Sunday, November 10, 2019

5 Bonding Activities You Can Do with Your Children

"The bond between mother and child is unique and lasting, starting from pregnancy and influencing life well into adulthood. A mom is often the child’s first friend, playmate, and teacher."
In this fast-paced world, a modern working mom’s time with her child is incredibly limited. Being a work at home mom to 3 kids, without a household help nor a baby sitter, I see to it that I set time every day to bond with my children—and take every chance to turn regular activities into quality time for us.

There are various fun and educational activities moms can do with their kids every day. The kids will not only enjoy these activities but will also develop valuable skills and habits needed for life.

Cooking

If there’s one thing kids love doing, it’s eating! Since they already love to munch on their food, teaching them how to cook will make them appreciate what goes into their meal. This activity can make kids realize their dreams of becoming a chef—or help establish healthier eating habits at least.


Arts & Crafts

A child’s imagination and creativity know no bounds, that’s why it’s important to do activities that will help develop their artistic skills. Doing arts and crafts projects with your child will expose them to a world full of visual imagery, which can be a new channel of communication between parent and child.

Gardening

Growing a garden is a surprisingly relaxing way to teach kids about the importance of nature and the environment. It also teaches them to be responsible, as plants are placed under their care.

This activity might be a challenge for those living in small spaces or condominiums like us but it is possible. You can grow succulents or plants that can be planted in small pots. 

Playing Sports

Kids need to have fun and be active, and sports enables them to experience both. Physical activities such as running and playing badminton will give kids the energy and strength they need as they grow. Playing sports with your kids will also teach them how to play fairly and win a game with a ‘teammate’.

As for us, we love swimming and biking. I am looking into other sports that I could involve the kids into. 

Bath Time

One of the most relaxing and intimate bonding moments between a mom and her child is bath time. Bath time with the kids can be used as another means of communication between mother and child, creating conversations that both of them will fondly treasure. 

An activity as simple as bathing your toddler can create a lasting bond between a mom and her child. My kids could take a bath on their own especially our eldest, Tristan who is now 10 years old. But, sometimes, I still get to bathe with my 2 girls, Athena and Brianna. Making the most out of it while I still can!


Bath time with the kids isn’t only a great bonding activity, as it’s also one way of showing your kids the importance of taking care of their body, keeping their skin clean and from acquiring unwanted skin diseases. Cetaphil Baby further strengthens this bond thanks to their line of products that gently touches your toddler’s skin.

The Cetaphil Baby products are made up of ingredients that keep your child’s skin moisturized while also soothing sensitive skin, making it an ideal bath time essential for kids.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

STRIPES RUN 2019: Run for Reading!

This year, McDonald's once again invites families and friends to pledge their support for children's literacy at Stripes Run 2019. Now on its 10th year, McDonald’s Stripes Run 2019 run for reading will be help on December 1, 2019 at the SM Mall of Asia Concert Grounds.

For the past 10 years, Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) in the Philippines has been the beneficiary of McDonald's Stripes Run. Proceeds of the annual fun run go to the Ronald McDonald Read to Learn - a beginning reading program for Grade 1 and 2 public elementary school students. In partnership with DepEd, it aims to eradicate illiteracy among Filipino children. To date, the Ronald McDonald Read To Learn program has reached over 12 million students, trained over 28 thousand educators, and distributed more than 367 thousand books.


Registration is quick and easy, with three possible options to choose from:

1. Register and pay online at mcdostripesrun.com.ph.
2. Download the form on mcdostripesrun.com.ph and pay for the registration fee at select McDonald’s stores.
3. Register and pay at select McDonald’s stores (View list of stores at https://mcdostripesrun.com.ph/how-to-join)

At an affordable price, you get a race kit with a Stripes Run shirt, 1 pair of Stripes Socks, 1 Race Bib, 1 McDonald’s Longgadesal, and 1 Race Map. Exciting game booths and activities also await the entire family and barkada during the run!

Kids and adults alike are welcome to run for reading with the various running categories to choose from:

  • Kiddie stripes (1K) – 8 years old and below
  • Young stripes (3K) – 8-15 years old
  • 3K stripes – 16 years old and up
  • Family stripes (3K) – 2 kids (15 years old and below) and 2 adults (16 years old and up)
  • 5K stripes – 16 years old and up 
  • Squad stripes (5K) – 4 adults (16 years old and up)
  • 10K stripes – 16 years old and up
Get your family and friends to run with you at Stripes Run 2019! Share your experience by using the hashtag #McDoStripesRun and tagging @McDo_PH on Twitter and Instagram. For more information on Stripes Run 2019, visit mcdostripesrun.com.ph or follow McDonald's Philippines on Facebook.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

How We Make Toothbrush Time a Hapee Time!

October went by so fast! It only seems like yesterday when I was dressing up the kids with their Halloween costumes DIYed by me, of course. This year, we celebrated Haloween here in the condo again, that's two times in a row already. Though this year, we didn't go trick or treating, the kids still got a lot of candies from the party! I haven't stored their pumpkin pails yet, as there are still candies in it! Yes, I allow my kids to eat candy, but only 1 to 2 pieces a day, there are days when they don't get any. 


And, just right in time after Halloween, we got this box of Hapee-ness filled with Hapee Kiddie toothpaste! With so many candies waiting to be eaten, this box is a perfect reminder for Tristan, Athena, and Brianna to brush their teeth.


Well, I don't have any trouble getting them to brush their teeth anyway.

Okay, I said, "don't" not "didn't." I've also experienced, forcing a crying toddler to get to brush their teeth at one point (multiply it by 3 lol). I've been there too, so I know the struggle. And I'm glad we got passed that stage. Right now, the only setback is when they forget to brush their teeth, so I have to remind them sometimes, and they'd do it without any drama. 

How We Make Toothbrush Time a Hapee Time!

How did we do it? Well, it took a reasonable amount of time, a handful of patience, and some good old' techniques to make it work. Let me share some that worked for us!



1. Ever heard of the phrase "brushing alone is not enough"? Took it literally, so we brush our teeth together! One way to get the kids to do what you want is to lead by example. This way, we also get to show them how it is done correctly. 




2. Brushing may be fun when we do it together, but we also have to teach them how to do it independently. Let them do it alone (still with your supervision, of course) even if they are not doing it right the first few times. Let them enjoy it, they will learn eventually. Now, both Tristan and Athena are teaching their little sister Brianna how to brush her teeth!



3. Teaching them the importance of brushing their teeth and the benefit they will get out of it. Let them know that a happy and healthy kid has a clean and strong set of teeth. Instead of scaring them and telling them, "your teeth will fall off if you don't brush" or "you won't have any of this if you don't brush your teeth." 

4. Play fun music or set a timer when brushing your teeth to make sure they brush their teeth for 2 minutes.

5. Let them choose their toothbrushes or buy the ones in their favorite color or characters! 

6. This may be the last, but I believe it is a vital one. Make sure to choose the right toothpaste for kids. Make it colorful and flavorful, because if kids say it's yucky, they won't do it. 

Aside from that, the right toothpaste for kids contains a safe level of fluoride, just like Hapee Kiddie Toothpaste.

Look at all the colorful packaging and flavorful variants you and your kids can choose from! 


Hapee Kiddie Toothpaste is available in fruity flavors; Apple Crunch, Juicy Grapes Orange Squeeze, Strawberry Bloom, and Tutti Frutti Twist. There are also other sweet treats that kids love- the Bubblegum Pop, and Cookies and Cream Ahoy.


Kids can have one flavor every day! Isn't that exciting?

#MakeBrushTimeHapeeTime and your kids will surely not look at tooth brushing as a dreaded task. 

If this won't make your kids look forward to brushing their teeth, then I don't know what else will! 



Find out more about Hapee Kiddie Toothpaste, you may visit their Facebook Page here.