When Janice Villanueva and Candice Cu first put up Mommy Matters more than 10 years ago, they agreed on one important factor: their line of nursingwear must be something that real moms would want to wear. Many years later, the cousins have stayed true to their vision, creating clothes for breastfeeding mommies that are cozy yet stylish, comfortable and fuss-free.
Launching its
newest collection, Mommy Matters enlisted the support of four of the
most-followed moms in the blog and Twitter world. These are real moms who bare their lives,
beliefs and opinions in their own online homes. They live busy and full lives,
running their households and businesses, raising their children, all are even
currently breastfeeding their babies. Real moms like them need wearable
fashion, and the brand they wear celebrates the strength, independence and
wisdom of moms of today. Meet the real women who wear the real fashion of Mommy
Matters!
Paola Loot
works at Mommy Treats from the comfort of her home. While her one-and-a
half-year old daughter sleeps, Paola prepares orders for her nutrient-fortified
cookies, which have helped many breastfeeding moms increase their milk supply.
A totally modern mom, Paola makes full use
of her digital gadgets to help her track her life—from her baking schedule to
her daughter’s doctor appointments. She is also not shy to step back and ask
for help with her tasks to give her time to relax. Paola explains, “When I
accepted that I needed help with my baking and that it’s okay to take some
“me-time” away from my daughter, I became happier and calmer. By remembering my
needs as a person, I have achieved some sort of balance in my life.”
For Paola, a real mom acknowledges her
imperfections—and strives to do better. She says, “A
real mom forgives herself. She knows that she can’t always do things perfectly.
She’ll make mistakes along the way but she won’t let those mistakes define her.
She’ll teach her kids, through example, that it’s not our mistakes in life that
will define us, it’s what we do with it that will.”
On Saturdays, Kris de Guzman goes
on a dinner-movie date with her husband. It’s a breather from the typical week
that has them taking care of their two children’s needs while managing their
professional lives. Kris is the mom behind the popular blog, OcMominManila. She
is also a director at her marketing agency and runs a water filtration
business.
For her, happiness is being able to work
from home, with ample assistance from her household and her smart phone, which
“has made me more sane, especially during hour-long breastfeeding sessions.”
But when it came time to teach her
daughter one of the most significant development milestones in a child’s life,
she turned to an age old contraption. Kris says, “An andador—that bamboo
circular walker you can buy off the back of a white carabao—is the best and
cheapest gadget to teach your baby to walk.”
Indeed, Kris is one mom who is not afraid
to make her own rules when it comes to parenting. She says, “I parent according
to my own rules based on what I feel is right and what I’m comfortable with,
not because of what’s on trend or what’s expected of me.”
Because
she doesn’t have a yaya—because she doesn’t want one—Martine de Luna
does a lot of multitasking. While she has breakfast with her son, she answers
her e-mail, responds to inquiries, and replies on comments on her blog,
www.DaintyMom.com. A blog which she started right after coming from her
maternity leave, it has become both a resource and a source of inspiration for
work-at-home moms and mompreneurs.
She
says, “Right now, I’m a wife, mom, and a homemaker who can work from home… I am
passionate about all of these things, and the fact that I am living out all of
these things.”
It
helps that her husband works from home, too, and every week, they go out on
weekly lunch dates. She says, “We like to stick to our favorite haunts, but
once in a while we explore new places.”
For Martine, “A real mom is OK not being
‘supermom.’ She makes her own brand of motherhood work in a way that’s best for
her family and not as the world dictates it… The important thing is that we’re
happy learning together.”
Eliza Santiago Ypon
is not, by a long shot, a perfectionist. Unlike her mom, who likes everything
neatly arranged, Eli reveals, “I sometimes bring the pot to the table and serve
from there, and I always have a pile of laundry. She [Eli’s mother] can’t live
without household help, while I revel in the freedom of not having one. I’m
glad she’s like that because her house is always my haven when I’ve come to the
end of my wits. There’s always food on the table and extra hands to care for
Basti! I’m so grateful for her.”
The mom behind www.painterswife.com, Eli
also teaches classes at Gymboree, likes doing crafts projects, and occasionally
serves as her artist husband’s representative. Her days are full, but happy.
She says, “Happiness is not elation, it’s contentment. It’s knowing you’re
where you’re supposed to be, and loving and accepting the good and bad of it.”
“I am a real mom because I
made it a choice to be real,” says Eli.
“A real mom is honest. Not
just about what she is, but what she feels and what she needs. She has a brain,
a soul, and a spirit big enough for a household and then some. Before we
forget, she also has her own dreams and aspirations. Sometimes it’s not about
all of you, but about her.”
Mommy Matters enjoins all
moms to share their REAL MOM statements and stories. Follow Mommy Matters on
Facebook at www.facebook.com/mommymatters and MommyMattersPH on Twitter, and
tweet using the hashtag #RealMom. For product info, visit www.shopmommymatters.com. Also watch out for more Real Mom campaign stories through our
Real Mom bloggers.
WHAT IS A REAL MOM?
A REAL MOM is an authentic,
she feels empowered and fearless in making her own choices. She is able to give
herself a pat on the back for a job well done, and stands up and dusts it off
when she makes mistakes. She knows life is about easy choices and tough
decisions but in the end, it’s about what makes her, her kids and her family
happy.
A REAL MOM …
- is a mom who is authentic.She
does what’s best for her children and not
according to what others
expect of her or how they will judge her. (Kris de Guzman)
- is OK not being
“supermom.” She but makes her own brand of motherhood work, in a way that’s
best for her family and not as the world dictates it. (Martine de Luna)
- is honest. Not just about
what she is, but what she feels and what she needs. She may or may not take
things in stride. She may be right sometimes and wrong too, at times, but while
she calls the shots, she's ALWAYS right :-P. She has a brain, a soul and a
spirit big enough for a household and then some. Before we forget, she also has
her own dreams and aspirations. Sometimes it's not about all of you, but about
her. (Eliza Ypon)
- forgives herself.
She knows that she can’t always do things perfectly. She’ll make mistakes along
the way but she won’t let those mistakes define her. She’ll teach her kids,
through example, that it’s not our mistakes in life that will define us, it’s
what we do with it that will. (Paola Loot)
ABOUT MOMMY MATTERS
Mommy Matters celebrates motherhood
with this continuation of its real mom campaign featuring four of the most
followed personalities in the mom blogging scene.
Mommy Matters is one of the
leading pioneer nursingwear brands in the Philippines. Its apparel is known
for its high quality, wearable fashion and our constant innovations to answer
our market's needs and wants.
(Above article is a press release)
