My Mommyology

Learning from Motherhood.

Much Needed “Me-Time”

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Jamie. Has. Weaned.  She weaned!  I’m in happy, bittersweet disbelief.

After months of sleepless nights and intermittent dream feeds, and another few more weeks of constant screaming and wailing for “mommy’s milk!”, Jamie has finally (FINALLY!) weaned.  Can you feel my relief coming through your computer screen?!  She completely stopped 8 days before her 2nd birthday which was really my original target date.  I’ve known for a while that she associates the breastmilk with sleep, and because she looks for it 2 or 3 times a night, I don’t get much sleep at all.  In fact there was a part in Elizabeth Pantley’s book that was spot on to my situation.  Was she in the room writing while it was happening to me?!

Contrary to the title of her book though (The No Cry Sleep Solution), there was a lot of crying for about three days (Although she did say to expect it given the tight association breastfeeding had with sleep).  It was 3 nights of very little sleep for me (And she did say to expect that as well).  Little is equivalent to minutes of shut-eye at a time, all adding up to about 2 hours in a span of three days.  I really don’t remember what happened during those days and nights, when one ended and the other begin; I may have used toothpaste on my hair without realizing it.  Well somehow we’re all alive; I didn’t kill anyone.  So… it couldn’t have been that bad?

I will say for the record that I accomplished this incredible weaning feat all on my own (I’m not trying to be a martyr, it’s just the way things happened!). And to stop myself from really going crazy (since I still couldn’t sleep because, as you very well know – a mother never gets enough sleep!), I decided to pamper myself.  Thankfully, I had a lot of help in getting some much deserved “me-time”.

They say that here in Manila, with all the other people in your child-raising village, a mom can definitely get time away to recuperate.  Since I’ve been back though, those moments have still been few and far between.  I still can’t get a full day (or half day) for the said time, so I’ve settled with breaking them into time slots over the course of several days.  It’s not perfect, but I’ll take what I can get, when I can get it right? 🙂

the blỗ menu... and the curls I had for the afternoon. ;)

the blỗ menu… and the curls I had for the afternoon. 😉

A visit to blo bar.  blo bar opened their second branch in Serendra 6 weeks ago and the Mommy Mundo SoMoms got invited to give it a go (or should I say a blo?!).  Now I will say that I never really style my hair or go to a parlor to get it done unless there’s a big occasion; That weekend of no sleep and eventual triumph?  That was a special occasion.  My husband couldn’t understand it, and said I was quite out of character.  I didn’t bother explaining it to him, I just went.  So there I was, wide-eyed and bushy-tailed, and quite excited because I was SURE shampoo was going on my head this time.

blo bar has a menu of styles to choose from, and that’s all they do:  Wash – Blo – Go!  No haircuts, no hair color.  They work with what you already have and make it spectacular.  That day I agreed to some soft curls and a bohemian braid, to make the look a little bit more playful.  It took a while for me to get used to it but the entire process was quite therapeutic.  It’s not everyday after all that I just sit in a chair and voilá, I am “pretty-fied”!  I got a few compliments too (as I mentioned, I was out-of-character) and was told to do it more often (I’m actually concocting up a few good reasons to go back already! 😉).  Even Jamie loved my hair, and after that day, she’d always touch it and ask me to leave it down.

The other cool bit about blo bar is the brand’s personality.  The copy (although it borders on controversial) is very witty.  And everything is thought-through such that the brand’s powerful, friendly yet knowledgeable personality clearly comes out; even down to their replies on Twitter.  It makes you feel like you’re engaging with a style expert — and that is always a good thing!

I got a *wink*.  On a different day, I accepted another invitation from Brand Consultant Liz Lanuzo to try out a treatment at Wink, the newest laser and wax studio in town.  Together with some of the other SoMoms Tin and Cai, I met Wink’s youthful owner Holly Chang.  She told us about her inspiration for opening and operating a studio with affordable laser treatments, and a year later here she is.  We got to try any hair removal treatment of our choice, and I’d have to say I had quite the pleasant experience.

The beautiful hallway.  Photo courtesy of Wink Studio

The beautiful hallway. Photo courtesy of Wink Studio

Everything about Wink is youthful and quirky, but it is still very (VERY!) hygienic and also professional.  I love the way the entire studio looks and smells.  Its main icon (and a big part of their interior design) is the asterisk (*) — which connotes the target of the laser.  I also asked Holly why she decided to call her studio Wink, and she said, “because you really don’t want to broadcast to the world that you’ve just gotten hair removed on that part of your body.  So it becomes your little secret and you can actually tell them with a wink.”  How true!

What I love about Wink, which I feel sets them apart, is that they focus a great deal on the after care.  Even before we started any treatment, I was given a handout by Lyn, my specialist for the afternoon.  She made sure I understood everything on the sheet, and repeated it to me again before I left.  She also sent me a text message two days later to check-in, and I truly appreciated that.  During our entire session Lyn constantly asked if I was comfortable, which is very reassuring because at least you know they’re conscious and concerned about your well-being and they can adjust accordingly.  I liked it too when Holly said they assign the same person to handle your treatments each time you visit (and you really would want to go back, I kid you not) because at least you build a bond with your therapist and she knows exactly what you need and how you need it done.  Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Wink’s treatments are the most affordable I’ve seen so far; and they offer long-term packages for both the wax and laser treatments.  That makes sense, since you need to come back several times for the laser treatment to last long-term.

So here I am, one hair style and one hair removal treatment later, feeling a little bit more refreshed.  I am once again ready to take on the next bought of sleepless nights (or so I think…).

Thank you Mommy Mundo, Blo, Liz, and Wink for helping to make me feel a little less like a zombie, and a little  more like a (well-kept) human being! 🙂

***

  • blo branches are at Powerplant (near parking entrance by True Value) and  at the 2/F of Serendra (near Global Art).  
  • Contact +63.917.6blodry (+63.917.6256379) to schedule your appointment.
  • Wink is located at Unit 315, C2 Building, 7th Avenue cor. 28th Street Bonifacio High Street Central. 
  • Contact +632.808.7258 +63917.303.WiNK or email hello@winkstudio.ph for more information.

 

Author: mymommyology

I am the mom that I am because of my two wonderful little girls. They teach me everyday.

4 Comments

  1. I wanna see the after-photo of the hair!!! 🙂

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