Mommy Pehpot, Author at Mommy Pehpot

Quarantine Ka Lang, Sanay Akong Nasa Bahay

“Quarantine ka lang, stay at home mom ako, sanay ako lagi sa bahay.”

That was my initial thought during the quarantine. I can do it, I am trained to do this. I have been doing it all my life. Stay home? Sisiw yan sa akin! And so the first few days during the quarantine seemed ok. Akala ko lang pala yun. As the days goes by, it dawned to me how challenging it can be. First, all my kids are at home 24/7. Bilang isang ina, alam nyo yan na ang pahinga natin madalas ay mga pagkakataon na nasa labas ng bahay ang mga anak natin. It was a never ending list of household chores to finish. Literal na walang katapusan. I am a mom of 5 kids and I know ginusto ko naman ito, pero tao lang nagagagod din.

“Kapag sinabi ng nanay na pagod siya, hindi ibig sabihin ayaw na niyang alagaan ang pamilya niya.”

I can relate to all other moms out there who for a moment or so feels like they need to take a break but is guilty of doing so. Guilty that their family might think that she no longer wants to take care of them. Guilty that her husband might think that she is no longer happy with her happy. So many to be guilty about that we just brushed off our tiredness. But we really need to take a rest, to take a break and wanting one does not mean that we love our family less.

Grocery time is what we usually consider our break time. A time away from our kids, a time to recharge, tapos nawala yun because of the quarantine. Yung akala mo madali na quarantine because you’re stay at home mom, turns out to be harder than it is. That’s how I felt 2 or 3 weeks after. I feel like a prison. I feel like I need to breathe.

“You cannot pour from an empty cup.”

The moment I felt like I was a prison, that’s when I started to overwork myself more. Yung dati walang katapusan na pagluluto, sasamahan mo pa ng walang katapusang na paglalaba at paglilinis ng bahay. Kung pwede lang 2-3 chores gawin ko ng sabay sabay, gagawin ko. I feel like it’s the theraphy that I need. Maglinis, be productive. At first it seems effective, I forgot the feeling of being held against my will. But then I noticed how it affected my relationship with my kids. ANG SUNGIT KO NA PALA!

Yes, the house is clean, there is always food pero wala ng lambing. I don’t feel the need to go out but I am not happy, specially my kids, I can see that they are not happy. I realized I am giving too much that it left me empty.

I started seeing what I am lacking, and that is to understand that I cannot do everything and I need all the help I can get. From having to do all by myself to teaching my kids to clean the house, vacuum the carpet, water the plants, leads me to have more time to appreciate not just my rest time but our bonding time as well. Mas marami kaming time sa isat isa when we do things together.

“Kindness is Everything”

During the time that I was feeling lost, I realized that even the happiest people can really feel down. Doon ko na realize how important it is to show kindness to everyone. Na sa likod ng mga ngiti ng bawat isa, sa likod ng tawa at halakhak, sa likod ng magandang profile photo, there is maybe a sad mom, or a person suffering from this quarantine and the pandemic. You really do not know kung ano ang pinag dadaanan ng isang tao so always be kind.

“Hindi lahat ng tumutulong ay mayaman, yung iba mahirap din, dahil ramdam nila ang kapwa mahirap. Ang tawag doon ay malasakit.”

And when you see people who they really are, what they really are, you started to realize that there is something you can do to make their lives better. Dahil sa pandemic, natutunan ko that I can always do something to help people and through my page and my blog I was able to do that through my Live series and projects that help other people. Through my youtube, I was able to help give information and at the same nakatulong na i promote ang small businesses.

And though people may think na malaki ang tulong ng mga vlogs ko to promote mga small business, mas malaki ang tulong sa akin. Kase through that, naramdaman ko na oo stay at home mom ako pero nakakatulong ako. Kahit nahihirapan ako, I can help people through my online platform. That’s the best realization sa akin ngayong quarantine, we can always do something.

This story is an entry to ComCo Southeast Asia’s “Write to Ignite Blogging Project/” The initiative is a response to the need of our times, as every story comes a long way during this period of crisis. Igniting and championing the human spirit. “Write to Ignite Blog Project” aims to pull and collate powerful stories from the Philippine blogging communities to inspire the nation to rise and move forward amidst the difficult situation. This project is made possible by ComCo Southeast Asia, co-presented Eastern Communications and sponsored by Electrolux, Jobstreet and Teleperformance.

Why Do You Need Hand Sanitizer for Traveling?

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic when regions and countries are beginning to relax lockdown measures, guidelines persist to show us how to navigate our way through difficult times. Just because life starts to open things back up, however, the virus doesn’t suddenly go into hiding. What it does mean is that after all the education about what to do and not what to do, people are better prepared in how to deal with “the new normal.” Whether you’re traveling from one part of the country to the next by car, train, or plane, or taking the commute to work by public transportation such as the subway, there are things you can do in order to help you and your family remain safe.

Don’t Touch Your T-Zone
You have on your face what is known as the T-Zone that includes your mouth, nose, and eyes. This is where your mucous membranes are exposed to infections more than any other part of your body, and why you shouldn’t be touching your face. Studies have proven, however, that we’re constantly touching our faces. Different reports offer different statistics, but it appears that we touch our face from 15-23 times every hour depending on age and sometimes what we’re engaged in, such as attending a class or being at work.

While you can be trained into avoiding touching your face, it takes some getting used to, and in the meantime, you’re still exposed to the risks of COVID-19 or whatever other contagious condition happens to be doing the rounds when you read this. Studies prove that these movements tend to be stress-related. To reiterate, you can retain your body and mind to find other ways of relieving stress. Unfortunately, they’re likely aren’t going to work, especially when traveling under stressful conditions.

When Washing your Hands Isn’t an Option

Of course, every time you come into contact with a surface when traveling, it’s not always possible to wash your hands with running water and antibacterial soap. Alternatively, you could just trust that each surface you touch at your airport terminal, a restaurant, a hotel lobby, or a shopping center is safe. Of course, you can’t know that for sure. Fortunately, there’s a better alternative in the form of hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. That doesn’t mean that you should skip washing your hands with soap and water when you’re able to. Hand sanitizers kill viruses, but any dirt and potential contaminants that you come into contact with throughout the course of the day remain.

Public Transportation

One of the places you should think about using hand sanitizer more than any other is on public transportation. Whether you’re taking a local MTA bus, subway car, or tram, or taking a business trip on a commercial airliner, hand sanitizer provides the easiest way to free your hands of any contagions. You can, of course, wear gloves. However, research shows that people still touch their face. In fact, experts have warned against wearing gloves, as it can provide a false sense of security.

Eating Out

If you’re planning on visiting a restaurant, you should definitely take your hand sanitizer with you. While you can wash your hands in the bathroom, there are plenty of temptations for you to touch your face. The most straightforward way of spreading a disease is by touching a contaminated surface before rubbing your eyes or placing your hands in your mouth. Furthermore, everyone else in the restaurant will be touching everything, too. When you enter the venue, you open the door, sit down, take the menu, and handle payments. Continually running to the washroom to wash your hands just isn’t practical. Instead, keep a travel-size container of hand sanitizer nearby for a quick wash.

Hotels and Motels

Of course, hotels have cleaners to make sure everything is left clean after one guest has left and before another arrives. Furthermore, most are improving their cleaning prices to ensure your safety. However, you should still keep hand sanitizer on you for when you come into contact with surfaces in the elevator or the lobby. Use an item such as a tissue to touch the buttons in the elevator, and if you forget, use your hand sanitizer immediately afterwards.
While you might be uncomfortable over the prospect of traveling during a pandemic, if you adhere to the safety protocol for the area you’re visiting, such as social distancing and masks, you’re doing what you can to protect yourself and your family, as well as meeting your business or other work responsibilities.

Practical Parenting Hacks For Power Moms

Parenting is no easy feat; And providing the best for your child amidst a crisis is a challenge like no other. As parenting outlook and practices change, moms continue to power through in providing the best for their children. Because amidst hardships and uncertainties, a mother’s strength shines through.

For they are Power moms.

In a time when resources are limited, the wisest course of action for power moms is to be practical and madiskarte. Being on a tight budget is one of the many obstacles that moms experience, but it doesn’t mean having to scrimp on quality products for your children. Finding products that deliver baby the protection they need, while still being easy on the wallet, may not be easy, but it is possible.

This is why Pampers continues with its mission by providing superior products to support parents in keeping baby safe from ba-bad elements like pee, while helping them save more in the long run. From choosing practical quality products for baby, to finding creative ways to keep them entertained, there really is no innovator like a practical #PampersPowerMom.

To help promote baby’s continuous healthy development, we provided practical smart hacks for Power Moms to conveniently do at home.

Here are 6 practical smart hacks that allow you to continue providing the best for baby amidst a crisis:

Protect baby through practicing good hygiene while saving on hidden costs

Power moms know the importance of making a habit of good hygiene to help keep germs and viruses away. When baby’s sensitive skin is also kept clean and dry, it is also a good line of defense against skin discomfort and irritation. It is important to use gentle products on baby that effectively cleanse yet does not irritate.

When cleaning during a diaper change, we recommend wipes that are gentle on the skin, and as mild as washcloth and water. With baby’s sensitive skin needs in mind, Pampers Sensitive Wipes is free from alcohol, Parabens, and Phenoxyl-ethanol.

For an ultra-soft and strong baby wipe, Pampers Sensitive Wipes allows less wiping without sacrificing good hygiene for baby, helping lead to less wipes uses and more savings.

Motivate and inspire hard work through rewards

Rewarding baby can come in many forms, and not just by buying them toys. Rewards serve as acknowledgements for a job well done. They provide an emphasis in good actions and helps baby to complete tasks.

Through makeshift currencies like paper money, you can reward baby for accomplishing simple tasks at home. A reward chart also provides a visualization of baby’s progress in completing a task. Reward charts can be a hand-written poster stuck on the wall or even a sticker chart on the fridge.

They can then use this hard-earned reward to “buy” snacks from the pantry or choose a movie to watch at home. Power moms know that introducing them to a reward system early on will show them the value of hard work and will hopefully teach them motivation to always work hard at any given tasks.

Use quality items to cut down on costs

At this time when health and safety are most critical, using quality products for your baby can help assure that they are getting the protection they need. This can be important for products that baby often uses, and those that touch their skin, like diapers.

Low quality diapers that can get lawlaw easily may lead to serious problems when baby’s skin is babad in a pool of wetness. Babies that experience babad are left with a breathing ground of bacteria, that could lead to diaper rash and skin irritations. What makes it worse is when their diapers are rarely changed.
Pampers diapers are less lawlaw* and can absorb pee across the entire diaper, so there are less chances of a babad diaper. It absorbs faster and does not get full easily leading to less diaper change, being a practical choice for more savings.

Tested by a #PampersPowerMom, Mommy Omni is thankful to choose quality products like Pampers.  “It gives me and Bryce the guarantee we need that our Zed is safe from being babad in a pool of wetness that can harm his skin. Iba talaga kapag less lawlaw!” She adds, “Since it (Pampers Diapers) is less lawlaw, I can change the diapers less in a day and so I save more.”

Caring for your baby is a tough job, that’s why Pampers provides quality products that help protecting baby easier for practical power moms like you.

Encourage creativity using household items

Power moms know that they can stimulate baby’s imagination with household items that can be as good as fancy toys. By using a flashlight, you can perform a shadow play show by turning the lights down in a room and striking a flashlight against a wall. With different movements of your body parts, you can make up so many characters that will keep baby entertained and thinking.

Release the inner painter by letting baby do water painting on a cardboard box. With only a tub of water, and cardboard boxes, let baby’s imagination flow with their hands at almost no cost.

Boost baby’s mental and physical development at home with zero-cost activities

Since summer classes and workshops are cancelled, Power moms turn into their smart and practical ways on how to keep babies learning dance, art, and even sports activities at home at no cost for mommy.

Let baby move freely by staging concerts at home through sing-alongs and doing various dance videos that are easy to follow. Utilize cookware as drum set, use a shoe box with tied strings, a hairbrush as microphone, and have your whole family act and rock out as a band to their favorite nursery rhymes.

Sports sessions are not cancelled at home with activities like hide and seek, pillow fights, or board or card games. Power moms know how resourceful that can be when the situation calls for it.

In partnership with Power moms all over the Philippines, Pampers holds “It’s a Mom’s Life” livestreams on Facebook where moms share insights on how they are coping through practical means and creating new habits while at home.
“#PampersPowerMom Hacks” content is also available at Pampers Lazada page, featuring practical ideas from experts and moms that families can try at the safety of their homes. Moms can access all of these at Pampers Philippines Facebook page.

For more smart hacks that you can do at home, visit Pampers’ Lazada page.

Through providing practical quality products, and practical hacks that families can do for their kids, Pampers aims to help #PampersPowerMom course through crises, in the smartest way possible.