Mother of Reinvention

Every year, 2.4 million babies
Don’t let this happen to your baby.
Protect against rotavirus by 6 months of age.
O n e o u t o f 2 h o s p i t a l i z a t i o n s f o r d i a r r h e a a n d v o m i t i n g i s c a u s e d b y ro t a v i r u s 2 ,
w h i c h a f f e c t s b a b i e s a s y o u n g a s 3 m o n t h s o f a g e 1. B u t r o t a v i r u s i n f e c t i o n
i s h i g h l y p r e v e n t a b l e 3 . T h e f i r s t 6 m o n t h s i s t h e t i m e t o p r o t e c t y o u r b a b y.
D o n ’t m i s s t h e c h a n c e . A s k y o u r d o c t o r a b o u t r o t a v i r u s p r e v e n t i o n t o d a y.
References: 1. Glass R. Et al. Rotarvirus Vaccines: current prospects and future changes, The Lancet 2006; 368:323-32. 2. Bresee JS et al.
Emerg Infect Dis 2004; 10(6) 988-995. 3. Clark HF et al. Vaccines. 4th edition (USA): 2004; Chapter 51:1327-1345.
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!"
INBOX
Note From The Editor
I wonder if it was because of the extra endorphins that
came with breastfeeding, or fun playtime with my baby (a
true test of resourcefulness and creativity!) or the endless
shopping for cool baby products that was the source of
all the business ideas that flooded me when I became a
mom. In my 13 years of motherhood, at one point or
another, I had wanted to create a nursingwear line, set
up a party lootbag business, invent and distribute baby
products, publish mommy magazines, set up a fieldtrip
business for kids, set up an events company, and the list
of visions goes on.
Some of these i was able to bring to reality, some just
faded as the related-phases of my baby’s life came and
went. Now i can call myself a serial (and passionate!)
mompreneur just like a lot of other mommies (see page
3).
Moms know what other moms need and want because
we live our lives caring for our kids and playing many
other roles thus, we are in the position to be natural
inventors (see page 10) and potential mompreneurs.
With big doses of inspiration, time management
skills, and support from our husbands and families,
mompreneurship allows us to feed our passions, put our
minds and creativity to good use, and
with success, earn some income too!
This issue is for all mompreneurs and
aspiring mompreneurs!
Janice Villanueva
P.S. To learn more about Mommy Mundo’s
mompreneurship advocacy, I invite you to visit www.
mompreneurmanila.com. Thank you PLDT SME Nation for your support!
Congratulations Lai,
you won a Momease Diaper Bag Converter from
Mommy Matters!
Hi,
I’m a new mom, and I must admit, it is REALLY such a
rewarding experience! I came across your mag while I was
still pregnant and I must say that from that time until now, I
find the mag very comprehensive and informative as tiny as
it is compared to full size magazines sold in the stands. Your
TINY-sized mag is such a BIG help to NEW moms like me!
:) Thanks so much!
Regards,
Lai Daryanani
Dear Janice,
Would like to congratulate you on a great mag =) It’s a fun
easy read that fits in my bag so I can easily take it with me.
The “Summer Stuff ” feature in the Apr-May issue was great
and very helpful.
Keep up the great work!
Carla Sanchez
We’d love to hear from you! The chosen letter to the
editor wins a Lassig Bottle Holder! Email us at:
urbanmom.magazine@gmail.com.
UrbanMom
AUG-SEPT 2010 | VOL 3 NO. 1
PUBLISHERS
Gary M. Villanueva
Janice Crisostomo-Villanueva
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Janice Crisostomo-Villanueva
CONTRIBUTOR
Cover story by Jing Lejano
MARKETING
Micky Darantinao
Tiffany de Guzman
Pauline Flavier
Diane Nikolai Lopez
CREATIVE CONSULTANT
Jaymie Crisostomo-Pizarro
ADMINISTRATIVE
Angela De Luna
Arnel Banares
LAYOUT
Carol Gaviola
PHOTOGRAPHY
RealKids Photography
CONTACT US
For inquiries, call 470.9925 or 0918.930.0313 or email, urbanmom.magazine@
gmail.com
Me and my cousin/partner/co-mompreneur, Candice
Urban Mom is a lifestyle freezine for young, modern moms. Material appearing
here may not be reproduced in print or electronically without written
permission from the publisher and without proper credit. Urban Mom is
published by MommyMundo, a division of Creative Juice Communications, Inc.
www,mommymundo.com. Also, on Facebook and Twitter.
MOMPRENEUR
Five dynamic and active mompreneurs answer the question:
What do I love about being a mompreneur?
Time is precious and we can’t turn it
back, so being a mompreneur enables
me to make the most out of it with
my kids. It’s a dream come true! :)
- Darlene del Mundo, BY NATURE
Handmade Soaps & 100% Natural
Products
www.bynaturehandmadesoaps.com
0917.537.0124
Being a home-based mompreneur, my children -- at a very
early age -- are exposed to how
the business operates way before
they learn the theories in business
school. At 10, my eldest forsees
a future with her at the helm of
our company. It’s never too early
to harness a kid’s entrepreneurial
spirit.
- Benz Co-Rana, WeddingsAtWork.com, 0917.8501026
Two Tots is a sigh of relief (from my
full time job at a software company)
as it’s something I’ve always wanted
to do! I love working with children’s
furniture and creating practical yet
playful accessories for my toddler to
enjoy. In a way, it’s the best of both
worlds, incorporating my daughter’s needs and sharing it
with other mom’s out there to enjoy!
- Bea Ilusorio, Two Tots, www.twotots.net
URBANMOM Q&A
!"#$%&'
I don’t always love it. I used to have difficulties dividing
my time and attention between
my children and work. But with
the help of my staff at the
office and my yayas, everything
is much more enjoyable. You
need support to be able to love
being a mompreneur :-)
- Yenny Saw, Global Art Philippines
I love being able to do something
truly meaningful. Since I
have chosen a business that
supports breastfeeding, it is
more than just a job but an
advocacy. I also appreciate
how being a mompreneur lets
me be in control of my time
and my priorities. When I
was employed, 90% of my time was devoted to
work, and 10% to family. Not by choice but out of
circumstance. Now I have the freedom to spend
more time with my husband and my 3-year old
daughter, and overall have a more balanced family
life.
-Bessie Colet-Campillo, Nursing Mom
nursingmom.multiply.com
0917.897.0175
Mother
of
Reinvention
!"#$%&'()*)+$,-./#-*00)1"+"-,2)."0&('",)
&0) 1304) !"##!$#% &#% '#()*+(),-'#./.%
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$6)7",)4,3")0"-68
Photography by: Doods Tanabe of RealKids Photography
Wardrobe by Tala (For inquiries, call Mavis Fuentebella at 09175384195)
W
HENEVER ONE HEARS of a Filipino doing
good in the world stage, one can’t help but
feel proud. But when that Filipino happens to be a mother
with four children, one can’t help but feel ecstatic—
especially when that one Filipino turns out to be Tweetie
de Leon Gonzalez.
World class jewelry designer is the just latest title to adorn
Tweetie’s many-feathered hat. Always reinventing herself,
we’ve seen Tweetie morph from model to wife, mother to
mentor, health buff to squash player. Designing jewelry,
it seems, is another attempt at self-definition.
Expanding her world
It was late in the nineties. Tweetie, who had always
been used to keeping a full schedule, felt a little out
of sorts. At the time, she spent most of her days
taking care of her children. Looking back, Tweetie
remembers, “I had two kids; what am I going to do
when they’re sleeping? I’m so idle. I’m rotting away.”
At home, she just happened to
stumble on a jewelry making book.
And so she read it and started
experimenting. It wasn’t long before
she was turning strings and stones into
necklaces and bracelets.
“It was a hobby, that’s how it started,
just like with any mompreneur
business,” Tweetie says. She explains,
“You know, making jewelry is not
really what I was interested in. I never
used to wear any fancy stuff. I wasn’t
into accessories. It’s just that I like
working with my hands… When I got
more confident about my skills, I just
progressed to finer materials—semiprecious stones, etc.” Fortunately for
Tweetie, she got a lot of support from
friends who were already in the business.
She started selling her jewelry and
placing them in selected stores. She also
got into exporting her pieces. Tweetie
says, “It started rolling for me too fast
and I didn’t know how to go about it.
Next thing I knew, I was shipping my
items.”
Off to the world
Today, Tweetie’s handcrafted pieces
may be found locally at Rustan’s and
Essenses, and globally at Paul Smith
stores in Los Angeles, Milan, and
London. How she got into Paul Smith
was as serendipitous as how she found
that jewelry-making book one lazy day.
It was 2006. Manila was experiencing
a major economic slump. Tweetie
says, “Zero for the week ang sales, I
cannot survive. I felt that I needed to
do something.” She explains, “I just
thought of photographing my items
and sending out announcements to
people I knew who were out of the
country, not really knowing where
I wanted to go. I was just thinking
along the lines of maybe they can
order from me, they can be the
middle man, something like that.”
As it turns out, one of the recipients
of Tweetie’s SOS message was
a Filipina working at Paul Smith.
Tweetie’s items caught her fancy and
she told the jewelry designer that
she’ll present it to her boss. ‘If he
likes it, we’ll see,’ was all the Filipina
could promise. And so Tweetie
waited and waited and waited. After
four long months, Tweetie finally got
a call from the buyers of Paul Smith:
They were placing orders for her
kamagong collection. Tweetie was
ecstatic.
Today, you can see Tweetie’s pieces
at the Paul Smith website. And
while Paul Smith is her biggest client,
they’re one of the easiest to deal
with. “Very few requirements, easy
to talk to,” she explains.
“
I have other hats to wear. I want to be able
to do other things. I want it a manageable size.
MOMPRENEUR SMARTS
Here, Tweetie de Leon Gonzalez
shares a few starting-your-business
tricks.!
1 Find your passion. Yes, you may
have heard of this before but this is still
the best advice that you’re going to get
when it comes to starting an enterprise of
your own. Involve yourself in something
that you are head over heels for—
whether it’s baking chocolate-crusted
brownies or making scrapbooks. You are,
after all, going to devote time, effort, and
money into your enterprise, so might as
well enjoy it.
Her day-to-day world
Tweetie is happy with where her
little hobby has taken her. “I enjoy
it. I like the challenge. I like the
pressure”, she says. And though
there is the potential to grow the
brand and make it even bigger,
Tweetie is satisfied with where she is
right now.
“I don’t have a big work force. I
supply boutiques. I have no capacity
to supply department stores. And
I don’t think I ever will because I
just feel I don’t know everything
about running a business… I just feel
that I want it this size, not really big
because I have other hats to wear. I
want to be able to do other things. I
want it a manageable size,” she adds.
To this day, Tweetie still makes a lot
of the pieces, especially those that
are marked for export. And over the
years, she has become very adept
at weaving stones and beads and
wooden pieces into beautiful pieces
of wearable art. She has also moved
the business out of her home and
into a proper office.
“Before, it was in my house and then
you know, I realized, this is crazy. I
never stop. Four a.m. na pala! I have
to go to sleep; you get so engrossed.
You forget that you need time off,”
she says.
And if there’s anything that this
mompreneur needs, it’s time off:
time to dine out with the kids, time
to watch movies with the hubby,
time to play some squash, time
to give a crafts workshop at her
children’s school, time to read,
time to play, time to enjoy life to its
absolute fullest!
2 Make yourself an expert. Do
your research. Study. Learn. Tweetie says,
“I didn’t know anything about jewelry
making so I took it upon myself to learn.”
Tweetie took up an online course at
the Gemological Institute of America,
which suited her mommy life perfectly. It
allowed her to study at her own time, and
pay her tuition at manageable intervals.
Studying not only gives you personal
satisfaction, the knowledge you gain also
adds more value to your product.
3 Decide on the size of your
business. As a mother, you wear many
hats; running a business is just one of
them. Ask yourself, how much time can
you devote to your business? Are there
other things that you want to do?
4 Fight! After all is said and done, just
do it!
FAVEFINDS
(&)*
100% MADE
Learning Lion Flash Cards to help
moms teach their kids to read, while
having fun in the process. 0917.8522000
Tisha Gonzales-Cruz
Writable Flash Cards
2-in-1 flash cards help kids not only how
to recognize letters but also to write them
percybru@gmail.com
by Percy Sy
Cool mom creations to help
make parenting tasks easier and
even more FUN!
Kinder Company Cool Statement Tees
for little ones. www.kindercompany.multiply.com
by Marie de Guzman
Momease Diaper Bag Converter
Converts your favorite bag into a diaper bag.
www.shopmommymatters.com
by Candice Cu-Yaw
and Janice Villanueva
Oasis by Planet Noah VOCO Cream and
Soothing Baby Oil
By Nature Moisturizing Insect Repellent and
By Nature Baby Salve
Natural products to keep baby’s skin health and safe
oneplanetnoah.multiply.com
by Judy Dytandiu
www.bynaturehandmadesoaps.com
by Darlene del Mundo
INTO Personalized Bags, Baskets and Bins
Personalized bags, toy boxes and hampers
09178417411 / into.ph@gmail.com
by Lyn Dy
Mommypads
Personalized notepads and family calendars for
every member of the family
mommypads.multiply.com
by Ria Salazar
The Little Red Shoe
cute fashionable shoes and sandals for babies
and toddlers
thelittleredshoe.multiply.com
by Grace Profeta
EVENTSINTHECITY
KNOW YOUR CHILD
WORKSHOP:
The Art of Living organized its
first Know Your Child Workshop
facilitated by Alka C. Mehta, an
international teacher of this nonprofit organization. The 2hour
interactive workshop provided
practical wisdom for parents
and caregivers and helping them
understand the nature of kids ages
1-12 years old.
www.artofliving.org
KITRI’S WEDDING: Danspace
celebrated 10 years with “Kitri’s
Wedding” at the Tanghalang Pasigueno,
Pasig City Hall Complex, Caruncho Ave.,
Pasig City last May 31. Starring Danspace
alumna and now Philippine Ballet Theater
Company Member, Lobreza Pimente
together with Mark Pineda and the
Danspace students ages 4-13 years
old. The show was conceptualized,
choreographed and directed by: Maritoni
Rufino Tordesillas, Danspace founder and
director. www.danspacemanila.com
AEGIS PEOPLE SUPPORT
CAFE AU LAIT: The employees
of Aegis People Support are a
blessed lot as management takes an
extra step to provide the nursing
mothers among them with a
breastfeeding station in their work
areas. Amale Jopson invited Mommy
Mundo to the launch which was
graced by Senator Pia Cayetano,
Maricel Laxa-Pangilinan and other
breastfeeding advocates.
WEB SAFETY SEMINAR:
A free seminar was held at the
Microsoft Auditorium. The seminar
was organized to help parents learn
more about how to protect their
children from possible harmful
effects and dangers of the internet.
www.websafetyforparents.com
EXPO MOM GOES SOUTH: Expo Mom went south of Manila for the first
time, to respond to requests from moms from Alabang and nearby areas. Mommy
Mundo partnered with Karina Garcia-Reyes for this event and all-out support was
given by Expo Mom goes South venue, Alabang Town Center.
www.mommymundo.com
FILLINTHEBLANKS
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EVENTSCALENDAR
august
2-7 Mommy Essentials Fair, Atrium, Eastwood Mall
7: Comprehensive Yaya Training, 9-12nn,
Medela House, New Manila. Register thru
medelasupports@gmail.com or text
0917-5614366
8: Mommy Milkshake Marathon Year 4: A Family Fun
Run for Breastfeeding, Bonifacio Global City, email
info@mommymundo.com.
8: Mom’s Purest Love, Eastwood Mall
11: Best Friends in Breastfeeding, 9-11am The
Podium Mall
21: Belly Mama Fair, Rockwell Tent
21: DIscover Science Upclose and Personal: Hobbes
and Landes Bonifacio High Street, 2-3:30pm, call
8560935
21: The Breastfeeding Club’s Annual
Baby Shower, 9-12noon, Medela House, Call
09175614366, Limited slots available.
22: Working Mom All About Baby Fair, Rockwell
Tent
24: Kadabra Cup: A Magician’s Competition,
7pm, Fun Ranch, Call 7063031.
25: Plan Your Own Kiddie Party Fair, The Grove by
Rockwell, Call 7930088.
27: Dona Elena Cuisinera Club Cooking Class,
The Living Well Podium, Call 4088070
27: YOU & ME & MOMMY: We All Help Our
Breastfeeding Mommies”, SM Mall of Asia Activity
Center
27-30: Scholastic Warehouse Sale, 8am to 8pm,
70 C. Raymundo Ave., Bgy. Rosario Pasig City
Tel 9001537
september
1-2: Scholastic Warehouse Sale, 8am to 8pm,
70 C. Raymundo Ave.,
Bgy. Rosario Pasig City, Tel 9001537
11: Moms On the Floor, A Fun Floor-based
activity for expectant couples & moms
of babies 0-1 year old, 1-4pm, Top Shelf,
Fully Booked, Bonifacio High Street, Call
4088070. www.mommymundo.com
11: Best Friends in Breastfeeding, 9-11am
The Podium Mall
11: Baby Sign Language, Hobbes Bonifacio
High Street, 09176208891
15-19: Manila International Book Fair,
SMX Convention Center, Call 9001537
17-19: The 1st Mommy Mundo Clearance
Clearout Sale, 10am-8pm, Big Red Barn, Fun
Ranch, Frontera Verde, Pasig, Call 4088070,
www.mommymundo.com
18: The Stork Exchange, 2-6pm, M Café,
Greenbelt 3
19: Woman Power: A Decade of
Empowered Parenting, 10am-8pm,
Rockwell Tent, Makati, Call 8860333
25: Positive Parenting Workshop, Tumble Tots,
930am-1130am.
25: Breastfeeding 101, 8:30-10:30am,
Medela House. Call 09175614366,
29: Dona Elena Cuisinera Club Cooking
Class, The Living Well Podium, Call
4088070
CLASSIFIEDS
medela
global art
mm
ecowear
advertisement