Carrier Review: Garden of Eden Woven Wrap

Carrier Review: Garden of Eden Woven Wrap



          This month I had the opportunity to try out a gorgeous wrap from Fiola Handwovens called Garden of Eden. Fiola Handwovens is a brand of handwoven wraps from Gorham, Maine headed by Ardhyarini Hermawan. Garden of Eden is a size 6 wrap with shades of pink from top to bottom and has a very girly vibe to it. I got it on a Friday and was very happy to try it out immediately at home. At first touch it was very soft and cushy and I knew I wanted to get my baby up quickly to test it's support. Now it's December in the Philippines and usually the weather is cold already but after doing a quick FWCC I was sweating buckets already. But I did prove that GOE is very smooth and supportive even for my 20 month old boy. The only downside was that it was very heavy and very hot, even when we were in our air-conditioned room.

          The true test came the next day as I had a mommy-event to attend. I took GOE with us to test for a whole day affair. I found that outdoors, it was harder to maneuver, especially with back carries, which resulted in my haphazard and sloppy carry that day. Front carries were easier but still too warm for my liking. Breastfeeding in the carrier was good as it was very supportive but since it was a size 6, I always felt panicky that the tails would get dirty every time I unraveled it to feed my son.

          My husband tried to wear it once but quickly removed it saying he felt uncomfortable with the weight. I was okay with the weight but not the heat. That being said, I was still amazed at the sleep dust it had! it lulled my son to sleep for at least 2 hours while we walked around the mall. All in all I didn't experience much back ache or shoulder ache as the wrap was very soft and supportive but my clothes were drenched in sweat after using it.

          I would recommend this wrap to families in cold climate and those who love using long wraps. The look of it is very elegant and would suit those who need a carrier for formal occasions especially. For more information about this wrap and others from Fiola Handwovens you can check them out at their Facebook page here.

Product Review: Bio-glow Organic Household Cleaners

Product Review: Bio-glow Organic Household Cleaners

          As most of you know, I am a work-at-home mom to a toddler and a dog, so a big part of my day is cleaning up their mess. I was so happy when I was sent a trial pack of Bio-glow Organic Household Cleaners because I just knew they would be a big help in our cleaning routine. I lifted this description from their website:

Bio-Glow organic household cleaners are formulations of eco-friendly surfactants and natural cleaners that penetrate into hard to reach cracks and crevices, keeping surfaces cleaner for longer periods of time.

Bio-Glow is a product line of ECOZYME BIO-SYSTEMS CORPORATION (EBSC) which was established to introduce to the Philippine market all-natural products and solutions that perform consistently.

 What really made me consider using their product long-time is the eco-friendly part, especially since I have a baby who crawls all over the house and a dog who loves to sleep on our floor. 

 

          I received 5 bottles: Odor Eliminator, Kitchen Cleaner, Bathroom Cleaner, Floor Cleaner and All Purpose Cleaner. The bottles we used the most were the All Purpose Cleaner and Odor Eliminator since there were lots of spills and lots of weird, funky smells because of the baby and the doggie. The Kitchen and Bathroom cleaner were my mother's favorite though, as she is quite a crazy cleaner when it comes to the bath and kitchen parts of the house (something to do with feng shui I bet). The floor cleaner was most used during the weekend cleaning when we would do a top to bottom clean on the house. After using them, I really do feel like the surfaces are all cleaner and they don't have a sludgy and slimy effect at all. All the cleaners have a pH balanced formula that should be safe on types of surfaces. I love how they are plant-based and so the after-smell is quite nice and earthy/citrusy. 

          All my bottles are now empty and I plan on continuing to use them, especially my fave All Purpose Cleaner and Odor Eliminator, it's a good thing they are fairly accessible in local supermarkets and hardware stores in the mall. And if you'd rather shop online they also have a Facebook page. Another thing I would recommend them for is the price point as all of them are less than 200 pesos and would last for months. I highly recommend them to all moms and dads and families out there who want a clean and great smelling house while using products that are eco-friendly and safe for the whole family.



Carrier Review: IMA Standler Camille

Carrier Review: IMA Standler Camille

               There have been a lot of new Filipino-made carriers out there and one of them is the IMA carrier. As per their Facebook page, IMA is the Capampangan word for mother and IMA is an acronym for In My Arms. The owner of the brand is Jaki Carino-Flora and she said that they started the carrier-making business back in July 2015 with only her mother solely making the carriers. She then launched the first batch in November 2015 and they sold out in a flash! Because of that success they have 3 additional sewers plus her mom who still cuts and sews and her carriers are coveted by most babywearing moms. I asked Jaki what her dream for IMA is and she said:

"Dream ko is for it (IMA) to pass the international standards, become a pride of the Pinoys, and be able to reach out to more parents through visibility in more stores nationwide, para they will be aware of responsible and proper wearing. And hopefully reach the shores of other countries too."

                I just put in an order for my own IMA last month and was happy to test-drive this standler carrier. IMA has 3 sizes: standard which is their baby-sized carrier for kids 15-40 pounds, toddler for kids 25-45 pounds and standler for those in between. They lent me a standler carrier in the Camille design and it was a really good fit for my son panel-wise, it was just the right height and width. He wasn't drowning in the carrier and he was spilling out of it either. Since I was one of the last ones to review the carrier, I noticed that the color wasn't as bright in person as it looked in pictures, but it still photographed beautifully. For me though the true test was wearing it for extended periods of time.

               I did a fit check at home once I got it and all the normal parts I was used to were there. The only thing missing was the pocket on the waist belt which really made me feel lost as I was used to having pockets on my SSCs (soft structured carrier) for my phone and keys. The straps were a good size and they wasn't hard to loosen or tighten them for breastfeeding. The waist belt was just long enough for me and hubby who are both big in the middle but I noticed it started hurting me after a couple of hours of straight wearing my son. He is now 20 pounds and I noticed that unless there is heavy padding on a carrier it gets unbearable to wear him for over 2 hours now. Structure-wise, I also noticed the hood is much too easy to detach, but that may be because I am one of the last ones to review this certain carrier.

        My husband also tried the carrier and he mentioned that it got uncomfortable for him after an hour of carrying our kid. He liked the price point but he said he preferred our other carriers. As for myself, I find that IMA is basically the same as my Tula in terms of using it as they are both fairly simple and straightforward. I liked how easy it was to breastfeed and do a back carry because the buckles and straps slide easily against each other. The longest wear I did was only 3 straight hours, though that might be partly because my toddler now wants to walk around more and partly because my lower back began to ache like hell. But I'm happy to report that IMA became our go-to carrier for the week it was with us.

              I would definitely recommend IMA to parents who are looking for affordable SSCs (soft structured carriers) and want a Tula-like feel. I say that in the most flattering light possible as in the babywearing world Tula is the Mercedes of carriers. I would say IMA is the Toyota of carriers as they are affordable but still cool and savvy especially for money-wise mommies and daddies. You can purchase your very own IMA carrier from the website or at 9 months and Beyond.



SPIN Turns 3 During IBW 2016

SPIN Turns 3 During International Babywearing Week 2016

          I was recently invited by a good friend to cover her group's IBW event last October 8, 2016 at the Activity Center at Alabang Town Center. She belongs to a breastfeeding and mommy support group called SouthPiNanays (SPIN). SPIN was founded by Nina Atienza with Katrina Ambion back in October 2013 when Nina made an inquiry in Breastfeeding Pinays looking for moms in South Luzon who wanted to meet up and discuss mommy stuff like breastfeeding, and about 20 moms responded and they met up at Asian Hospital for a small group meeting and that got the ball rolling. It was Katrina who came up with the name South PiNanays blending Pinay and Nanay together to come up with a fabulous neologism.

          SPIN mommies are those who live in Parañaque, Muntinlupa, Las Piñas, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas and Quezon. Based from the group's facebook description, their main advocacy is to help provide proper information, guidance and support to mothers and mothers-to-be as they go through their breastfeeding journey and motherhood in general. They also provide support in regards to babywearing, cloth diapering and complimentary feeding.         

Program of Events

          Saturday dawned a bit dreary and I had some family stuff to take of so I was a bit late getting to the event. When I got there, the event was in full swing. There were a lot of booths and even more people milling around browsing and buying stuff. I immediately went and registered myself and got my "press pass". When you register you get your loot bag (though I didn't get one, boo hoo) and a stub for snacks from Banh Nam that entitles you to an iced tea or iced coffee and a Banh Mi (they tasted awesome!).  Then I went ahead and took pictures of the speakers, sponsors and the mompreneurs who had set up their wares for the big day.

List of Booths

List of Sponsors

Registration

          I listened avidly to the two speakers I managed to catch, Issa San Jose of Bright Discovery Toddler Learning Center and freelance make-up artist and amazing mommy vlogger Nina Pepper. There was also a demo from Pampers but I didn't really listen much as we don't use disposables hehe. The moms and dads in the audience appeared to be listening avidly, especially since they were all really great speakers. There were some games I missed like the Selfie game and the Jack-N-Poy game but I managed to catch the relay race in stuffing cloth diapers.  and of course everyone was excitedly awaiting the raffle.

Issa San Jose

Nina Pepper

The relay race

          There was a lot and I mean A LOT of prizes, and they were amazing prizes from sponsors. There were certificates from David's Salon and Wear Your Baby PH, free one month trial at Bright Discovery Toddler Learning Center,  minor prizes from Mum N Bub, FabrikaMNL, Hands N'Mind, Quigle Bum, Coco Haven and carriers from  CEO Emporium, Little Pink Heart, Handmade and Beyond, Shadrach's Collection, Tiara's Handwoven, Quality Brand, Bahaghari, Izzy Breezy, and Love, Renshel. We ended the day with a heartfelt thank-you speech from SPIN co-founder Katrina Ambion. I really had a blast at the event where I was welcomed warmly by all the event hosts, volunteers and guest mommies. Seeing as how this event turned out, I can say they really had a great plan and everything was well executed,  and I look forward to attending future SPIN events and hope they invite me back for more.

Raffle winner/s

SPIN Committee and guests