Initially I have wanted to let Darrius take up piano lessons but we have to put that on hold since we will be migrating next year. PiggyBeng thought we should consider later when we have settled down into our new place before deciding to let him take up any music lessons as the school might include that into their curriculum.

Then I was selected to do a review for Trebellina & Friends by The Cristofori Baby Company through Parent Reviewers. Happiness! When I received the DVD, I put that up immediately for Baby G… and she was transfixed to the screen…

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Though she is still so young, the music and the characters (Trebellina, Rock Bassey and Rhytmo) attracted her attention and made her glued to the screen for a good 5 minutes! Since she is still a baby, she still do not have a very long attention span… so 5 minutes is an achievement!

When Darrius heard the music he ran into the room and he got interested immediately too and asked me when did I get this new DVD? Darrius was really keen since he already knew ABC and he can relates to the various instruments such as Piano, Guitar, Violin, Triangle, Wind Chimes and Drums  well as the songs (mostly Nursery Rhymes) being played. Now he learned about other new instruments too such as Maracas, Cabasa, Bongos,Congas and a whole lot more which we’ve never heard of before! Guess what now? He told me he wanted me to get him all the musical instruments!

If you want your kids to learn about music do check out Trebellina and Friends by The Cristofori Baby Company. There are a lot of benefits by learning music and with this DVD, your kids get a head start before going for real music lessons!

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Disclosure :

I have received the above product to facilitate my review and I was not compensated in any other forms for this post. All  opinions expressed are entirely my own.

The fact is, most women will experience urinary incontinence or commonly known as light leaks after going through virginal births. Labor and vaginal birth can weaken pelvic floor support and damage nerves that control the bladder and therefore most women will have problems controlling their bladders. Well, this can be such an embarrassment when you are outside and wet your pants and you don’t have anything to hide it!

During my second pregnancy, I constantly have the urge to urine when I was in my late second trimester and I have to constantly put on pantyliners so I won’t wet my underwear because sometimes the urine just leak no matter how hard I tried to control! As the weather here is rather humid, there will be odor if I wore these liners slightly longer during the day. To avoid that from happening, I have to change the liners very often and that means I am contributing to the landfill. Not a good thing to do!

When I was selected by Parent Reviewers to review the STRIDE Everyday panties, I was more than ecstatic! How I’d wished it had come earlier! When I was reading the website before my pair of panties arrived, I was totally in awe with the product.

So, what is so special about these panties??? The STRIDE Everyday panties come with built in  OQUOS™ patented technology right into the liner. It is a all in one type of panties. From the website, the built in liner claimed to have the ability to wick moisture (up to 1 ounce) and convert it to gels that is dry to the touch, deodorize and stays waterproof which will keep the wearer dry and fresh! No more unpleasant odor to deal with and no sudden wetting your pants when you sneeze or cough!

My box of panties arrived 2 weeks ago and the first thing I noticed is how soft and light these panties were. For hygiene purposes, I hand washed it before trying it on. It stated in the box that each panties can last up to 100 washes but I guessed it can last longer than that if we take good care of it. When I put it on, I found that it was really soft against my skin and I don’t feel weird or anything with the thicker layer of built in liner. After putting on for a full day,  I found that at the end of the day I am still feeling dry and fresh!

Another thing that I like about these panties is they are seamless! They are perfect for tight fitting pants which I love to put on once in a while. Currently they are available in two colors, skin and black. These panties also come in a varieties of styles to suite everyone….

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So, do you think you need to own at least a few pairs of these wonder panties now??? I do! In fact I am going to get them for my mom and my mother in law since they also have problems with light leaks. Don’t you think this is such a perfect gift for your girlfriends this Christmas too?

Where to get them? You can purchase online here or if you are residing in the USA or Canada, you can find them in these retailers. They are priced reasonably too from $14.99 to $29.99 a pair. Imagine all the $$$ you can save now from buying all the pantyliners! And the best part, you are helping to keep the earth greener by not contributing more trash!

Oh yeah, do you know some men do experience incontinence too? The folks at STRIDE has also created the homme version which are specially made for the men (hubby and dad) in your life! Do check with STRIDE when and where you can get this version as it was just released recently..

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Disclosure :

I have received the above product to facilitate my review and I was not compensated in any other forms for this post. All  opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Then last Thursday, when I was all sweaty and feeling so hot from cooking, someone came knocking on my door. And these came in…

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They were the C2 Cool & Clean Green Tea drinks! What great timing! Quickly I placed a few bottles into the refrigerator and chilled them up so all of us can have a bottle after dinner to cool down. I am a big fan of green tea since it has health benefits and these C2 Cool and Clean Green Tea which are refreshingly 100% Natural Green Tea (not from powder and concentrates of green tea) that comes in 3 different flavors (Lemon, Apple and Forest Fruit) tasted even better than the regular ones. Personally I love the lemon flavor ones as I like the tangy lemon taste.

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Since I am still breastfeeding Baby G, I am not supposed to take too much stuff that contained caffeine but do you know that green tea has the least amount of caffeine? Green tea also have abundance of ‘Catechins’ which is a natural and powerful antioxidant. That’s why I feel safe drinking these green tea!

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C2 Green Tea also comes in 350ml resealable pet bottles which are more convenient compared to those can types. Normally Darrius can’t finish the entire bottle at one go so he likes the pet bottle where he can open and close it, drinking at his own pace.

I was told that these C2 Green Tea are “Brewed and Packaged” fresh on the same day and therefore retaining most of the green tea goodness and benefits which is normally lost in other extraction processes. C2 Green Tea do not have any preservatives too. The only thing is, C2 Green Tea contained sugar, so if you are a diabetic, you should avoid them.

Want to try these refreshing green tea? You can get them from Jusco, Giant and 7-11!

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Disclosure : These C2 Cool & Clean Green Tea were given to me courtesy from URC Snack Foods (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd as part of my participation in the review of these drinks. All opinions and expressions in this post are purely mine.

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Finally, I received this beautiful sterling silver name necklace personalized with her ‘pet’ name on it together with a 14″ chain. It came all the way from the US but it was actually made in Jerrusalem, Isreal! How special and unique is that??? This is indeed the most meaningful and unique gift for the Lil’ Princess thus far! What is more,  it was so nicely done that I thought to get one for myself too! Do you know that it is hand-made too?

WOW! Imports is the maker of this beautiful and chic name necklace. There are many styles that you can choose from and the one I got for Glennedine is categorized as ‘Angelina’. Besides that, if you like yours to sparkle, you can always  add in a Swarovski crystal on the pendant! Cool right??? You can also choose the length of the chain from 14″ to 20″ and the types depending on your preference. They offered box, figaro, as well as beaded chains too.

WOW! Import is offering free shipping too to almost everywhere in the world now so better take advantage of this offer!

As Glennedine is still unable to sit up unsupported yet, I’ll keep this chain till she do… probably when she celebrate her 1st birthday.

If you have no idea what to buy for your someone special’s birthday, maybe you can get him/her a name necklace instead!

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Disclosure : This necklace was given to me by WOW! Imports as part of my participation in the Parent Reviewers blog tour. All opinions and expressions in this post are purely mine.

Next year will be the year of OX which is my kind of year! I am thinking of taking some of my gold jewelry out to match them with my new cloths which I have bought the last few weeks. However, I noticed I lack one item – a pair of gold earrings. I used to have a few pairs last time but I have given to my mom and now I am left with none.

I have been contemplating of getting a pair that comes with diamond studs as I like the simplicity of the design which is considered as evergreen. I have two pairs of white gold earrings which has a round cut diamond so I am thinking of getting a pair of gold earrings with a square cut or Princess Cut diamond… something refreshing to my collection.

While browsing the net, I discovered one pair from Gemz N Gold which is exactly what I have been searching for. It comes in 14K solid gold and 2 Princess cut of 0.25 carat genuine diamond! It is selling at $89.71 which is almost $10 lower than wholesale price!

And since it is the holiday seasons now, they are offering a holiday special of 15% discount deal which ends on December 22nd if you enter the Discount Code e2g9i when you are checking out. Now, that is what I call a great bargain!

So, if you are looking at getting some nice jewelry for yourself or your family and friends, do pop over to Gemz N Gold now!

When the book, Sikulu and Harambe By the Zambesi River came through the mail a few days ago, Darrius was estastic when he saw me holding the package and asked me who is it for? I told him that it was for him and he tried to snatched it off my hands and pestered me to open it up! The book, not only came in hard cover but filled with colorful illustrations too! Darrius was very interested and kept asking me what is this and that while flipping the pages.

Darrius will turn 3 next month and I find that this book came just in time for me to start teaching him more of some basic life values. This book is the first series of adventures written by Kunle Ogueneye that follow two friends, Sikulu the spider and Harambe the hippo as they travel throughout Africa. In this book, both Sikulu and Harambe brought about the reinforces in values of kindness and compassion in a form of African fokelore.

In our current advanced society, many a time I noticed a lot of youngsters are lacking in core essential life values. Unlike the time when we are kids, we were always taught by our parents to be kind, polite and helpful to others (even strangers) and not to expect any rewards in return.

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In this story, Sikulu and Harambe shown us the perfect example of kindness to others when they rescued the village woman’s clothing from the fast moving Zambezi River. Though she has tried to asked other animals along the river to help but none wanted to stop and help except Sikulu and Harambe. The other animals were just too busy and too preoccupied with their own lives to take the time to stop to help and be kind.

Many a time we found ourselves in such situation but we never bother since we are so used growing up with ‘doing something for something’ which turned us into materialistic snobs where we will only help if we are given something in return for our effort.

Since I am a mother now, I felt it is my prerogative to teach my boy and instill him with all the essential core values while he is at his growing up stage. It is extremely important that he learns such moral values so he will grow up to be more appreciative, kind and compassionate towards others.

I personally find this book very well written with interesting and the colorful illustration helps young kids to grasp the meaning of expressing kindness to others with an open heart. The part where Sikulu went all the out to help the old woman despite his own fear really depict the actual act of kindness which we should learn to practice. Besides that, we get to learn a few new African words as well as the culture of the Zambian people along the way!

Would you like to get a copy of this wonderful book? You can WIN it now! The author has been so kind to offer to provide one winner with an autographed copy of the book as well as either a Sikulu the Spider or Harambe the Hippo stuffed toy! (How I wish I could participae cause I simply love the cute stuff toys!)

In order to win, head on over to the Sikulu website and leave me a comment on what you liked about the site, be it the trivia, the story itself, a fact about the author or whatever you enjoyed most when you visited the site. If you have a blog, blog about this giveaway and link it back to this post, you will then be entitled to an additional entry to win. This giveaway is open to all my readers.

The giveaway begins today and will end on Sunday, 2nd November. A lucky winner will be chosen and I will post the winner’s name sometime on the following week. The prize will be sent directly by the sponsor all the way from the US! So hurry!

However, if you did not get to participate in this giveaway, you can always purchase this book from the online book store @ $14.99 a copy. Since Christmas is round the corner, this book will be a good choice as Christmas gift for your kids or your friends’ kids!

I discovered that my skin turns topsy-turvy when I was in my teenage years and since then I tend to get skin problems on and off. I have bought many creams and lotions and even prescriptions from the doctors in the past to apply the different parts of my body as each area seems to be different, somehow.

I must confess that I have a lot of half used bottle of creams and lotions everywhere in the house as none seems to work the way I wanted them to.

So, when someone from Skin MD wanted to send me a bottle of their Shielding Lotion for a review, I was elated and jumped on the opportunity since the product is from the US. And when I received the bottle of lotion, I was surprised to find that it can be used not only on the body but the face too! Very seldom I can find skin care products meant for the body can be used on the face.

Coincidentally my feet were suffering from dryness and I have a huge dry patch on both  sides which made them look very rough…. and ugly. I applied some of the Skin MD lotion and to my surprise the roughness was gone within a few days of applications!

The other things I like about Skin MD Shielding Lotion is, it is fragrance free, light-weight and non-greasy on my skin. It will dries up after a few seconds and I can feel a layer of protective skin on my skin.

“Shielding Lotions are a new type of skin care product based on years of research into how skin heals. They form a protective shield with the outer layer of skin and help keep out irritants. They allow the natural oils and moisture to remain in the skin so it can heal better and they’re light in texture so they go on without a greasy mess. Your skin needs help to keep out these moisture-robbing irritants.” – Dr. Brian Zogg

I am pretty happy with Skin MD Shielding Lotion and I think I will throw away all my other half used lotions which does not give much effects to my funny skin. This lotion will definitely follow us to everywhere we go, especially to colder countries where the air is usually dry. I would highly recommend to use this lotion during winter when skin tends to dries up and crack.

Thanks to Skin MD for giving me this opportunity to review this great product.

All these washing ultimately cost the outer layer of my skin around my fingers to crack. When that happens, I will be in pain every time I wash my hands with soap as the chemicals in the soap will irritate my torn skin. I will apply some hand cream but I can’t apply them if I have to continue modeling the sugar paste as they might be toxic.

I was all excited when I get a chance to do a review on Glove In A Bottle. Though this is no magic lotion but it has helped my chapped fingers to heal faster than before and kept them moisturized. Gloves In A Bottle actually forms a web which bond with the dead skin cells that works like an invisible pair of gloves. Gloves In A Bottle helps the outer layer of skin to lock in its natural oils which moisturized and protect the deeper layers of skin, leaving the skin soft and supple.

The best thing about Gloves In A Bottle is, it is non greasy (dries off quickly), fragrance free and non toxic which is completely safe. Therefore, I can wash my hands and apply it and continue with my work without having to worry if any residue will intoxicate my edible sugar paste.

From the images aboves, you can see the after effects with just a few applications. The cracks/chapped skin (around my thumb) are gone and my fingers are soft and smooth again.

If you are working or washing a lot with your hands like myself and your skin dries up often which resulting in chapped skin, you should consider giving Gloves In A Bottle a try and see the difference yourself. In fact many top dermatologists recommended Gloves In A Bottle as an effective dry skin treatment.

I have even started applying on my soles and so far they are healing faster than I thought.

Gloves In A Bottle is available world wide with agents in many countries and they are available for wholesale.

I would like to thank Gloves In A Bottle and BDMM for giving me the opportunity to review this fantastic product.

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