A Surprise for One, A Gift for Many

Note: Images in this post are meant not to have the orphans in it, and some are edited for their protection. If you see any sensitive materials in this post, please report to us immediately through email or Facebook.

Nothing beats surprises, especially when weʼre talking about celebrations. We know how special kids are to us that weʼd be willing to give anything in the world to them, and thatʼs what a mom did: a surprise for one, a gift for many.

Marty got a surprise from his mom on his eighth birthday: a celebration at Cribs Foundation, a home for children given care, healing and recovery. It was touching to see that everything that was planned for the surprise is purpose-driven, and involved both the gift of celebration and giving.

Our birthday boy enters the room, little girls welcome him singing their own version of Happy Birthday. It was in their own words and an affirmation of his positive traits. The girls of Cribs Foundation are very happy to see that they made our birthday boy really happy with their song.

The day was filled with dancing, singing, games, and food. Any mom who would witness everything that happened in the party will have their hearts filled with pure joy, seeing Marty and the girls of Cribs Foundation sharing an exciting time and laughing all throughout the day.

Marty and his mom, in cooperation with Oh Joy! & Co., taught the girls how to craft. The orphans of Cribs Foundation are taken care of, and at the same time taught how to do different crafts they can sell. The funds they earn are used to prepare them once theyʼre ready to leave the orphanage. It takes compassion and a big heart to reach out and share this special time with the children of Cribs.

Everyone helped each other decorate their crafts. It wasn't just crafting and playing around with paper and colors. Creating something new with simple craft materials turned into a wonderful and meaningful way to just sit, have fun, and exchange creative ideas.

Time to blow the candles! This big-hearted little man took his time to think of a wish before blowing the candles. Whatever his wish was, weʼre sure itʼs nice just like how the orphans described him!

His parents also left wishes: For him to grow up as a good and smart boy, see the value in anything, be good in what he wants to become when he grows up, for him to see how much people love him, and to grow up fearing God.

It's a very special birthday. Itʼs a surprise for one, but the gift wasnʼt just for him. It was a gift for many. More than just teaching the kids his knowledge about crafting, we are sure each heart was touched and made happy and thankful. And we guess thatʼs what we love about being moms. Seeing our kids happy, and for them to learn how to share happiness with other kids.

At the end of the day, our birthday boy was also very happy because his Family and everyone in Cribs Foundation made him enjoy his birthday.

You can also share with Cribs Foundation. If you choose to take action and help the kids of Cribs foundation receive a home, have new beginnings, or if you would like to join a Volunteer program, you can visit their website at http://www.cribsfoundation.com/.

Brewing Wickedness

If you ask us to choose between Trick or Treat, we choose both! We were really excited for Halloween, we wanted more that just our usual trick or treat that it got us Brewing Wickedness. We actually ran out of treats to give and we can hear kids say "This is the coolest house!" and here's why...

Bats, spiders and webs, cauldrons and coffins... are you sure you want to enter the witch’s lair? Behind the wicked look are special treats for everyone. Let’s take a look at every surprise the witch brewed for us:

 

 

Lots of pumpkins, which apparently the witch took out from her lair to her front yard. We’re not kidding, you’ll be seeing more pumpkins as you scroll down. We also wonder what the witch is trying to make with inside the cauldron. We hope she’s making something nice.

And what else spells spooky better than these coffins? It really brings in the “scare” spirit in Halloween.

These bats were also lingering around the lair, but they didn’t bother any of our trick or treaters. Apparently, they were well-trained by our Witch.

More pumpkins! Our Witch would like to share her love for crafts and bats too.

So this is where she sits. But while she’s gone, trick-or-treaters can take a seat and a picture and make sure they don’t get caught by the witch’s hands. Looks like a lot can have their photo taken because the witch left her broom. It might take some time before she returns.

Witches do know a lot about decorating. Just look at the table cloth she used. It’s beautiful, it has webs at the end of the cloth and, wait a minute... where are the spiders?

Yikes! They’re already climbing up the table. Even the spiders cannot resist our treats. Speaking of treats...

They’re heading for the chocolate cake! It must be delicious since they’re coming for it first. Or maybe they’re saving the best for last? Maybe we should take a look at the other treats before they finish everything off.

Mummy Cupcakes! Topped with (insert toppings here). They also look like they prepared a lot for Halloween. We’re guessing they have no sleep because their eyes are so red. "We kid, we kid."

If there’s a spider we want to eat, this is it. Spider Smores! If it bites you, you turn into Spiderman but soft and mushy.

Our witch is a bit concerned and consistent with her look too and has decided to dress her cupcakes with little witch hats.

Looks like the witch’s chair isn’t the only place she left her body parts. She also left a little “helping hand.”

So this is what she’s been making in her cauldron. Witch’s Brew for the trick-or-treaters! Everybody loves coffee. You can choose from Wicked Cappuccino, Cafe Americano and Black Tea.

She also prepared Bewitching Potions (Zero Cola/Orange Juice) for the kids. See, she’s not that wicked at all.

We can’t wait for next Halloween so we can already make our next trick, and treat of course.

Event, Styling and Photos in cooperation with FinePoint Design, Weluvmoms and Oh! Joy and Co.

Mom-me Time 2014

When you become a mom, life becomes busy and everybody will agree. But becoming a mom doesn’t have to mean you lose time for yourself. There’s a “me” in mommy and this sparked the idea of making a get together of super moms by Baby and Breakfast - Mom-me Time 2014.

On October 15, 2014, a group of moms with the shared passion to inspire other moms had  a day of pampering at Spaces by Babyland. Upon entering, you can already scream happily in your head and say “Ahhh! Finally some me time!” Just look at how wonderfully designed the place is.

Hosted by Janna Simpao, owner of blogs Bride & Breakfast and Baby & Breakfast.

Moms begin with their pampering time by making their own flower crowns.

Look how beautiful the crowns they made are. They are very Instagram-able too!

Rica Peralejo starts talking about her passions and dreams in life. She likes mountain climbing and spelunking, and wishes she can climb a mountain with her baby when he grows up. She then told everybody to share each others’ stories, passions and dreams and called few to share in front.

She points out not to forget about these passions and let these become your driving spirit in influencing your son/daughter. Her husband, Joe, would never have been a reader if it wasn’t for his mom, and Rica wouldn’t have known how to style a house if it wasn’t for her mom.

Then it was Maricel Laxa’s turn, who had a similar concept but an entirely different story. She was going through rules and strategies when she forgot her own value, and how she, her children, each one of us are uniquely designed and of great value. She approached her mentor about this and was asked about her priorities, and that’s when she knew she had to value herself more for her to be able to take care of others deeply.

She continues with humility and how we should never shoulder all responsibilities and ask help from others. Lastly, she says “you are not the ultimate source”, you need to get power from the ultimate source.

Everyone also brought home a lot of amazing stuff, and we mean A LOT, from Yosi & Samra, Huggies, Tonga, Boon, Minui, Dr. Brown's and more.

It was amazing attending Mom-me Time 2014 and we hope a lot of moms, even those who are not in the event, are inspired and will soon be sharing the same passion of inspiring others.

Mom-me Time 2014 is an event by Baby and Breakfast in collaboration with Rica Peralejo-Bonifacio of Wanders and Wonders and Babyland.

Embracing Moments with SwaddleDesigns

We've blogged about SwaddleDesigns a few times before already but we just couldn't get enough of them. Being in their exclusive preview of their collection made us even more excited about all the things we know we can share with you.

We were welcomed with (non-alcoholic) mommytinis and delicious food prepared by Society Lounge. And WeLuvMoms actually styled our own dessert buffet!

Hosted by Honey Obusan, who is also a mom. She already started to love the brand not long after the event has started. We're really happy because the famous brand in the US is now available in the Philippines, and we don't know anyone who wouldn't love the brand and their products.

Video from SwaddleDesigns USA

Joy Sy, General Manager of SwaddleDesigns PH, shares how the brand came to life. Registered Nurse Lynette Damir used her medical and design background to make blankets that solved problems parents usually tell her: Blankets that are too thick or thin, and blankets that are too small to swaddle a baby.

Swaddling isn't just wrapping your baby for him to feel warm. It actually has other (and greater) benefits.

• Experts say that swaddling reduces the incidence of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). Having baby sleep on his back is actually safer than letting babies sleep sidewards or facing down as this helps them breathe properly.
• It also reduces colic and fussiness and it lets the baby sleep better because it reminds them of when they were still in the womb. It also prevents baby from flailing his hands, which usually startles babies awake.
• It even helps you breastfeed. You can train your baby to latch on when breastfeeding while he is swaddled so that his hands are contained.

 

And it's finally the moment of truth. Do you know how to swaddle? Joy and Honey called guests to volunteer and attempt to swaddle a baby. One of them already knew how because she watches a lot of YouTube videos, but the other mom wasn't able to swaddle her baby right. At least she put a ribbon.

So it was time for them to try again. This time, following the 123 Swaddle label. It's a good thing SwaddleDesigns blankets have 123 Swaddle labels sewn to the edge. Definitely a new parent life saver. And it helps too if you're leaving your baby with a yaya or relative.

Just knowing their benefits and having the 123 Swaddle label already had us convinced, and then Joy continues with the products' versatility. “We know that for moms, the baby’s comfort and security comes first. But that doesn’t mean moms have to miss out in style. With SwaddleDesigns, moms can embrace parenthood without sacrificing their fashionable self,” Joy Sy-Sim said.

Models start to enter and show how fashionable these products are. And look how versatile the blanket is. Apparently, you can use it for as a stroller blanket, a privacy throw when breastfeeding or an accessory for baby on your day out.

The baby burpies don't look like traditional burp cloths, so I guess we can say goodbye to our old-fashioned lampins.

Also take a look at what the baby is holding. It's a security blanket called Baby Lovies, and it's amazing because he never lets go of it even after the fashion show!

Now it's the guests turn. They were asked to think of creative ways to use SwaddleDesigns and this is what they came up with. Looks like SwaddleDesigns is more than just a baby product. It's for moms as well. Too bad they weren't with their kids. We can just imagine how adorable they'd look together wearing matching SwaddleDesigns products. And we don't even have to wonder why celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Ben Affleck, Mariah Carey used SwaddleDesigns.

That's also how they came up with their campaign, Embracing MOMents. “Lynette Damir makes sure that each SwaddleDesigns product is made with mom and baby in mind, combining function and style in one package,” said Joy Sy-Sim. “And we believe that caring for your baby is all about embracing every moment and embracing the lifestyle of living in a modern world. Products like Swaddle Designs are helping each parent embrace that moment,” added Sim.

We luv SwaddleDesigns PH for bringing these fashionable and versatile baby products to the country. We can't wait to have our own Embracing Moments! SwaddleDesigns PH is also on Facebook, Blogger and Instagram.

Recherche Marketing is the official distributor of SwaddleDesigns in the Philippines. Available in Rustan's, Babyland and Rainbow Tots (Cebu). Also available online in Cudsly and Babies to Toddlers.