Happypinaymommy.com’s work-at-home-mom of the week#7: Mommy Clarissa Ababan-Banez
Our Work-at-Home Mommy-of-the-Week is a Doctor, turned Blogger and You Tube Channel Owner, turned Owner of Baby Lamb, the ONLY local handmade cloth diaper brand that makes WOOLIES.
Without further ado, let me introduce to you:
Happypinaymommy.com’s Work-at-Home-Mom of the Week: Mommy Clarissa Ababan-Banez of Baby Lamb:
Mommy Clarissa essentially gave Cloth Diapering Moms in the Philippines the chance to use handmade woolies through her own Cloth Diaper brand: Baby Lamb.
Mommy Clarissa’s WAHM story is very inspiring. I actually learned a lot from the interview I had with her and her happy clients. I know some cloth diapering moms like me are intimidated with wool, but Mommy Clarissa gives us a chance to experience how woolies work, and at the same time through her products, debunk impressions that wool is very hard to maintain and that it is expensive.
Anyway, going back to her being a Work-at-Home-Mom, she said she decided to work from home as she wants to be present in her daughter’s formative years. Being a WAHM, helped her achieve her goal of spending a lot of time with her daughter, and at the same time help in the family’s finances.
Sharing with you excerpts of this very informative and inspiring conversation with Mommy Clarissa.
Happypinaymommy: When did you decide to be a WAHM?
Mommy Clarissa: I started The Baby Lamb in January 2015. But prior to being married and while studying, I have been able to “work at home” through blogging and my YouTube channel. I had to stop doing that after I gave birth since I barely had the time to produce content and to be honest, I lost the drive to purchase new beauty products (I used to run a beauty channel). I became addicted to baby items instead, particularly cloth diapers! I also started making my own Wool Covers since nobody in the country are making them. I found out how amazing they work and of course, I wanted to share it with other moms! Now, I’m also expanding my product line to Hybrid Fitteds, Fleece-in-Twos (Fi2), and CD-friendly pants.
(Post continued below)
=================================================
You may also want to read:
- Happypinaymommy.com’s WAHM of the WEEK #6: Mommy Mi’ann Oblea of Babymama
- Legitimate Websites that Provide Online Income Opportunities for Pinay Mommies
- Local Breastfeeding Information
- Legitimate ways to earn income from home
- EDSA is Robbing me of Family Time
- A Busy Pinay Mom’s Guide to Getting Healthier Take-out Meals for the Family
- Where to buy Adult Coloring Books
- Local Cloth Diapering Information
- Where to order Menstrua cloth pads and reusable cloth panty liners
=============================================================
HPM: What made you decide to be one?
Mommy Clarissa: The decision to work at home came really easy for me. I wanted to be present in my daughter’s formative years. I just graduated from medicine when I had my daughter and I really couldn’t see a career path for me that would allow me to do that and earn as a doctor. But I wanted to help my husband with our finances. I’ve always dreamed of being a successful entrepreneur as well so I felt that this is the right path for me.
From the Baby Lamb website: Baby Lamb Woolies are the perfect diaper cover for your little one! Each cover is handcrafted from 100% Virgin Wool which makes them very absorbent, leak proof but very breathable.
HPM: What is the greatest challenge you have faced in relation to being a WAHM?
Mommy Clarissa: Time and Money. Finding time to work is one of the most difficult challenge for me. I can only work while my daughter is taking a nap or after her bedtime. We also don’t have any helpers. It’s just me, my husband and my baby in the house. I’m really thankful that my husband works at home 50-70% of the time so we both do house chores together.
It was very difficult for me acquire sufficient capital. I didn’t want to just ask my husband for money to fund the business. I never had a full-time job after graduating so I don’t have any savings of my own. I started really small. It was a slow process. I was not even sure if my Woolies would sell, to be honest. Most of my earnings would go back to getting materials. Now, I am finally able to invest on an industrial sewing machine so I can make cloth diapers faster.
Lamb Woolies in the Philippines: According to Mommy Clarissa’s Website “Woolies repels water. Sheep’s wool contains lanolin and it forms a natural water repelling barrier on wool fibers. This keeps the moisture from leaking out.”
HPM: What advice can you give to those who may want to become a WAHM?
My advise is to really look at your priorities in life. Are you in the right path? If you feel that you’re not, take a moment to think where you will be happy the most. Take courage to do what you love. Life is short to spend grueling days doing work that you do not love. But do it smartly! Research and learn the path that you are about to take, don’t set yourself up for failure.
HPM: Who inspires you?
They inspire her. Mommy Clarissa with her parents, Dad Emil and Mom Evelyn.
Mommy Clarissa: My mom and dad inspire me the most. They also worked at home and supported us through their business. Our “tindahan” has always been adjoined with our home so they were always there for us when we were growing up. Hopefully, I’ve inherited some of their business-smarts. I’ll always remember how they started with just 13 cases of RC Cola to sell. Now they have two warehouses full of products to sell.
Mommy Clarissa’s family. She says her husband is her Number One Fan.
HPM: How does your husband/partner support you?
My husband is my number one fan. Haha. I really appreciate it when he says, “Wow, ikaw may gawa niyan?” It boosts my confidence in my workmanship. I am a perfectionist and tend to see a lot of “flaws” in my work. But whenever he sees my work, I feel that I did great job. He’s always been so supportive and understanding. Also, he’s been in charge of the cooking lately and I super appreciate his help with the house chores.
HPM: Tell us about your latest project
Apart from Woolies, Mommy Clarissa also makes Hybrid Fitted Cloth Diapers.
Mommy Clarissa: I’m currently focusing on making custom hybrid fitteds. I’ve been doing these Birth Stat HFs and it’s really having creative control of the design. I think it’s the perfect birthday diaper and definitely perma-stash material. My designing process might take a while, but I really want to see the theme of the nappy come to life with my designs.
Like in our past WAHM of the Week Features we also asked around bout Mommy Clarissa’s products, and definitely her clients are raving about Baby Lamb Cloth Diapers.
Fellow WAHM Mommy Babie says the Baby Lamb woolie is super reliable. “it’s the one thing we use that hasn’t failed us yet. We pair the woolie with any hybrid fitted or fitted and it’s always reliable and doesn’t smell bad until you remove the wool off the baby. It’s also low maintenance and I’ve only washed ours twice.”
Mommy Babie’s Little One uses Cloth diapers exclusively, and here, she is wearing her Baby Lamb Woolie. She is two years old. “PooppeeTrap OS Lampwet & Baby Lamb Woolie, bulletproof nighttime combo. Not bulky at all.”
Mommy Babie advises cloth diapering moms who may want to give woolies a try, that it is best to pair it with fitted diapers. “If you use an HF, it gets bulky because of the shell. But if you use a fitted, there are no excess materials so it’s not as bulky. Mas comfortable for baby.” She also debunked notions that it is hard to use, or super high maintenance: “Two days even with warm weather. But at least you don’t have to wash and re lanolize often. Mas tipid sya actually…Imagine using a cheap fitted or lampin then woolie. That’s a lot cheaper than using any system kahit pa pockets.”
She adds, “Baby Lamb is a great and promising local brand. Everyone should have at least one woolie.”
Another wool fan is Mommy Ria who has been searching for woolies prior to her discovery of Baby Lamb. “I like that we can make our fitteds and hybrid fitteds last thru the night when we put a cover. I hate putting PUL covers because it’s not breathable thus, the wool. Also I like that it’s low maintenance nga.”
A photo of Mommy Ria’s Little One wearing her Baby Lamb Woolie (HF in Photo is from Mommy Ria’s stash).
Mommy Ria agrees with Mommy Babie’s thoughts on woolies. “I agree with what Babie said that everyone should have at least one woolie! But now I want two! Kasi I sometimes use a PUL cover on our fitteds but I really want to use wool because it’s more presko. Super tagal lang matuyo when you re-lanolize. So i need at least 2. We now use kasi mostly fitteds at night. Para all day presko day.”
Mommy Christelle is another Baby Lamb fan. “I have one woolie and HF… I LOVE the customized design and the soaker is really nice.”
Mommy Christelle’s Little one wearing a Baby Lamb Hybrid Fitted Cloth Diaper with his Birthstats on the Bum.
She adds “Great customer service. Sis Clarissa tried her best to get my order to me for our photoshoot. it didnt make it due to an issue with the fabric supplier but I so appreciate the effort she made, and she made sure that I got it on time for my baby’s birthday.”
So there you have it. Hope you have gained good mommy insights from the WAHM Life of Mommy Clarissa, as she imparted her experiences as a work-at-home-mommy. If you have a Work-From-Home-Mom that you would want to be featured, please feel free to head on over to my Facebook Page and leave me a message. Please hit the like button too so you could receive updates from Happypinaymommy.com directly on your newsfeed.
A happy homemaker is a Happy Pinay Mommy!
Leaving you with a video on caring for woolies: