Franny Mommy : Guiltless Pleasures with Mustela

Today's mood meter reading is screaming : HAPPY! Wanna know why? It's because my twins and I have finally reached our 35th week mark and believe me, it was quite a challenge to get this far. With that, I believe I deserve a platter of sushi right after my delivery in two weeks. (Paul, hope you're reading this!)

Kidding aside, it has truly been a tough last trimester for me which also explains my frequent absence here on the blog and on social media too. As easy and smooth sailing my first two trimesters were, the 3rd trimester began with two hospital confinements, more medications, random hyperacidity attacks, a bad flu and recently, another hospital scare which could have led to the possibility of the twins arriving earlier than scheduled. Thankfully and I would like to think that we're all past those and I am hoping that I can enjoy the last two weeks of my pregnancy with less stress and with greater anticipation. Truly, this could have been my body's way of reminding me that I have to take extra care during this pregnancy.

On a happier note, one thing that I am truly happy about is being able to connect with fellow mommies who have been really helpful in giving me tips about my pregnancy and in taking care of newborns. Recently, I was invited by pretty mommies Mish and Sab of Mothers Who Brunch for a nice afternoon session with Mustela. I was so excited for this particular event for several reasons. First, I couldn't wait to meet Mish and Sab personally. Secondly, Mustela has been my newest favorite skincare brand since I found out that I'm pregnant. Lastly, we had it at Mulberry Door -- a restaurant that I've been wanting to check out since I got back. That said, I know I shouldn't miss this as it will surely be a fun afternoon for me.



Our session began with Mish and Sab asking everyone to stand up, introduce herself and share one guilty indulgence. I was freaking out! As chatty as I may be, I really get super shy especially when I have to talk in a crowd of strangers. Like a little kid, I squirmed and fearfully waited for my turn. It was fun listening to the other mom's though who shared a number of their guilty indulgences which ranges from online shopping to drinking alcohol to watching Dr. Pimple Popper (OMG!). Finally, it was my turn and I stammered (I think I did) while I shared that my guilty indulges are the two Cs -- Chips and Carbs. Finally it was over and we proceeded with the program.

The first part was knowing more about Mustela. We all know that it's an international brand and we got to meet the two ladies who brought Mustela in for the local market to have access too. I've never heard of Mustela up until Pan was pregnant with my niece A. I remembered how her friends gave her an entire set with the complete bath products for A. Since then, A has been using Mustela since birth and Pan was a happy satisfied Mommy. The product was put to test when Pan realized that A has a sensitive skin with dry patches on her legs.  This prompted Pan to try the Atopic-Skin line on A and looks like her dry patches have lessened since then.

As for me, Pan gave me a couple of Mustela bottles as I was worried that I might have stretch marks since I'm carrying twins. Knowing that stretch marks are hereditary and both Mommy and Pan were spared from it, I still wasn't taking any chances. So from the time I got back from Singapore, I have been religiously applying the Mustela Stretch Marks Prevention Lotion. For far, I have two weeks to go and still no signs of stretch marks. HOORAY!

Sometime during this last trimester, I also started having itchy patches all over my arms and legs. It was so uncomfortable and the more I scratch, the worst it gets. In fact, I started having tiny red rashes all over which would prompt from people to ask what happened. Pan told me to try Mustela's Soothing Moisturizing Balm all over my arms, legs and chest area and while it took a while, it sure eased the itch and those rashes are all gone now.

The two instances just made it sound like an advert but I promise you that those were my genuine, personal testimonials on why I swear by Mustela as it has helped me a lot throughout this pregnancy.

To go with our Guiltless Pleasure-themed afternoon, Mish and Sab also shared a couple of recipes of some healthy snacks with us. My personal favorite was the Vegan Cashew Cheese which was so yummy! I can totally have this any day with perhaps some toasted pita bread as it has a very similar texture with Hummus. It also doesn't make use of dairy so it's perfect for all those who are on a lactose-free diet.

Here's the recipe for you to try at home too:

What you'll need:
2 cups raw unsalted cashews, soaked
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup filtered water, have more on standby as needed
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/2 tsp onion powder, plus more to taste
1/2 tsp garlic powder, plus more to taste
1 tbsp fresh spring onions

Optional:
Sweet Cheese: remove onion powder, garlic powder and spring onions and replace with 1-2 tsp of pure maple syrup
Truffle Cheese: add 2 tsp truffle oil and freshly ground black pepper

Step by Step:
1. Drain the soaked cashew nuts and rinse thoroughly.
2. Add the nuts into a blender with all the other ingredients (except the spring onions) and blend until you have achieved your desired consistency.
3. Adjust salt, lemon juice, garlic and onion powder based on your preferred taste.
4. Transfer to a clean bowl and garnish with chopped spring onions. Enjoy!

In addition to this, they also demonstrated how to make the yummiest Chocolate Pudding, Dark Chocolate Avocado Truffles and Mango Banana Ice Cream all without using milk.

My Mustela loot for the Twins!

It was a fun afternoon spent learning a lot of things from knowing more about Mustela to learning some of these guiltless recipes to knowing how to enforce positive parenting. Above all, what I enjoyed the most was being able to connect with fellow moms and getting valuable tips from them. I think I was the only expecting mom in the room and I really have the highest respect for all these moms who have managed to juggle motherhood and still take the time off for themselves. I really have to remind myself to do that next time.

Looking forward to my next session with Mothers Who Brunch!

Order and browse the available Mustela products here.