Year after year, we give gifts with the goal of making our friends, family and special someone feel loved and appreciated. But because of the busyness of the holidays, we find ourselves stressed out thinking of what special gift to give. Often times, we usually think there are lesser and lesser options available.

Playing with our kids is an essential task parents should always make time for. In my little growing family, we make sure to allot kiddie me time bonding on a daily basis most especially on weekends.

My eldest daughter loves to sing, dance, play-pretend, draw and paint. In all these, I make sure to watch, join or simply be there beside her when she wants me too. Out of all the activities she likes doing, painting easily became our favorite mother-daughter bonding moment. Maybe because it is a chill activity that allows conversation and connection.

Downy D-E-T-E-R-G-E-N-T. Yes, you read that right. Our favorite fabric conditioner brand, Downy, now has a detergent. For millennial mommies like me who swears by the astounding efficacy of Downy as fabric conditioner, this announcement of Downy having a detergent line is great news as it finally completes our laundry essentials.

Millennial moms love the new Downy Detergent

The first time I heard about the Downy Detergent, a question popped into my mind. Do I still need to use Downy Fabric Conditioner with the new Downy Detergent? After researching, I found out that the answer is a big YES!!! Why? Simply because a fabric conditioner works differently from a detergent. A detergent cleans and removes dirt while a fabric conditioner softens, freshens and prevents color fading and stretching of fabric.


So, what is it to love about the new Downy Detergent:
1. Downy Detergent effectively removes dirt making clothes sparkling clean.


2. Downy Detergent has perfume boosters that ensures long lasting freshness.

Those pink merengue looking beads are the perfume boosters!

3. Downy Detergent has a superior cleaning formula and a fragrance of perfume that mixes well and works efficiently with my favorite Downy Fabric Conditioner.  Downy Detergent is the most compatible cleanser for the Downy Fabric Conditioner. Using both results to extremely clean and fragrant newly washed clothes.

It is the rainy season once again and for most of us, it has been quite a challenge to keep our newly washed clothes from having the kulob smell. It may be due to a number of reasons like drying indoors and washing clothes at night. Without the help of Mr. Sun, our newly washed clothes usually end up smelling bad as clothes tend not to dry properly. It can be very frustrating as we still have a million tasks in our never ending to do list. Most of the time, we or worse our family members end up using the kulob-smelling clothes and we are very much aware that it is not at all a good and healthy practice. Moms should be the first one to say no to kulob-smelling clothes.


Here are some hacks I personally tried to have fresh smelling clothes during the rainy season:

1. Wring the Clothes Properly
If you are handwashing your clothes, it would be great to squeeze most of the water from the clothes before hanging them. I usually even ask my husband to help me wring the clothes as he can do it better than me.

2. Hang Clothes in A Highly Ventilated AreaAfter washing, hang clothes in a highly ventilated area most especially when you hang it indoors. I usually support it with electric fans to speed up drying.

3. Use a dryer

You may also consider investing on a clothes dryer that is fast-drying. This way, it really ensures that the water in the clothes have been removed. Sometimes, I go to the laundromat to utilize their fast-drying machines.


4. Always Put a Fabric Conditioner that can #KabogAngKulobFabric conditioner does not only make clothes soft. Downy Kontra Kulob, fabric conditioner has 20x antibac power that removes the kulob-smelling germs. It also guarantees the clothes to have long lasting freshness even when dried indoors. When I discovered this, I was truly amazed with how effective this is. Now, I am too dependent on Downy Kontra Kulob to fight-off bad smell. When I use, it is like my clothes dried during the warm heat of the summer - no kulob at all.

5. Be Patient with the Drying Process
Don't rush the drying process. During the rainy season, clothes drying require a longer time. I even make sure not to put damp clothes in a hamper or closet.  I usually touch the seam and the thicker parts of the clothes to check if it completely dried out. 

What about you? What are your rainy day laundry hacks?

In 2013, my husband and I got married and dreamt of having our own family. 6 years later, we are now a family of four and it is now more than ever that I saw the importance of being healthy for my children and for my husband. Moms cannot get sick as many tasks and responsibilities will be affected by it. But more than not being able to function well, we know that getting sick is a big no-no as it may affect the entire family most especially the children.

But in as much as I want to maintain a healthy lifestyle for my family and to prevent sickness in our home, it has been quite a challenge given our exposure to a lot of stressors, tempting distractions here and there, and persistence of unhealthy habits like drinking soda and staying up late which I am  guilty of.



In an effort to live a healthier lifestyle for me and my family, I am now leaning towards healthier choices in what to eat, drink and even use in our bodies. I am more mindful of the things I purchase for my family as I am constantly on the look-out for practical and high-quality health items. Good thing, our go-to pharmacy store, #WatsonsPh, keeps on offering a wide range of children and adult vitamins, supplements, natural bath and oral care, first-aid, and over-the-counter medication. Watsons has all-things that enable each member of the family to #behealthyinsideandout and to #lookgoodfeelgreat. From small booboos to the common illnesses and health concerns, Watsons has the preventive measures and remedies.

Aside from the usual medicines, vitamins and supplements, here are some of my Watson's finds:

For the usual booboos, I use VCO to facilitate wound healing.
For insect bites, I use Tinybuds After Bites to soothe and relieve the affected skin.
For migraine and muscle pains, I use FreshKo roll-on to give the body an instant cool relief.
For my postpartum hair, I use Argan shampoo and conditioner to revitalize it.
For days when my husband and I get too stressed, we take Chamomile tea to relax us. 

Watsons has products for old ages: babies to adults!

Perfect for my post-partum dull and falling hair

Great for days when husband and I need to relax

Health is wealth as the saying goes. So I highly suggest that we all make health goals for our family and to really invest on and prioritize our health. Visit the nearest Watsons branch near you and see the different products that may help you and your family to #behealthyinsideandout.

Routinary work may bring us some dull moments. But we can also spice it up by putting some humor and playfulness into it. One example is cleaning, a daily chore, which can be made a little less harder and more enjoyable by adding some dance moves into the cleaning routine. For some, cleaning can even be another form of exercise.

Getting a thorough clean is hard work. It’s time consuming and requires a certain level of concentration and skill. This is true of anyone who juggles home land work life whether you’re a working mom, one who stays at home, a dad who helps his wife with the household chores or a single person who owns his or her own condo unit. It’s a dreaded chore, which we cannot escape as it still needs to be done.

Pine-Sol, a brand of cleaning essentials we trust, suggests a simple formula to make cleaning a lot more pleasant:

a bucket of Pine-Sol + a splash of effort + a few drops of fun + a gallon of heart.

As for me, I also want to add to the formula a small amount of sacrifice for love to make it an expression of love for myself, family, relative and friends.


Cleaning with Pine-Sol Multi-Surface Cleaner helps a lot in making cleaning and tidying up more enjoyable. It is effective in cutting through grease, grime, and dirt, while leaving your surfaces germ-free, smelling fresh and fragrant.

Pine-Sol Multi-Surface Cleaner can be used to clean hard nonporous surface of the house and workplace—from floor tiles, walls, stove tops, countertops, and glass.
 

To make cleaning extra fun and rewarding, Pine-Sol Philippines brought the Pine-Sol Cleaning Dance Challenge from the US. I invite you to join the PINE-SOL CLEANING DANCE CHALLENGE and get a chance to win exciting prizes.

To submit your entry:

1. Go to Pine-Sol Dance Challenge page www.pinesol.com.ph/mycleanmoves/

2. Verify your e-mail and submit your entry on the website. Your Pine-Sol dance photo should showcase cleaning any part of your home with any Pine-Sol variant

3. Upload your entry on Facebook upon receiving validation and add the official contest hashtags #PineSol and #MyCleanMovesPH. Make sure your post is in public setting.

Exciting prizes await the winners: a BOSE Bluetooth Bucket Speaker, BOSE Waterproof Bluetooth Speakers, and BOSE Wireless Earphones. The 10 most liked and shared posts will also receive 3-month Spotify subscription each.

Contest runs from June 5 to 30, 2019 and winners will be announced on July 12, 2019.

To know more about Pine-Sol,you can visit their official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/PinesolPhilippines/. For the full mechanics of the Pine-Sol Dance Challenge, go to www.pinesol.com.ph/mycleanmoves/mechanics.html.

Pine-Sol is available in leading supermarkets and retailers nationwide. It comes in longer-lasting scents - Original Pine, Lavender Clean, Lemon Fresh, and Sparkling Wave.