April's Happy Packages

Oh, c'mon. It's May today? Seriously, how did that happen?

I haven't even gone to the beach yet! #WAHMproblems

Anyway, I write about my grocery finds every month, but for this month, I have nothing to write about. There are three reasons why.

First, I'm trying to minimize buying processed and packaged food, so most of the time, I only buy fresh produce. It doesn't seem to make sense to write a post full of fruits, veggies, and meat.

Second, since the mortgage we have to pay for our house will be increasing effective next month (which is today pala!), I need to minimize my expenses. Especially on food.

Third, I really didn't find a need to try something new because I'm contented with the current brands I've tried. So I didn't really have a new "discovery" to feature.

Buuut I did receive a number of packages this month! Some of them I bought while some of them I received. I think they're rather post-worthy because they are useful not only during the summer (so hot!) but also throughout the entire year. Here they are:

Ready for the beach!

1. Sunblock - Coppertone Water Babies and Belo SunExpert

Sunblock's a no-brainer. In a tropical country like ours, sunblock should be used year-round. Yuri used to use Midori natural sunblock with an SPF of 30, which is frankly enough, but since paubos na, I felt the need to buy one with a higher SPF since this year's summer is just - grabe - drought level. I know Coppertone's not natural or organic, but it's the most cost-efficient for me. And I used it as a child so...

Meanwhile, the Belo sunblock is from - drumroll - Sample Room! This means I only paid for its shipping. I haven't tried it yet but I soon will!

Another addition to our library. Yay!

2. Bible Story Set

Ah, another addition to our growing library. I love this set of books because it's the prize I won from joining MomsterTeacher's blog givewaway. I was blessed too much because God allowed me to win three contests! What I love about these is the way the stories of the Bible characters are written in a simple way - perfect for kids.

I'm excited to introduce Yuri to Jesus; actually, I already did!

GIGA Baby Balm, GIGA Massage Rub, and GIGA Insect Repellant

3. Gifts from GIGA Philippines

I wrote and raved about the GIGA products I've tried, and they really are some of the best natural products I've used. Despite trying several brands of insect repellent, GIGA remains to be my favorite. And even as a toddler, we still use GIGA baby balm for Yuri's insect bites and minor cuts. Yuri just loves using it on himself and I'm not even kidding.

They didn't have to, but GIGA was kind enough to send me a small gift containing - what else - my fave products! They also included something I haven't tried yet: the massage rub. I love it! Perfect timing, too, since I'm looking for a minty balm just in case Yuri catches a cold. Nice!

My camera in a poor lighting condition. Hehehe

4. Samsung WB150F

Yuri and the Attack of the Insects! (Review: GIGA Baby Balm)

I always let Yuri play outside whenever the weather permits it. First, Vitamin D is good for him. Second, it tires him out and he sleeps deeply in his afternoon naps. Third, well, I just want to see him a bit tanned than just white.

However, I had to stop him from going out for a while. This is because a few weeks ago, Yuri got a huge insect bite on his leg:

I didn't know what caused the bite. Is it a mosquito? Is it an ant? Within the day and in the next days, he got several new insect bites all over his body:

What caused those big angry bites? And those are just a few of his insect bites ha! There were more insect bites sprouting in the next days. There were a few mosquitoes in the house, but they never bite Yuri because I always see to it that he uses an insect repellent (we use GIGA and Human Nature). Those insect bites didn't look like mosquito bites, either. However, Yuri was visibly bothered by them. Kawawa. :-(

I hate you, but it's not your fault this time!

As first aid, I tried putting on his eczema ointment. I'm sure it doesn't do anything to the insect bites, but because I didn't have anything else at hand, I was hoping it would relieve the itch.

However, it did not. While it did not harm Yuri in any way, using that medicated cream only made him smell like medicine. So the next day, I did my research and found out that GIGA, a store I frequent, sells a baby balm that could be used for insect bites. That Sunday, I immediately bought one:

Like what I said in my November Fun and Frugal Finds post, I like how the balm has a pleasant smell. It's not overpowering unlike medicated creams and Citronella sprays. This means I could use it without irritating our noses (I am very sensitive to strong smells).

More importantly, after just one day, I immediately saw it taking effect. Take note ha, that was less than 24 hours. The big red angry bites immediately reduced into these:

Human ❤ Nature Loot

This Human ❤ Nature loot has been here for more than a week already! Yes, to state the obvious, this is a late post. Yuri says, "Sayi!" (That means sorry, if you don't understand toddler-speak. :P)

Anyway, I placed the order last Tuesday after I ran out of liquid cleaner for Yuri's utensils. I wanted to try something else, and I really wanted to try out HHN. One, because the products are organic, and two, because they benefit local farmers. These reasons beat buying imported brands hands down!

Like what I said, I placed the order last Tuesday, and guess what, they arrived in less than 24 hours! In Davao City! That's a first, actually, and I have a sort of steady relationship with online shopping. They came in this cute box:

Now, before I digress further, here are what I bought:

I only bought three products because this was the first time I ordered. I'm not exactly well-versed when it comes to organic products. I didn't know whether I would like them or not. I bought the essentials: dishwashing liquid for Yuri's utensils, insect repellent (every mom must have one!), and lipbalm for my dry, pale lips.

So, for the mini reviews! Let’s begin with the HHN (I always type HHWW! Haha!) Tough Love Dishwashing Liquid. I find that it is thinner than commercial dishwashing liquids, like Joy, and thicker than baby bottle cleansers. There is no issue here, but what is great about it is that it is so bubbly. I love bubbles! Also, it has a really fresh, lemony smell, making washing Yuri’s utensils a lovelier task.

Next is HHN Bug Shield Insect Repellent. I still have my Giga repellent, but I needed to buy a smaller one to take with me when we go out.

Review: Giga Baby Insect Repellant Spray

Before I start the review, I have a question: Why is everybody talking about Chikungunya? May outbreak ba? Sorry hindi ako updated sa news. I do know that I already wrote about it last year though.

So anyway, despite not knowing about the outbreak (kung meron man), I'm always vigilant against dengue. We always make sure that there is no stagnant water inside and outside the house. We used to use a kulambo for Yuri when he was still a newborn baby, but he quickly outgrew it. Now, meron din namang kulambo yung crib nya. Pero ayaw kong gamitin.

Ayaw na ayaw ko. Allergic ako sa kulambo.

That was fine before because there weren't any mosquitoes naman in the house. However, one day, I found bites on Yuri's arms and legs:

Sorry, hindi naman makita no? Pero merong insect bite yan. Hirap kasi picturan ni Yuri.

Ako, I'm used to mosquito bites because attractive ako sa lamok. I don't know why! Is it because I love eating sweets? I used to use Off lotion before but stopped using it when I had Yuri because of the chemicals. Of course, I can't use Off for Yuri! Good thing there are a lot of companies now that offer natural and DEET-free insect repellants. 

I know there's a GIGA kiosk in SM Lanang Premier (sorry I forgot to take a photo!), so I immediately bought one.

Cute bottle that you can carry around

Price: I bought this 100-ml bottle for only P160 at the GIGA kiosk.

Scent: At first, I found the scent off. I think that's because it's my first time to try a natural product. Sorry! Magbabagong buhay na ako ngayon. Anyway, afterward, I got used to the scent. It smells like a combination of lemongrass and lemon. I've gotten so used na to the scent that I'm already addicted to it!

Texture: This is not sticky, unlike the insect repellant lotions we had when we were kids. The consistency is oily because of the natural essences used in the spray. I'd rather have oily than sticky!

Effectiveness:

Look at the photos below. No, hindi mga lamok yan. Grabe naman kayo. A couple of days ago, we were suddenly invaded by black ants. Ganyan dito pag rainy season; pumapasok ang insects. Actually, the ants are okay. Huwag lang lamok or langaw please! However, there were too many of the ants this time, and they were all over the table. So I sprayed Mr. GIGA all over them:

Siguradong teypok

They were on the floor, too!

So obviously naman, they were all killed instantly. Hindi lang pala repellant, insecticide din! Take note that I only sprayed a little amount over all the pesky insects. It was super effective.

Spray or Lotion?

For adults, if you want to slather insect repellant lotions on yourselves, then go ahead. However, I do recommend repellant sprays for babies and young kids. For one, you can spray on their clothes rather than directly on the skin. Also, spraying prevents the kids from eating the repellant. You can also spray all over the surroundings and surfaces in the house. There are more possibilities with sprays instead of lotions.

Instead of spraying it directly on Yuri's skin, I spray a little on my hands and massage them over his arms and legs. It's been two weeks since I've bought it, pero he hasn't had an insect bite ever since!

Verdict: Go ahead and buy it! I'm so satisfied with it. Now, malaki na ang bawas ang spray ko. That's because spraying it all over the house gives me peace of mind. Also, the scent calms me. Parang relaxing oils lang.

However, I am planning to also buy one from Human❤Nature for my sister. Let's do a faceoff!

There are actually a lot more products in the GIGA booth. I was tempted to buy Yuri cold rub but it's my first time to try the brand eh so I only bought the insect repellant. In hindsight, though, kung alam ko lang na magkakaubo at sipon si Yuri, I should have bought one!

This is not a sponsored post. I paid for the product and my review is based on my own honest observations.

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