Okay Ka, Yaya Ko!: A Quick Review

The Okay Ka, Yaya Ko! workshop for household helpers was held more than a week ago. Auntie Emma (we call her Auntie since I'm not really comfortable calling her yaya) and my husband were late - well, they got lost. Di naman defensive, no? As much as I wanted to join them, we agreed that I will stay at home to take care of the little one.

Why so serious, auntie? via Manila Workshops Facebook page

When they got home, my son was as relieved as I am. And the first thing that we talked about was the workshop. Both of them had a lot to say about the event. Even if I wasn't there, I could tell that the money spent was worth it. I know, because the next day, our yaya can't stop talking about the things she learned. :)

Her very own certificate, wohoo! via Manila Workshops Facebook page

Based on what I gathered from Auntie and my husband, here's a quick review:

Plus

• She made new friends.
• She learned helpful tips especially on what to do during emergencies.
• According to her, the demonstration part was fun!

Minus

• The venue, It wasn't ideal for those who had to commute. It's difficult to find a cab within the village. And Auntie Emma had to share her lunch with my husband because there aren't any restaurants or turo-turo nearby.
• The morning session was uneventful. Okay, her actual term was "laay", which, in our dialect, would be akin to bored. No, the resource person wasn't boring, but to Auntie, the topics covered were already familiar to her. After all, she has almost 20 years experience under her belt.

Group picture via Manila Workshops Facebook page

If Manila Workshops will have another seminar covering advanced topics, I would enroll our yaya again. I do hope that they will have another venue that's more accessible.

Thank you, Manila Workshops, for making this happen :) Looking forward to join your upcoming events!

Fund Raiser for Let It ECHO

This is it, pancit!

For months, I have been planning to dispose of unused items at home. But every time I plan to create listings in ebay, I come up with a lot of other higher priority tasks. The boxes filled with books looked to sad. They're practically begging me to let them go.

And then, I saw my friend's post about their fund raising activity. Eureka! I volunteered to hold an online garage sale. The setup is perfect. I get to free up some space. My books (and other items), find new homes. And an organization gets additional funds-hopefully!

To maximize exposure, I asked my BFF (and business partner) if I could post the items in our Facebook page. She said yes, so we're hoping our clients are book lovers too!

 For the benefit of those who just chanced upon this post, these are the items for sale. If you wish to purchase, kindly email me at themadolins@gmail.com. Please don't forget to specify the subject as "Let It ECHO".

Our preferred courier is Xend. To know more about their shipping rates, kindly go to: http://www.xend.com.ph/DomesticRates.aspx.

We're aiming to raise at least Php2,500. To help us keep track of the progress, I've added a fundraising thermometer. It looks so cool!

Keeping our fingers crossed! -_-

Let it ECHO's Garage Sale

In 2011, I was around 5 months pregnant when a routine ultrasound revealed that there's a possible cyst in my unborn child's left kidney. That got me worried, but I forced myself not to dwell on it too much. After all, stressing myself out might cause further problems.

image from http://emedicine.medscape.com

A few weeks after my son's birth, we learned that my son has solitary kidney. His left kidney was missing in action. I got overwhelmed by emotions. Fear. Guilt. Anger. You name it. But the worst emotion was really guilt-I spent hours thinking what I might have done during my pregnancy. For months, I became too paranoid. I would stay awake just to check on my son's breathing. In short, I became paranoid.

And then last year, I saw a friend's post on Facebook. Her son, who is just months younger than Lucho, was diagnosed with a congenital heart disease. Tetralogy of Fallot, to be specific. And they needed to raise 1 million pesos within three months so that Maven can have the much needed surgery. To set things in motion, they created a Facebook page called Maven's Heart Fund.

Okay Ka, Yaya Ko!

I have been meaning to write follow up posts related to SSS and Kasambahay Law, but due to some issues I have encountered, I shall put that on hold. I would prefer to write posts in a neutral tone-ahem, Must.Stop.Writing.About.SSS.PERIOD.

*Breathe in. Breathe out.* And change topic...

Our son's yaya is heaven sent. She used to take care of my husband's younger cousin. I can't tell you enough-we're so LUCKY to have her. As a way showing her our gratitude, we will do our best to comply with the Kasambahay Law.

I am glad that the law also gives household helpers the opportunity to continue their education. My mother once worked as a helper so that she could finish high school. And she found other jobs just to finance her college education. If my mother just gave up and accepted her family's situation, I'm not sure where I'll be right now. Whenever I look at our son's yaya, I couldn't help but think of my mother.

At 45, our yaya might feel she's a bit old to study. But I could still see her desire to learn. One night, I chanced upon her watching Animal Planet. She looked like a young kid who was amazed with what she saw. That gave me an idea.

At the moment, I am not sure if TESDA has Sunday classes, so I opted to look for available workshops. I found one workshop for yayas:

From Manila Workshops' website:

The training will include the following topics:
- Mahalin ang Sarili: teaching them about self worth and manners and etiquette, from Personal Hygiene (head to toe), Handwashing to Personality Development (honesty, loyalty), answering the phone, how to treat guests, Home Safety, etc.
- Responsibilities/Housework: teaching them on how to clean different parts of the house, how to dispose of garbage, laundry, ironing, etc. and also how to prepare food, teach them about food safety and allergic reactions and even healthier Alternatives
- Caring For The Elderly: teaching them on how to check vital signs, proper body mechanics, sleeping and exercise
- “KID”-centered: teaching them developmental stages, baby care (cleaning, bathing, feeding) and school (homework, bantay sa school, iwas chismis, baon), Social Opportunities, Hygiene, First Aid, etc.
- Iwas Stress sa Yaya: teaching them on ho to cope with stress

Perfect, di ba?  I like the Iwas Stress topic- this will be very helpful now that my son is in the terrible two stage.

I already signed her up. I hope she will enjoy the workshop. ;)

I'm not sure if there are still open slots, for  more information, kindly go to their website www.manilaworkshops.com.

Who's Afraid of the Kasambahay Law?

The much talked about Kasambahay Law (formally called Republic Act 10361) took effect last June 4.
Under the law, kasambahays (or household helpers) are entitled to a set minimum wage and basic benefits. Employers are mandated to provide SSS, Philhealth and HDMF benefits to their household employees.

Other things that we should be aware of:

• There should be a signed employment contract before the employee starts to work.
• Kasambahays are entitled to 13th month pay.
• Employers should provide a copy of payslip every pay day. The details should the amount paid and the deductions.
• Kasambahays are entitled to 24 consecutive hours of rest. In other words, they should have a day off.
• They are also given paid leaves (at least five days) if they have been in service for at least a year.
• Kasambahays are allowed to finish their basic education (elementary and high school). Employers are not required to pay for it.
• Employers may require pre-employment documents like birth certificate, medical certificate and police or NBI clearance.
• Hiring of employees below 15 years old is a big no-no.
• For household helpers earning less than 5000, the employers will shoulder the full amount of SSS, Philhealth and HDMF contributions.

We are happy about this development. However, I don't feel comfortable about the employment contract. On one hand, the contract will serve as protection for the two parties involved (employer-employee). On the other, we're used to treating them like extended family. It's like asking an aunt to sign a contract- I find it a bit awkward. But this has to be done, so I'll have to use the contract found in this document: http://www.bwc.dole.gov.ph/userfiles/file/IRR_of_domestic_workers_act.pdf

Now, I just need to summon enough strength to go to government agencies to register myself as an employer. I'm not crazy about it- with the long queues and cranky personnels- but this is a necessary evil.

to view the full infographic, go to: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/06/04/13/infographic-kasambahay-law

Grazie Viviamo!

First of all, I'd like to say thank you to Viviamo! Inc. for these wonderful treats. I received them last week, and unfortunately, it took me a while to show you how grateful I am for this. 

Sometime last May, I received an email invitation from Viviamo! Inc. to answer a survey aimed to gather ideas for the upcoming 2014 planner. I was one of the first 500 to complete the survey, that's why I got the freebies. For those of you are not familiar with the company, they are the ones behind popular planners like Belle de Jour (BDJ) and Navi. Since then, they have added more products to cater to different lifestyles.

The story of BDJ is very inspiring for budding entrepreneurs.It all started with a problem that needed to be solved: finding the perfect planner. The solution: create your own. People started to notice it and suggested to have it mass produced. And the rest is history.

My husband loves the Navi planner. Although I like the idea of BDJ, I don't own one. It's just not for me. I prefer something smaller and thinner. I'm hoping that they would consider releasing a mini-BDJ, or BDJ lite. What I am looking for is a small daily diary that I can use to keep track my cashflow and other important events. Although they already have an expense/task tracker, it would be difficult for me to backtrack some of the things I forgot to record.

Hopefully they'll have a product like this by next year.

Once again, many thanks! :)

Cloth Diapering:Care and Washing Instructions

from www.inhabitots.com 

Prepare Cloth Diapers For First-Time Use

It is important to wash cloth diapers before use - mainly, to remove the chemical residues left behind from manufacturing.

Generally, you need to wash the cloth diapers once, with half the recommended detergent. However, natural fibers (like hemp and cotton) need extra TLC:

• Wash 3-5 times in hot water using proper amount of detergent.
• Dry in between wash to ensure shrinkage and proper absorbency.
• Avoid pre-washing with polyester products. The natural oils in hemp and cotton may stick to the micro fleece and cause repelling.

For my very first set of cloth diapers (CDs), I followed the recommendations in the Modern Cloth Nappying Pinays (MCNP) Facebook group:

• For shells and anything with PUL: Soak overnight in COLD water. Wash once with a little detergent. Line-dry under the sun. 
• For inserts, soakers, boosters: Soak overnight in HOT water, especially natural materials like bamboo or hemp. Wash once with a little detergent. Line-dry under the sun.

However, after that, we no longer soaked the new nappies overnight. We just machine wash them. So far, no issues encountered.

General Care And Washing Instructions

There are different methods of washing cloth diapers. For general instructions, this is a good place to start.

At home, this is what we normally do:

• Shake (or sometimes, scrape) off the solids into the toilet. Wash the remaining poo with running water. If you have a diaper sprayer, that would make things a lot easier.
• If you are using pockets, remove the inserts before placing them inside the diaper pail.
• If it's soiled with poop,  I would soak the diaper in warm water with detergent for an hour. Otherwise, I just rinse it with water before tossing it to the diaper pail. A little warning though: soaking it overnight is not recommended.
• Load the diapers into the washer. I normally place covers inside laundry mesh bags. Make sure that velcro tabs are fastened to avoid diaper chains.
• If the diapers stink after washing, try an extra rinse.
• If possible, line dry the diapers under the sun - this is an effective way of removing stains.

Here are other things to remember:

• You can wash the diapers every day or every other day.
• Use the recommended detergent. These are some of the detergent we used and recommended by other moms*:
• Cycles
• Smart Steps
• D-Nee Liquid Detergent
• Charlie's Soap
• Tide Original*
• Champion Original*
• Human Heart Nature Liquid Detergent*
• Do not use natural soaps, bleach and fabric softeners. These can affect the absorbency of the cloth diapers.
• If you're not certain if a diaper rash cream is cloth diaper friendly, use a liner.

Trouble Shooting Tips

• It's leaking!
• If it's a new diaper, chances are, you need additional washes to improve absorbency.
• You could also try a "booster". We normally use flat diapers (gauze lampin) instead of other more expensive brands.
• Check the fit. If using OSFM (one size fits most), you can adjust the snaps.
• This could also be attributed to build up of products like creams or detergent. If this the case, you would need to strip the cloth diapers.
• Got stains?
• Stains are best treated by hanging it in the sun to dry.
• For stubborn stains, we would treat it with the following stain removers:
• Cycles Stain Soaker
• Oxiclean Baby
• Does it stink?
• Sometimes, the diaper smells like Ammonia. This may be caused by the combination of detergent residue and urine. You may run an extra rinse cycle. Or, you could also strip it.

Stripping

This term would generally elicit a smile from my husband. Unfortunately for him, this sort of stripping is rated GP.

image from www.momsmilkboutique.com 

Stripping is a process meant to remove or "strip" build ups from the cloth diapers. This is generally done when you encounter repelling issues. In our case, we have not encountered any issues yet, but I have done this twice within a  span of one year. There are several ways to do this, but the most convenient by far, is using RLR. I just follow instructions on the label:

• Simply open the package and empty full contents of the packet (no matter what type of machine you have) directly on dry or wet (already clean!) laundry in your washing machine. Wash as usual, along with a proper amount of cloth diaper safe detergent in your normal hot wash cycle. Run several rinse cycles after washing, until no suds remain in the final rinse.

For more information, you may also check out the files under the MCNP Facebook group.

Happy cloth diapering!