to promote brand awareness. They've been to Baguio and parts of GMA dancing to the Super Coffee jingle and giving out free hot and cold coffee samples.

Make sure to look out for the next Super Coffee Smile Caravan and take a photo/video of the Dancing Baristas and you might win a one-year supply of Super Coffee! More details at Super Coffee's Facebook Page.

For more chances of winning, I'm also giving away one-year supply of Super Coffee to one reader of mine! That's two cups of coffee per day, so that's around 700++ Super Coffee sachets! 

Joining is easy, just go to the Rafflecopter widget below or to my Facebook Page to join!

a Rafflecopter giveaway