Love: Saya Baby Carrier

The above picture doesn't present me at my best but I'm still posting it as it's the only one I have of me using the Saya Baby Carrier. This was on a recent bus trip that took ever so long where I carried the little one on the said carrier.

I've mentioned this carrier before. I've been wanting it so much even before my little one was born but I was waffling because though it was readily available online, it was not that easy to find at the usual malls and since it was size-based and I'm really bad at choosing clothe sizes, I wasn't sure on which one to order. Thankfully, when I went to Shangri-La Plaza last month, I saw it at the Momtrepreneur stall.


After a lot of hemming and hawing from the hub, he was eventually convinced that having 3 kinds of carriers is not a bad thing. We got it just before the 10-hour bus trip. It was a real lifesaver.

First off, I think it would have been easier to get the carrier when the little one was a newborn. It wasn't that hard for me to use it in the usual carrier position, chest-to-chest, but it took some getting used to for baby to settle down because he wasn't very used to it. Once settled in, he got comfortable and slept quite well.

For myself, the carrier, it was a very comfortable experience. With the usual carriers, my shoulders would hurt after just half an hour as the little one isn't so little anymore and tends to move a lot. As long as I make sure to spread the cloth over the shoulder and back, it didn't hurt to wear baby with the Saya. I like the carrier so much and find it a great convenience that I'm not at all afraid of going out with just me and baby.

There should always be caution in using all baby carriers. It's a little person in front of you and like it or not, he will want to move on his own. No matter how well I position the baby, he would lean back and side to side and every now and then, I check if he's in the correct position not to fall off. That it covers his knees and as much of his back as possible. Thankfully, the cloth stretches and adjusts quite easily.

I noticed that whenever baby is in the carrier, his pee tends to pool at the front of his cloth diaper so even if the back area is dry, it's better to ensure that the front is dry as well or both of you will smell like pee.

I used it as a nursing cover as well, and it worked well enough for the front-buttoned shirts. If the little one is small enough, you don't have to get him out of the carrier to nurse him. That is not the case for us so I couldn't try it for myself. For the other positions, they included a pamphlet with the package that includes a small bag to carry the Saya in when not in use.

In the below photo, I'm wearing the Saya with baby out and it's not obvious at all.

Love: Sophie's Mom Nutella Mochi

My pictures do not do these goodies from Sophie's Mom justice. The package suffered some from being handled inside a plastic bag in a crowded commute home from a trip from the mall.

 

Truth is, it's so hard for me to share this. I just want to scarf the whole box down. So good with yummy soft mochi surrounding an even yummier creamy nutella center. My MIL says it tastes like marshmallows. But it's more. So much more. Crack maybe. Oh yum!

Share: Audio Technica Bloom ATH-CKF300

I already reviewed these a while back, raving on how much I loved them. Too bad the little ones at home (Eeek! Mice!!!) liked them too and chewed on the wire. One side still works but I’d rather have a fully-working unit so I got myself a new one from our non-cash rewards program at work. Yup! I didn’t pay cash for these.

Now my hubby requested that I try getting a non-girly colour so I got it in gold. Hehe! Aren’t they pretty?

They’re not entirely the same though. The wires are thicker. The pin ends in an L-shape harder plastic. It’s a more durable product.

More importantly, the sounds are clearer, the different instruments being a joy to listen to. I will never veer from buying Audio Technica ever again. It just gets better and better. I’ve got my sights on the SJ11 for hubby’s birthday.
 

 

The old ones came in a round tin box with soft foam inside for a container. The new ones came in a carton matchbox. I don’t really care much about them as the wires would obviously be too hard to handle with said cases and I still use an old case from a different brand that lets me wind the wires without knotting but I appreciate the thought.

Really, such eye candy.

Haul: So True Castile Soap

I did mention I wanted to try So True because I like Castile soaps so I got myself 3 because it was the least number of orders for the minimum shipping cost. Inquiring and ordering was easy by directly mailing sotruecastilesoap@gmail.com. Mia, the owner, readily answered my questions and my order was speedily processed in spite of my being a crappy buyer. I'm thankful she accepts direct bank deposits with Unionbank.

I wanted to try them in three different varieties because it is the first time I'm trying out the brand but the Mandarin-Rosemary, the scent I was actually looking forward to was unavailable. On hindsight, it would have been better for me to get two of the unscented bars instead of two Lavender Oatmeal and one unscented. I may be in love with lavender but I'm not that much into oatmeal.

As of today, we're currently using the soap at home. My hubby didn't like that it didn't sud as much as our previous soap so he's making do in using a glycerin soap I have lying around. That wasn't much of an issue with me as I don't equate suds with clean. However, I find it a bit slimier than usual so I'm wondering about the glycerin levels. Glycerin is not a bad thing, I know, but it's still weird to handle.

On another thought, in spite of being slimy, it seems to stay harder than some handmade soaps I've tried but it might be the weather. We'll see.

I'll buy the soap again. Aside from wanting to try some of the other soap variants, I want to use the unscented bar for the liquid soap recipe I found in Pinterest. I'm not sure if I can find liquid glycerin around these parts, though.

Craves: So True

I like handmade soaps, especially cold-processed ones. At least they're out of the dreaded SLS. My FIL knows how to make them but I don't. I want to make them myself but with living in a one-bedroom apartment without good air circulation with a little baby doesn't make it a conducive environment for soap-making.

With that being the case, I make do by buying them. I'm really excited to try So True Castile Soap. My little boy has used castile soap from his first month so it's a definite for me to try their unscented one for the baby and the others below.

 Christmas Bar

 Lavender

 Rosemary-Lemongrass

 Lavender Oatmeal

 Lemongrass Lavender

 Cedarwood Lavender Cypress

 Rose

Lavender Grapefruit

Aren't the patterns darling?

Pictures from the product facebook page.

Craves: Posh Pocket Shoes and Ylla

I dearly wanted to buy a pair of shoes once a month this year but I skipped March because of certain reasons. So April becomes a two-pair month for me. I gotta keep up.

Initially, I was going to get an Anthology pair but I got sidetracked by two other local brands that have some great reviews in some sites I've been visiting so far. I probably should stock up on high heels but with being on night shift all the time, I figure I need some down time.

I initially was hesitant about getting Ylla shoes because, really, the product presentation online could use a bit of angleing but when I checked out their facebook page, the Primas definitely made me look again.

I'm guessing at one point in time, a girl dreams of being a ballerina, or at least to wear the tutu and the ballet slippers with the ribbons and all. I'm not going to try enrolling in ballet school any more and I don't think my current style would ever incorporate tutus, but the shoes have definite promise with the Ylla Primas.

It doesn't hurt that it's insole is leather-lined. From experience, this is the best when it comes to shoe comfort, letting the feet breathe and gradually comforming to your unique shoe shape with use.

As for the Posh Pocket Shoes, their Bridal collection calls to me. I guess it's the constant wanting for the perfect pair of ballet flats with grosgrain bows. Ever since I saw a hot pink pair from J Crew, I've been wanting one. It has become an obsession with me haunting Net-a-Porter and Outnet for the very latest of the same design. When I saw the Posh site and found one with the added twist of glitter detail, there was no going back. The fact that they're portable is overkill for me already.

It's so hard to decide on a color, though. Black is the easiest color to pair with any outfit but it's a little much to get both in the same color, not to mention, at the latest count, black has been outnumbering my other shoes by half. Nude is also a great color and I've learned that it's as easy to pair with outfits as black, being so neutral. Pink is a great pick, considering how the designs are definitely girly. And the other Posh ones in silver and white are pretty as well.
 

So hard. I want them all. Should I go and get them all? If they were on sale, I'd probably get all of them, every pair being such a pretty design, but with being a mom, I need some self-control. There's still a little time to decide, April not being over yet. I just have to make up my mind.

Pictures from the Posh Pocket Shoes and Ylla Shoes facebook pages.

Love: Silvana's cupcakes

Cupcakes are adorable but it's sometimes hard to find one with just the right amount of moist and sweetness and when you add toppings into the equation, it's a whole other ballgame.

My personal favorites are the ones from Silvannas. I try to get to Glorietta at least once a month to get my fix. Sometimes I drag my husband to Shangri-la Plaza to get some. They're moist, a good mouthful and not too terribly sweet. The combination is a killer.

Their red velvet is definitely sinful. It only failed me once and it wasn't even much of a fail when the cream cheese swirly topping came off as a bit grainy. It was still good regardless, each bite a delight of cream cheese topping and ruby bottom.

Black bottom is my classic go-to. The little chocolate bit on top gets me every time. The two layers of cream cheese top and chocolate bottom have never failed me, always being the perfect treat after a good meal. Sweet, a little cheesy, moist and just right.

With these two as a treat, no bad day will stick.