How to #StayStrongStayBeautiful

Can we all bounce back from a series of setbacks that were unexpected and for which we were all  unprepared?  (That's me, I wasn't able to eat, sleep and drink well during the first month of ECQ!)  We are uncertain about the future but we remain hopeful. 

Thankfully, we've been slowly getting back to work as the economy is opening gradually. Children are going back to school soon. Many businesses are open again. There's reason to be hopeful.

Life today truly comes with its challenges. As we adjust to a new way of life, Watsons is here by our side.

Please read on for some tips and recommendations on how we can all stay strong, stay beautiful, during these times.

Serenitea at Home with Serenitea DIY Home Kits

One product that I crave so much during lockdown is Milk Tea.

I wanted to order online but all milk tea stores were closed back then.

Once GCQ started, a couple of milk tea shops are starting to open yet I am wary to order for delivery because of the news we heard about food establishment staffs having COVID-19.  

So when I heard about Serenitea At Home DIY  Home Kits, I knew this is the answer to a lot of paranoid mommies and daddies!

Serenitea Express

Serenitea Express is a line of instant drink mixes which lets one recreate the Serenitea experience at home.

Given the limited number of open stores during the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) period, Serenitea could not cater to the milk tea cravings of loyal customers and milk tea lovers. Thus Serenitea has decided to launch Serenitea Express, now officially known as the Serenitea DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Home Kits. Everyone can now enjoy their favorite milk teas without leaving the house.

Serenitea DIY Home Kits are available via Serenitea stores, online ordering, third party deliveries (Happy Move), and pabili services (Joyride), etc. Serenitea has also tapped the two most popular online shopping platforms -- Lazada and Shopee.

Shopee: https://shopee.ph/helloserenitea

Lazada: https://www.lazada.com.ph/shop/serenitea-kitchen

There are 8 bundle sets with combinations of sinkers to match your preferences. Each instant mix

sachet is equivalent to one 16oz serving and can be served either hot or cold. One kit can

make approximately 15 cups. Instructions on how to prepare the drinks and sinkers are also included in

the kits.  And I've done these myself and they were quit easy to make (surprisingly!)

Kindly click the link below on my short video on how I made my drinks!  

Barry M Nail Paints Now In the Philippines!

The first time I laid my hands on a Barry M product was actually a nail polish which I won from a contest year 2009.  (You don't believe me?  Click HERE).

Beauty Blogging was way different back then.  I don't have access to a lot of international brands so I ended up doing a lot of "Blogger Shopping Switch" (I purchase items for an International Blogger and they shop for me in their country!)

So anyway, back to the brand story!  I have tried Barry M polishes and knew they were great!  But since the brand never arrived our shores, I just set this aside (at the back of my head wishing and hoping they'll be available locally).

Who would have thought it would happen on a crazy 2020?  I mean everything about this year has been bad so hearing such news is such a wonderful bud of leaf peeping through a dried out soil (okay, I'm too negative here but you know what I mean right?)

So a lot of you would probably shrug your shoulders and say: "Meh".

The nail polish and nail art lover in me is REJOICING! 

You can easily see it by the look of my face - pure joy as I applied a coat of Barry M Gelly Shine Nail Paint!  I got 3 shades to play with and used 2 immediately + a top coat!

Barry M Gelly Shine Nail Paints are indeed high shine (a coat is enough to see the shine!)  and it is quick drying!  I applied this on a whim while doing an unboxing video and had a busy day ahead so I washed my hand 5 minutes after I applied the top coat expecting them to be ruined!  Well, it did not!  And I am still sporting this lovely nails while typing this blog post!  

Please watch my quick nail art video and see the real SHINE and how opaque these are!

Is Your Kid Ready for Homeschool?

I have to admit something to you fellow mommies and daddies.

For the past years that Kyle started school, we don't have a "serious" study place because I personally don't want my son to take his studies seriously.

SHOCKING RIGHT?  

What kind of parent would want their kid not to take their schooling seriously?

Well, ME!

Kyle is a natural studious boy!  He picks books instead of toys even at the age of 2 or 3 years old.  "You should be grateful mommy!"  That's what I hear from every single parent I chanced upon whenever they see Kyle read books EVEN AT BIRTHDAY PARTIES!

It is okay to hone his serious attitude when it comes to studies, but one thing I noticed about him is how he cannot accept mistakes!  It was a long process for me to teach him to accept failure and "x" marks from school papers.  I even requested his teacher to be firm in telling him IT IS OKAY TO MAKE MISTAKES.

Kyle is way better today at the age of 7.  Still a work in progress on some areas but a huge change from his younger years!  

So the point of my LONG intro is that, I never took a "study" session as seriously as today!  Well latter part of his Grade 1, I was really serious in teaching him Chinese and Filipino but I let him be for other subjects.  But since COVID-19 happened and most schooling are to be done at home, I had to create a comfortable space for him to sit and study for 4-6 hours a day!

Our study nook - also a work in progress - came to life during lockdown and I am so grateful for ONLINE shopping!

Kyle have a LOT of art materials that I knew I had to do something about it!  Inspired by the white cart I got from my sister in law, I bought buckets from Lazada and fixed everything for him to see ALL his art materials!  It is also a wake up call for me not to purchase more!  There were a LOT dubplicates!  

Aside from fixing his art area, I also removed and kept most of the toys he does not play with!  There were loads so I've decided to donate most of them and keep the rest in a nice storage box so he can always go back to it for play time.

I pulled out my own table and got a super comfortable chair.  For kids who are studying at home, I highly recommend to invest on comfortable chair - if you plan on buying one or use an existing chair that is VERY comfortable for them to sit on!

I got Kyle a Kid2Youth DUO Ergo Chair  which I think is a great investment since this chair works for kids and adults alike.  That said, the chair will grow together with  my son!

I picked a Blue chair and you may purchase a separate cover to save up on cleaning!  The chair has a great back support which keep correct posture for my son which is super important!  Aside from that, I like the customized foot rest which helps in keeping my son "on the chair"!  

For Philippine readers, you may contact Kid2YouthPhilippines on Instagram and DM them directly on how to order.

Table accessories are also important for me to keep things organized.  An organized table will make it easier for them to focus on their studies as opposed to messy ones.

Style Series: Bright Colored High-Low Top

This COVID season with a lot of us staying at home for work!  Dressing up is actually the LAST thing on your mind - trust me, I know as there were days I'm in my pajamas for the whole day!  

So why am I even dressing up?  Not because I want to, I just had to!  I have a couple of meetings the past weeks so I've decided to dress up not only on top but made it a complete OOTD thing.  Because seriously, I felt much better dressing up on some days.

Shopping for clothes is one of my favorite past time, I don't discriminate on clothing brand, I wear clothes from different price range as long as I know the style fits my body shape!  I remembered purchasing this top on a sale at SM Women section and I was thinking: "What the hell am I doing showing off my bulging tummy?"

Well, I don't have to!  I only need to pair this with a high waisted shorts or pants!  This works well white or light gray bottoms!