Sunday, March 4, 2018

Take The Power Back: Upgrading Your Home’s Electricity Supply


Is your home running on old electrics? Not only could this have a negative effect on your energy bill, you may find that your electricity supply isn’t working as effectively as it should. Here are just a few ways to modernise your home’s electricity.

Upgrade your panel

Old electrical panels are often worth getting checked out, especially if you’ve been experiencing numerous power outages recently. It’s possible your old panel might not be suitable to meet the electrical demands of a modern house. Alternatively, there could be damage that needs fixing such as corrosion or dodgy breakers. Finding an electrician that does electrical panel upgrades could be worthwhile. This is not a job you should ever do yourself without a license.

Add new sockets and lights

Getting a few new sockets and light fittings installed in your home could be worthwhile in some cases. This could prevent you having to rely on overloaded power strips and multiple plug-in lamps. You should pay a licensed electrician to wire-in these light fittings and sockets. This can be an expensive job, but it could add a lot of value to your home. When considering overhead lighting, those on a budget should consider track lighting over spot lighting.



Get rid of power-guzzling appliances

It’s worth also considering your appliances. Old washing machines and refrigerators may not be very economical in comparison to some of the appliances available today. Appliances with an Energy Star rating are worth looking out for, as they are very green and cheap to run (most of these appliances work just as well as power-hungry versions). You should also consider your light bulbs – swapping out incandescent bulbs for LEDs could also help you to save a lot of money.

Make use of smart technology

Smart technology (also known as ‘the internet of things’) is the latest household trend. This involves appliances that can be operated using your smartphone. Smart TVs, smart kettles and smart lighting are just some of the options out there. You can also switch to smart heating and air conditioning, controlling your home’s temperature from your phone. In fact, you could install a smart energy reader that allows you to take readings of your gas and electricity consumption on your phone.



Switch to sustainable power

More households are taking the decision to go off-grid, getting their power from sustainable sources. Solar panels are the most common method of generating power – these generate electricity using the energy of the sun. Shop around for solar panel installation companies to find the best rate. Another option could be to install a home wind turbine if you live in a particularly windy area. Installing these sustainable power sources can be expensive, however you’ll make up costs in the long run by not having to pay electricity bills.

Uni-Pak Mackerel Sandwich Recipe + Giveaway!

Time flies fast! It seems as though we just celebrated New Year and now it's already the month of March! From grand festivities with bountiful feast, we're now heading to the Holy Week. Philippines, being one of the only two predominantly Roman Catholic nations in Asia, it is a religious tradition to observe the Holy Week or Mahal na Araw. One of the popular practices observed during the Holy Week is fasting or meatless meals.

Just in time for the Holy Week, I have prepared yet another recipe using Uni-pak Mackerel in Natural Oil. It was also Holy Week last year when I first posted about Uni-pak and shared a recipe.  

If you have been following my Instagram, you know that I am promoting healthy lifestyle. So this recipe that I am sharing with you is definitely diet friendly and is easy to prepare, this is what I had for dinner last  night. 

Here's the recipe:

Uni-Pak Mackerel Sandwich 


Ingredients:

2 cans of Uni-pak Mackerel (155 grams)
minced onions 
1-2 tsp of lime
mayonaise (amount depends on your preferred consistency)
1 tbsp of cream (optional)
1 cup of pineapple tidbits (optional)
lettuce (optional)

Procedure:

1. Bone the Mackerel if desired
2. Mix Uni-pak Mackerel, minced onions, mayonnaise, cream and lime together
3. Season with salt and pepper
4. Spread on your bread of choice; whole grain bread for a healthier option
5. Add lettuce and pineapple in between (optional)
6. Enjoy!

It's easy to prepare and it tastes good! This is ideal for people on the go, you can prepare it the night before and have it for breakfast or even for lunch!

For a change, try switching from tuna to Mackerel. It tastes equally good but more affordable. Uni-pak Mackerel already tastes good on its own and surprisingly, there are a lot of different dishes you can come up with it. Indeed Uni-pak Mackerel is a must have in every household; hindi basta nakasanyan the best na yan!

Giveaway!



You made it this far, and for that I am once again giving a Uni-Pak Mackerel gift pack to 1 lucky reader! Winning is easy peasy, simply follow the steps below.

1. Follow She's The Mom and Uni- Pak Mackerel on Facebook
2. Follow @pearlizshell and unipakmackerel on Instagram.
3. Share this post on FB with the hashtags: #ShesTheMomxUniPakMackerel #PakNaPak #ShesTheMomGiveaway
4. Re-gram this post on IG with the hashtags: #ShesTheMomxUniPakMackerel #PakNaPak #ShesTheMomGiveaway
5. Comment you shared posts here. Make sure all your shared posts are set to public so I can check.

Congratulations Winner!!!


Winner will be drawn using online random picker. Giveaway is until March 18, 2018!

M2 Malunggay, Okra and Luya Tea Drink giveaway is still up, you may join here.

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Advice for Moms Starting New Families


Starting a family can be the most rewarding thing you do in your life, but also the scariest. You’re tasked with making sure another person is properly trained to be their own person for 18+ years. Caring for another human being, especially babies who can do so little, is a daunting task. There are millions of parenting books on the market but parenting advice is always changing.

If you decide to parent your child one way, while someone else says it should be a different way, then it’s totally okay. There is no perfectly right way to start or raise a family. Just ensure that all of your children are given love, compassion, and support.

For those wanting to start a family and looking for a little parenting advice, here are nine tips to consider for your parenting techniques.

Monday, February 26, 2018

3 Tips to Keeping the Perfect lawn made Easy


A beautiful lawn adds aesthetic value to one's property and nature at large. Keeping a perfect lawn ensures good health for you, your family, and also your pets. In the past, a perfect lawn was tiresome to achieve, despite being everyone's dream. It was hard to keep up with routine maintenance and yet keep up with your daily work. The following tips are a manual on how to easily attain a perfect lawn:

1. Frequent Mowing.

Cutting the grass helps thicken the blades. During mowing, thumbs rule should be adhered to; only cut one-third of the grass. Cutting the grass too low kills the lawn as it is deprived of its nutrients. Cutting and leaving the grass too high also leaves the weed too high and controlling them becomes a menace. It is advised to sharpen the mows blade or replace blunt blades to avoid injury to the grass that will cause the lawn to look rugged. Sharpening the blades also ensures that your equipment is highly maintained. Mowing should be done regularly with different patterns and directions to avoid the grass bending to one side.

2. Watering and fertilizing the lawn.

This process should be done to achieve a greener and healthy lawn. When planting the seeds, watering should be done early in the morning to ensure high germination of the grass. For grown grass, it requires water and nutrients for healthy growth. Nutrients need to be replenished, especially after recent mowing. The grass requires phosphorus, potassium, and nitrogen as nutrients for a healthy and a green lawn. Potassium and phosphorus are easily found in the soil and they are not easily lost as compared to nitrogenous fertilizers. Therefore, when choosing a fertilizer, nitrogenous fertilizers are highly recommended as they ensure the leafy growth of the grass blades. These two activities can be done manually or can be automated and it depends on the size of your lawn and the time available.

3. Persistent Control of Weeds and Pest.

Controlling weeds in your lawn can be a headache if you don't know the target weed to be controlled. Small weeds can be manually uprooted with care to ensure that the weed does not grow back and at the same time, great care is taken to avoid injury to the grassroots. The uprooting should be done at the right season before the weeds pour out its seeds. Leafy weeds can be controlled by spraying them with right herbicide directly. Timing is of great essence, the best time to spray the herbicides is just before they germinate. Pest should be controlled with pesticides that do not harm your lawn, you or your pets. When spraying these chemicals, ensure you are properly dressed and read carefully the instructions manual. In a case where the whole lawn is infested with weeds and pest, full lawn spraying should be done with the right chemicals.

The way to achieve a perfect lawn has been made easy and there are professionals all over the world dedicated to helping you achieve your dream lawn. Ziehler lawn Care Company has trained personnel who work hand in hand with the client to help them achieve and maintain a perfect lawn of their dream. Visit their site on ziehlerlawncare.com for more information and services.

M2 Tea Drink: Delicious breastfeeding diet for pregnant and nursing moms

Are you a breastfeeding mom or are you an expectant mother who's goal is to breastfeed your little bundle of joy?


Breastfeeding can be beneficial and rewarding for both mothers and babies, but at the same time entails a lot of hard work and can be a bit tedious. I know because I breastfed Brianna for more than 2 years and it's something that I am very proud of doing. 

In order to keep quality breast milk supply sufficient, it is essential to always stay hydrated because breastfeeding can make the nursing mother really thirsty. This means that nursing mothers need to be sipping liquids most of the day. But most important of all, the health and nutritional state of the mom must always be at the optimum to make sure quality milk is being produced for her baby. 

Although water is good, it can get a bit dull as well as lacking nutritional value and content. 


In 2011, NatureEarth has introduced M2 concentrate tea drink. With malunggay (moringga), okra (lady finger) and ginger as its main ingredients, it is packed with powerful nutrients, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, iron, potassium, calcium and has been proven to significantly improve the amount of milk of nursing mothers. It is, by far, the best and most convenient diet for breastfeeding mothers, which are important for a baby’s growth. Malunggay, okra and ginger are also low calorie vegetables that are excellent sources of calcium and healthy antioxidants, important for both mothers and theirs babies. 

It is a known fact that malunggay is a good enhancer of breastmilk. And to further support this claim, a case study research was conducted by NatureEarth wherein twelve moms ages 18 to 33 years old with babies ages 2 weeks to 2 months old were asked to participate. Half of them were asked to drink one glass of M2 concentrate tea drink daily, while the other half were asked to drink 2 glasses. After a month of regularly drinking M2 concentrate drink, the 6 mothers who drank 2 glasses daily claimed they produced more breast milk. While the other 6 who drank only a glass did not notice any changes on the quantity of their breast milk. 

On the second month, all mothers claimed to have an increased amount of milk being produced, including the ones who only drank a glass daily. 

Then on the third month of continuously drinking M2 concentrate drink, everyone noticed that they felt better because no one got sick during the three-month period and there was an ease in bowel movement. Some mothers even claimed that their skin became smoother. 

M2 Tea drink is available in concentrated form wherein you still need to dilute it in water and the other one is the ready to drink. 

There are many ways to drink your M2 Tea Drink, add milk to make your own milk tea or just add lime. It can also be served hot or cold.
Early this month, I received a box of M2 Tea Read-To-Drink, this is the first time that I actually heard about this product and all I can say is that it stays true to it's claim that it is "Surprisingly delicious. Refreshingly nutritious!". I recommend it not just for breastfeeding mommies but to just about anyone who needs a quick vegetable fix, even kids love it!

Here comes the exciting part of this post, a giveaway! I will be sharing with you some bottles of M2 Tea Drink, head on to Instagram and FB for the mechanics! 

For more information about the product and other updates, please follow their Facebook page, M2LactationClub

This cool and refreshing tea is available in all Robinsons Supermarkets and Andoks Litson Manok stalls.

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Share The Love: 5 Ways To Show Your Parents You Care


When you become a mom, it can be easy for your view of the world to focus solely on your children. You still love your parents, of course, but your world has shrunk, and you find yourself completely consumed by the lives that you are nurturing and raising-- it’s inevitable, understandable, and incredibly relatable. 

Your parents, of course, understand this; they likely went through the same thing themselves when they had you. However, you may occasionally find yourself wanting to do something for your parents; something that helps to show them that, no matter how busy you are, they still mean the world to you. 

Taking the time to do something nice for your parents is always going to be appreciated. Below are five different options that are guaranteed to bring a smile to the face of the people who raised you. Anything you can do to make their lives easier, improve their world, and -- ultimately -- bond you closer as a family will always be appreciated. Below are several options that can help improve the life of your parents, from small practical help to big grand gestures; whatever your preference, there will be something that suits your family here… 

#1 - Spend a day with them alone 


“Alone” in this case means “without your children”. 

There’s no doubt that your parents adore your children and will absolutely revel in their role as grandparents. However, when was the last time you spent a little time on them just you and them, without your children?

For most moms, the answer to the above is likely to be “I can’t remember”. If that’s the case for you, then spending some time with just your parents can be a wonderful, unifying experience that you all enjoy. Whether you go out for the day or just prepare a lunch for them at your home, you’ll all find the experience incredibly beneficial and affirming. 

#2 - Help them unravel a knot 


Figuratively speaking, that is! 

When you are busy with your everyday life, your parents will likely avoid asking you for help and advice. They do this because they don’t want to bother you, even if they know you would drop everything to help them if they asked. They don’t want to ask, as they don’t want to stress you… and their knot keeps getting bigger and bigger. 

This is why, sometimes, you’ll need to ask if they have any knots in their lives that you could help them with. Here’s a variety of areas you may want to explore: 

Health. Are they receiving the appropriate healthcare? Are they happy with their doctor? Have they investigated their insurance options by taking the chance to read more at gomedigap.com about supplemental insurance? Are they happy with the medication they are taking? 

Finance. Are they confident about their finances? Do they need any advice? Do they know what their tax responsibilities are? 

Household. Are there any household jobs they need doing? When is the last time their central air was serviced? Are there any yard chores they need assistance with? Is their insurance up to date?

Well-being. Are they taking time for themselves? Is there anything they are worried about? Is there anything that is stopping them from socializing as much as they might wish to?

Obviously, you don’t want to demand answers to these questions directly-- they should be used more as a part of general conversation. When a knot reveals itself, spend a little time helping them unravel it; sometimes, fixing the small things is just as wonderful as a grand gesture.

#5 - Host a movie night 


A movie night may sound like a fairly standard idea, but here’s how you make it a special treat for your parents: show only their favorite movies. You can find out their favorites in general conversation a few weeks before the big night, then surprise them with a movie night selection specified to their tastes on the night itself. If you want to make the night extra special, then add in a few touches for the perfect movie night from the guide on the guide on lemonlimeadventures.com

#4 - Help them organize an aspect of their lives 


You may find that your parents need a helping hand with organization of their lives from time to time. 

Here are a few areas they may require organizational assistance with:

Their home. If the house is not well-organized or is in need of a good declutter, they will appreciate the offer to help them tackle the issue. 

Their record-keeping. The older your parents are, the more likely they are to have a huge amount of paperwork clogging up their home. Spend a day helping them to digitize their files so as to keep track of things as efficiently as possible. 

Their garden. For older people, constant maintenance of a garden can be extremely testing, especially during the winter months. If you notice there’s weeding that needs doing, then volunteering for the task is a great way of improving their lives in a small, but significant, way. 

If you notice any of the above aspects are in need of some attention, then offer to help in any way you can. They may refuse out of preference to manage the issue themselves, but they’ll be delighted you asked.

#5 - Arrange for relaxation


Giving your parents the chance to relax and enjoy themselves, without having to worry about the basic requirements of everyday life for awhile, is the perfect way to show you have been thinking of them.

Gift them a set of homemade “coupons”. These coupons can be redeemable for anything; common examples include “1 hour of vacuuming” or “a day trip to the city of your choice”. 

Arrange for a cleaner to visit their home for a week, so they don’t have to worry about household chores. 

Arrange for a gardener to improve their outdoor space as a one-off, just-because gift. 

Invite them to stay at your house for the weekend, so they don’t have to worry about their own housework and chores for awhile. 

All of the above are gifts in a sense, but they also show a huge amount of thought-- which ultimately is what makes for the best gifts. By issuing coupons, you’re showing that you think about their needs and preferences. By arranging for a gardener or cleaner, you’re thoughtfully showing that you think they deserve some time to relax, and you want to help them achieve that. 

In conclusion

The five ideas above are all lovely ways to show your love for your parents, ease their lives, and perhaps even make a few extra memories. Whichever you choose, you are guaranteed that your parents will be truly delighted by your efforts.

Friday, February 16, 2018

SkinCell To Lead Medical Aesthetic Services, Opens new Clinic in BGC

The growth of medical tourism in the Philippines is on the rise because people are increasingly aware of the world-class facilities and services offered by our highly skilled medical professionals. They are well trained locally and abroad, can converse well in English and, always give that extra care Filipinos are known for. One of the services most sought after by tourists, especially by women, is aesthetic services.

However, problems in the aesthetics industry occur when some clinics fail to deliver the desired results of the treatment. This arises when inexperienced aestheticians fail to conduct a proper skin care analysis, are not knowledgeable in the handling the equipment, or are ill equipped to manage side effects. The end result is a disappointed client with damaged skin and an aesthetic industry with poor reputation.

The field of medical aesthetics wants to change all of this. Practioners of medical aesthetics are experts trained in the art and science of clear and healthy skin by using only the safetest and most effective medications and treatments that are well researched and evidence based. 

Skincell Doctors headed by Dr. Clarissa Cellona, MD FPDS, Senior consultant of
SkinCell Advanced Aesthetics Clinics.
"Many people don't realize that they have sensitive skin and learn about it when they develop eczema and other skin problems after undergoing a skin treatment or after using a skin product," said Dr. Clarissa Cellona, MD FPDS, Senior consultant of SkinCell Advanced Aesthetics Clinics, who is a U.S. trained dermatologist specializing in environmental dermatology and skin allergies.

A lot of our skin problems like allergy, pimples, and wrinkles are compounded by our lifestyle and environmental exposure to industrial and commercial pollutants. That is why at SkinCell, a thorough skin analysis is always performed by a board-certified dermatologist before the start of any treatment. SkinCell strives to be at the forefront of the medical aesthetic industry by combining advanced technologies in laser medicine and anti-aging with exclusively formulated medical grade products.

New clinic at BGC


SkinCell is officially opening its newest clinic at the Venice Grand Canal Mall in McKinley Hill, Taguig City. The strategic location of this clinic enables it to serve the nearby residential communities and businesses. It is open everyday until 9 in the evening- making it convenient for the busy young professionals who seek treatments for various concerns of the skin, hair, and nails.

The clinic's Acne Solution Program is one of the most sought after treatments by many of SkinCell's clients. It addresses any form of acne problem with lasting results. In addition to this, SkinCell can customize its medical grade facial treatments based on the need and lifestyle of patients.

SkinCell's ReSET (Rejuvenating Skin Enhancement Technology) treatment is the latest, top-of-line non-surgical procedure that aims to removes signs of aging and makes patients look up to 10 years younger. SkinCell is the only clinic that is licensed to offer this treatment, which is powered by U.S.-patented Time Machine Procedure.

SkinCell also offers other non-invasive treatments such as permanent laser hair reduction, skin resurfacing for minimizing scars and pigmentation, skin whitening and tattoo removal, treatment of pathologic skin conditions such as alopecia and eczema, and energy-based procedures for skin lifting and tightening. 

SkinCell Venice is located at the 2nd Floor of Venice Grand Canal Mall, McKinley Hill, Taguig. It is open on weekdays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and on weekends from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. For inquiriess, please call (02) 625-4552 or (0917) 603-4769.

SkinCell Forbes branch is at the 2nd floor of San Antonio Plaza Arcade, McKinley Road, Makati City. It is open Mondays to Saturdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. For inquiries, please call (02) 526- 1379 or (0917) 799-1412. 

SkinCell Bocobo branch is at the mezzanine floor of Bocobo Center along J. Bocobo Street, Manila City. It is open Mondays to Saturdays, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. For inquiries, please call (02) 777-2355 or (0917) 832-2445.