Top 3 Contenders for the Mother & Child Photo Contest!

One week had passed since Mommy Keepsakes launched its Mother & Child Photo Contest on Facebook. As of today, there are 17 official entries. But who are the top contenders?! Here they are...

Ghraze Pellerin Torres- 281 likes

Danaly Mabini Vita-Ramos- 271 likes

Nikki Tan- 119 likes

There are still 5 days to go before the promo period ends. You can still catch up! Thank you so much to all those who joined and good luck!

Blogging by Mommy Olive

Making Your "I Do" Moment Extra Special

With the perplexing jumble of wedding preparations currently overwhelming you, you may have missed out on one important aspect of the ceremony--- your WEDDING VOWS! Keeping in mind that the wedding ceremony is the essence of the entire celebration, you must also allot time and effort on coming up with good wedding vows. Making your “I do” moment special counts a lot. 

Nowadays, many couples opt to have personalized wedding vows instead of the standard ones that churches have always provided. Don’t you want to commit to your future partner with a heartfelt message that is tailored to your personal experience and relationship as a couple, instead of repeating lines that have been uttered thousands and thousands of times by others? If you do, then you better start planning and writing these personalized wedding vows already.

This is exactly what I did for my own wedding. My husband and I came up with simple yet very meaningful and heartfelt wedding vows that were based on how we really felt for one another and on our love story. You should try it out yourself! If you're not good in expressing yourself with words, perhaps you can ask a friend to help you out.

“…for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do us part…” may not sound as special as it used to for some. If you wish to keep the original message intact, you can reword the original vows and add your own personal sentiments. Here are some examples of lines that you may want to affix:

• You have brought me utmost joy in the midst of my gloom, bringing out the radiance within me and enveloping me in love and bliss.
• You are my best friend, my other half, the shoulder I could cry on and the rock I could lean on.
• Amidst the chaos of this world, your presence has calmed me and brought a smile to my face.
• My heaven-sent soulmate, you have opened up a world of happiness for me.
• I promise to love you all the days of my life, no matter how difficult, until we grow old together.

Your personalized wedding vows can be poetic or written in simple and easy-to-understand words. Although it would be great for the two of you to actually be the ones to write the words, you can also ask a better writer to help you out in expressing what is deep within your hearts. It is really up to you, as long as you can both internalize the message and truly understand the promise that you are making for a lifetime commitment. 

While it may be tempting to grab some readily accessible phrases and sentences from the Internet or from books to use as your wedding vows, you should reconsider such an option. Take note that if you do this, then these vows are no longer personalized. You can probably browse through some for ideas, but in the end, it is still much better to make up your own. Good luck and enjoy!

***For help with personalized wedding vows, you may email mommykeepsakes@yahoo.com or post a comment here. 

***To make your big day even more special, you can avail of the event styling services of Mommy Keepsakes.

Blogging by Mommy Olive

What is Event Styling?

Lovely floral arrangements lining up the presidential tables at your wedding, topped with strings of crystal beads, placed alongside scattered tea lights glimmering in the dimmed venue. Mood lights creating a beautiful and romantic ambiance. Heart-shaped chocolate wedding favors in personalized miniature paper bags embellished with ribbons and flowers. A single rose lying on top of each napkin rolled and tied with a customized napkin holder. These are just some of the visual ideas that event stylists come up with to make one's occasion breathtakingly magnificent and memorable.

Indeed event styling is an art. It is all about transforming an event into a visual beauty, a masterpiece that makes everything more precious especially for the celebrants. In a way, the event stylist is also a creative director who comes up with splendid productions that leave the guests in awe.

Usually, the entire design is based on a theme and enhanced with a given color scheme. The stage design, the centerpieces, the ceiling decor, and all the other visual essentials of an event are designed by the event stylist. He or she also gives suggestions and recommendations regarding the invites, guestbooks, AVPs, games, and other elements to create a unified concept that will make render the occasion much more special.

Event styling is not only for weddings. It can also be applied for other important, once-in-a-lifetime events like debutante's balls, school proms, anniversary parties, baptismal celebrations, baby showers, and kiddie parties.

***Email mommykeepsakes@yahoo.com or text 09228786040 for a free one-on-one consultation and concept planning.

Blogging by Mommy Olive

My Baby's Milestones at Five Months

Each baby is unique and may develop at a pace that may be slightly different than others. Nevertheless, there are certain milestones that a baby must achieve for each  month that he grows older from the newborn stage.


It's really amazing how babies develop so fast in many exciting ways that are very apparent! Every month, they are learning new skills. For example, at five months old, my baby Khalil can now do the following:

• smile and laugh out loud in reaction to stimuli, such as when we make funny face and create funny sounds and try to converse with him
• coos and makes other baby sounds when we talk to him, as if he can really converse
• grasp different items and if they are movable, automatically brings them to his mouth
• thumbsuck and "eat" all of his fingers
• reach for objects with his hands
• pull objects closer to himself
• be in a sitting position with support
• roll over and flip upside down on his tummy
• explore the surroundings with his eyes
• focus on watching TV or looking at the computer screen
• seemingly "sing" along with the lullaby being hummed to him
• sometimes hold his milk bottle by himself when hands are positioned
• listen to stories

Babies are so adorable! And parents never fail to be amazed at each little milestone that their baby is able to accomplish. I look forward to the other developments that my baby will exhibit in the following months.

Blogging by Mommy Olive

Our Greatest Joy

Wow, how time flies! My baby just turned five months old yesterday. As of his last visit to his pediatrician, he already weighs 8.8 kg! No wonder our arms easily ache after just a minute of carrying this big boy of ours! He's gotten a few nicknames already--- "Bardagul", "Bilog", and "Tabaching" to name a few. Now are you convinced that he really is big for his age? =)


Until now, my husband and I still find it funny to call our dearest son "anak". It's still hard to believe that we are actually parents now. Hehehe...

Certainly, having baby Khalil in our lives is the greatest joy we have ever felt! Here are the top five reasons we absolutely enjoy being his parents:

1. He always cheers us up after a hard day's work. It's so quick and easy for him to smile, with just a few funny sounds and movements from us. Sometimes, even when we're just calling his attention, he already smiles widely! There are times when he would even smile a bit, and then bury his face onto the shirt of the person holding him. Other times, he would even laugh out loud!
2. In the morning, he always brightens up our day. When he opens his eyes and sees us, he doesn't cry even if he had just woken up. Instead, his lips turn into a beautiful smile.
3. We absolutely enjoy playing with him. He removes all the worries from our minds, and keeps us smiling all the time.
4. He inspires us to work harder and to keep dreaming big dreams for our future as a family.
5. He gives us the opportunity to enjoy life and to know that God is for real, because our son is a blessing from Him. As the saying goes, "In God's time..." Our son moves us to believe that greater blessings our yet to come.

Blogging by Mommy Olive

Follow Mommy Keepsakes on Twitter!

Keep updated with Mommy Keepsakes even when you're on Twitter! This way, you can easily find out if there are new promos, giveaways, great product deals, and activities, as well as new posts on this blog site. Look for the username Mommy_Keepsakes on Twitter now!


Blogging by Mommy Olive

Mommy Keepsakes on Facebook

Mommy Keepsakes on Facebook is now growing, after being launched a week ago. Different Filipino moms are joining our entertaining and informational community.

Keep connected by liking us on Facebook and visiting the page often for blog updates, promos, and events! Meet other moms online and feel free to share your thoughts and photos on our page. Enjoy!


Blogging by Mommy Olive

Nervous to Pose Pregnant?

Perhaps you are already thinking of having your own maternity photo shoot, but are a bit doubtful if you are actually going to push through with it. Remember that it's not just about capturing that bulging belly on camera and having a remembrance of how you look. It is more about encapsulating the pure happiness of a mom-to-be, the glow of knowing that there's a little human being growing inside of you. It is also about having a keepsake to remind you of the deepening bond and love that you share with your baby.

If you are quite nervous about this entire idea of baring your changed body to somebody's lenses, here are some tips you can follow:

• Get a good sleep before the maternity photo shoot. When you wake up on the day itself, smile and think of happy thoughts and of the great blessings that are pouring onto your life. 
• Prepare the clothes and props (if any) that you will be using for the photography session ahead of time. It would be good if you can already put them on and view yourself in the mirror beforehand, so you will feel more comfortable in them and will not worry so much about how you look.
• Make sure to eat well before the maternity photo shoot, and to drink lots of water too! Have some crackers ready in case you get hungry. 
• Relax and focus on the beautiful creature inside your tummy instead of losing your mind thinking about all the imperfections of your body and face. Don't worry. You'll surely be a glowing mom-to-be!
• Chat and be friendly with the photographer so you will feel more at ease. 
• Enjoy the session. Do not wear or do anything that you feel uncomfortable with. 

Good luck with your maternity photo shoot. Have fun and share your pictures at the Mommy Keepsakes page on Facebook! :)

***If you want to have a digiscrap layout of your pictures for notebooks, guestbooks, and/or coffee table books, contact 09228786040.

Image Credit: www.sweetkissphoto.net


Blogging by Mommy Olive

Going to the Market for Very Busy Moms

I just came back from the Pasig Market, which was only an 8-minute drive away from our condo village. Whew! Talk about buying all the essentials in just a flash!


I usually go to the market with my husband (who's more experienced in this than me!) for our weekly food supply. But since we were busy last weekend preparing for our dearest son's baptismal party, we could not even drop by there. The past two days, we lived on canned goods and the party leftovers. =)

Hence, I had to go to the market today by myself. And I had to do it fast. Good thing I was already very familiar with the place, and I went from one stall to another in a jiffy, buying only the basics!

For only P500 in a span of 30 minutes, I was able to buy the following:

• 1/2 kilo pork
• 1/4 kilo ground pork
• 1/2 kilo chicken
• 4 pieces Maya-Maya fish cuts
•  1/2 kilo longganisa
• 10 pieces eggs
• 1 whole cabbage
• 3 pieces eggplants
• 1 piece chayote squash
• 1/2 kilo tomatoes
• 1/4 kilo onions 
• 1 plastic togue bean sprouts
• a small chunk of bananas

Going to the market is certainly a big challenge for very busy moms. If you're in a hurry and you don't have time to even plan what you will be having in the following days, just buy the essentials: meat products (chicken/pork/beef), fish, vegetables, and some fruits. Don't forget garlic, onions, and tomatoes because these are the usual basic Pinoy ingredients. I just didn't buy garlic because we still had a lot.

Good luck and enjoy!

Image Credit: http://www.flickr.com/groups/pasigphotowalk/pool/tags/photowalk/

Blogging by Mommy Olive

More Than Just An Energy Booster

A lot of kids are quite addicted to chocolate drinks. They want to drink chocolate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They want to drink chocolate even in school and before going to bed. Yes, these drinks claim that they are very nutritious and do contain several vitamins. However, if you take a closer look, you will discover that they are made of mostly sugar and are basically just energy boosters.

It's really difficult to shift the desire of children to health drinks coming out in the market, unless they have gotten used to those from the very beginning. It's a good thing there are delicious yogurt and milk drink products in tetrapacks coming out now, especially made for our youngsters! But then, if your child absolutely loves chocolate, it may be a bit challenging to have him or her suddenly stay clear of chocolate drinks.


Well, the great news is that you don't really have to do that. You need not force your child (or yourself, for that matter!) to actually forget all about drinking chocolate. There is a healthy option for this, called My Choco containing 16,000 phytonutrients plus DHA for memory enhancement! Being a chocolate fanatic myself, of course I had to have this. It's really, really yummy and I would not feel guilty at all because it's like I'm taking multivitamins at the same time as I am enjoying the health drink. What's more, this chocolate health drink is alkaline and has the following additional wonderful benefits:

* Lowers cholesterol level
* Protects against heart diseases and complications
* Helps prevent cancer of any origin
* Controls high-blood pressure
* Prevents degenerative diseases such as arthritis and rheumatism
* Reduces the risk of developing type II diabetes
* Prevents Parkinson's disease
* Enhances, nourishes, strengthens and balances the immune system
* Promotes healthy blood circulation and cell regeneration
* Rejuvenates the skin
* Essential to mental, visual and neurological acuities
* Increases memory, concentration and focus
* Improves performance and endurance during exercise
* Improves performance and endurance during exercise
* Enhances concentration
* Reduces fatigue
* Heightens alertness
* Relieves headache
* Offset damage of smoking and heavy alcoholic intakes
* Detoxifies the body

What more could you ask for? My Choco is great for both kids and adults, so it is certainly worth a try! If you're all for forming healthy habits for yourself and your family, this is one thing you should consider putting into your regular daily intake. =)

***For orders, you can text 09228786040 or visit http://entrepreneurmiss.multiply.com/products/listing/10005/My_Choco_Healthy_Chocolate_Drink now. 

Image Credit: www.family-healthy.com

Blogging by Mommy Olive

JOHNSON'S My Kid's Growing Up So Fast Contest

It seems like only yesterday when I had given birth to our firstborn Khalil Kristoff. Wow, how time flies! I remember those sleepless nights when I felt like placing toothpicks on my eyelids to keep them open while rocking my little baby to sleep in the wee hours of the morning. I remember figuring out by myself how to breastfeed him, change his diapers, prepare his milk, give him a bath, and all those "firsts" for a new mom like me. I remember how my husband and I would marvel at this gorgeous baby that was a wish come true for us.

Now our precious little bundle of joy is not so little anymore. Even though he's only barely five months old, everybody keeps saying that he's a jumbo baby! His height and weight have doubled already. He now coos and laughs with us, and reacts at our songs and words. And many are saying he even seems to be growing a mustache already (hahahaha!). And of course, we are very happy about his latest trick--- finally being able to turn upside down and lie on his tummy! He's been practicing so many times, and now he has mastered it and can do it on his own. I'm a proud mommy!

My kid's growing up so fast, I can hardly catch up!
My big, round baby just learned how to flip on his tummy!

Truly he is changing before my eyes, but his skin is still like a baby's. We still need the gentle care of JOHNSON's Baby Milk Bath, with Vitamins A & E and 100% more milk proteins to nourish developing skin.

For every milestone that he is able to achieve, we will give him a pat on the back and continue to rah-rah for him! And for every challenge he faces along the way, we will embrace him with our loving care and encourage him to keep moving forward. But no matter how big he gets, indeed he will still receive the same love and affection from us and from JOHNSON'S!

Blogging by Mommy Olive

Pre-Pregnancy Weight Challenge

Going back to one's pre-pregnancy weight is indeed a great challenge, especially for women who gained a lot during their entire pregnancy--- me included! Of course this doesn't mean I have any regrets because my baby is the best thing that's ever happened to me. =)


Sometimes, though, I feel like I should be a contestant in The Biggest Loser. Perhaps that would work best for me, being confined in a place where I will be pressured to conform and to practice self-control. Imagine, I only need to lose 20 lbs and yet it's just soooo hard! Hehehehe...

At least some of my friends who have been in this situation are ensuring me that it's okay since only four or five months have passed. It took them a year and over to lose all those pounds!

Discipline when eating is something I have yet to come into terms with. It's a good thing I'm trying out safe slimming pills that are very effective in making me picky with food. But there are times when I forget to pop one in 30 minutes before a meal. And in parties and dinner gatherings, I do it on purpose! Hahahaha!

For mommies out there, if you are on the lookout for safe slimming pills without side effects, you must try Slim and Trim. This product has been featured several times in US health and beauty magazines, and is manufactured by the billion-dollar company Nature's Way. No need to worry about sudden poops in the middle of nowhere or about your heart hammering away at night!

Yes, it's a challenge to go back to your pre-pregnancy weight. But nothing will happen if you keep on whining about your flabs and do not start doing something about it NOW.

For healthy slimming and beautifying options, check out http://entrepreneurmiss.multiply.com/.

Blogging by Mommy Olive