Hello Loves!  Here's my very first blog entry for the year 2020.  It's a bit late compared to how I used to write my first entry of the year in the previous years though.  Medyo admittedly, I took slowing down a bit more seriously more than I should.  In short, ang tamad ko after the holiday break.  And. It. Is. Not. A. Good. Sign.

ANYWAY.

My 2019 had been a year of both ups and downs in my health, blog, and life in general.  I couldn't say it's been good o bad to me.  All I know is God has been faithful through last year and had been providing me and my family more than enough even though I don't bring as much bacon to the family's table as much as I did when I was still working.  So much have changed (this I will reserve for another blog post!), but it's all good.  I didn't feel the change that much because God's been so good to us, in good and bad times.  I pray that you also experience the same love, grace, and goodness of God just like how He manifested Himself to me.

So here's a quick review of my 2019's roller-coaster ride:

Duing the first week of February, my family and I took a 4-day trip to Baguio (which I haven't written about in my blog!) and it was definitely a family trip which I still remember so vividly.  This was one of the best highlights of my 2019 because it was spent with my whole family.  I promise to share experiences like budget, where to go, where to stay, where to eat, and many more! 
During this month, I availed of Adajar Dental Clinic's Laser Teeth Whitening Promo influenced by my good friend Jaya Gacia.  I also haven't written about my experience, but this post served as a reminder for me! :)  Look at my photo, it seemed like an alien's mini UFO is sucking something out of my system diba?
This was also the time when #BringMeMoms was institutionalized (Whoa, word!) during Mommy Mundo's Mommy Mundo World.  We set up a booth and also presented our group on stage.  It's a group formed among us friends which of course started with a game called BRING ME in one of the parties we all participated.  Follow us on Instagram
It went downhill when two of my kids had to be hospitalized.  The youngest was an emergency case and was due to seizure caused by high fever because of pneumonia.
While the other one was a scheduled operation.  This operation was God's revelation to us that nothing is impossible with HIM.  I cried buckets of tears when God showed His faithfulness when He said He is in control and that He will provide.  My son's HMO primarily said they will only cover Php10K worth.  I prayed hard and well and asked God to take care of this and help me find funds to complete the Php150K plus we need for his operation.  His response was quick, the Maxicare officer who told me of the coverage called right away and said she escalated my son's case to the doctors and gave us a GO that they will cover his operation 100%.  I asked many doctors who gave my son's medical clearance and said, it's rare that they cover cases such as my son's.  This is GOD's work and nothing else. 

This is one of my Christian life's breakthroughs and personal experience of God's greatness and love.  For anything no matter how big, worry not.  Just keep on praying and trusting in Him to do wonders and miracles, even if we don't deserve it. 

By the way, my eldest celebrated his 16th birthday in the hospital because his two brothers were hospitalized within the same week, one after the other, on his birthday week as well.  But even if we didn't have a grand celebration, what mattered was we were complete and the love for each other was deeply felt.

Happy new year to all of you supporters and readers of my blog.  How was your new year's eve celebration?  Ours was just as simple as having Media Noche together as a family and simply welcoming 2018 with a bang!

So how was your 2017 loves?  Personally, I can't say that 2017 was an awesome year for me but it was a year full of breakthroughs, yaya challenges, milestone celebrations of my children, blog struggles (a long phase of writer's block but more of the passion took a vacation somewhere, but is now back baby!) career plateau and 10 year mark, and the unforgettable renewal and total surrender of my life to Jesus Christ.  It was an Ups-And-Downs ride for me this 2017, and it definitely taught me important life lessons and had reset my perspective on many things to ready me for this year.

I want to share them with you and I hope you also get something out of these personal realizations of mine.

But first, let me share a throwback of the year that was through some photos I have shared with you via IG or my Facebook page throughout the year:

First time Damien ate solids! :)

First family photo of the year.

Enchanted Kingdom where I tried a liver-flippin' ride for the first time.

IndustreeTV shoot

Damien's first beach trip. :)

Mother's Day with kids doing something we all love - SWIMMING!

Damien turned ONE!!!!

My husband turned 30 something - lost count na!  Hahahaha!

My first born turned 14!  Waaahh I can't believe how fast he's grown!

A milestone 7th birthday celebration of my second son.

Bataan family getaway

I turned a year short from 40. :)

A life-changing retreat attendance with my son Wes and my public declaration of my total surrender to Jesus!

Looking at my photos, I also realized that I've focused a lot on my family.  I celebrated every milestone and I also prioritized them most often over everything.  There were sacrifices made and compromises done to some areas in my life but I never regret and will never ever regret making my family my priority.

Now let me share with you what I already knew in the past but was impressed to me more last 2017.

1.  Prioritize Family Always
I've dealt with numerous yaya problems last year which made me take almost all my vacation and sick leaves from work or do a work from home stunt just to stay at home to take care of my baby and do all the house chores.  My career and even blog was compromised because of the indefinite helpless situation but those didn't matter that much to me as much as it did in the past because I know my priority is my family. My family is my ministry.  Well, the office and the bloggy world will always have someone/anyone to replace me, but I will always and forever be irreplaceable to my husband and children.  I've learned not to adore my job too much that I sacrifice the welfare of my children.  But this didn't mean I slacked in office work or even with blog, it just took a backseat a bit but was still able to deliver what needs to be done.  Job will come, money will come.  But the time which passed, the milestones of the kids you missed, the health, safety and welfare that's compromised - once they're gone.. you can never go back in time and get them all back nor rewind them.

2.  Submit To Your Husband
I admit to be a stubborn, a bit bratty, proud, fearless, know-it-all, self-reliant, independent woman who finds her husband an equal - BEFORE.  Until my husband and I renewed our relationship with God and attended our weekly DGroup meetings (a small support group for couples to share both blessing and struggles of every day in marriage and family who come together to learn more about God and align hearts to what God really wants for us), I learned a lot about the important roles of the husband and the wife in the family.  I was guilty of not submitting to my husband and following his leadership for the family.  I used to be too proud to say that "I can actually live without him..." or that "If he can do it, so can I!" and the mahaderang asawa lines could go on and on.  I am not proud about that.  But I am glad that I've changed my ways and perspectives on marriage and how I look at my husband right now.  I submit to him now more than ever.. and there's more peace, happiness, tolerance, and patience at home now more than ever.

3.  Health Is Wealth
Just like prioritizing family, we should also prioritize health.  How will you be a wife to your husband and take care of your children while they are young if you're ill right?  Never take health for granted.  As moms - homemakers or working moms, we tend to take on everything.  We tend to say, "I can do this!" or "Ooops that spot isn't sparkly clean yet, let me tidy some more!" or "I have to finish all the tasks on my to do lists." and so on and on.  And not to mention, we wake up early in the morning, do chores, go to work and stress out, suck in traffic blues, clean the house again, and sleep late.  Yun ang culprit, PUYAT and PAGOD.  Both are enemies of our health.  If you're tired, it's okay not to pick up and organize all the messed up toys.  When we tend to do so much and don't get enough sleep, we get tired easily, we get stressed, and different sicknesses kick in.  When it does, REST and don't say "No.. it's all in the mind I can do it."  If you've got health card, use it (abuse even!) and have yourself checked.  For women, get vaccinated against HPV, do self-breast-examination regularly, see your OB-Gyn doctor.  Healthy food and exercise should also be part of our TO DO lists.  I think I am telling this to myself out loud.  Personally, now that I am nearing 40, sometimes fear lures around the corner because I have a breast mass which needs to be checked via sonomammogram every six months.  Having a tip-top shape healthy body  should be every moms' priority. And by healthy it doesn't mean just losing weight but more of being strong.  So that's my goal for this year, to get back to eating more fresh colorful foods (fruits and veggies) and avoid bad cholesterol.  Again, health is wealth.

4.  You Win Some You Lose Some
Sure you didn't get that promotion or nailed that presentation to get your dream client or in my case I wasn't considered in some projects or collaborations with brands that I hoped to represent or be an ambassador of.  If I were the old me, I would feel a little jealous of others who got the promotion faster than I did or others who got the blog project and would compare them to me.  Ask WHY NOT ME?  But nah, that's the old me.  Though I'm not really full on envious of others victories, I am not perfect and I humbly admit that to these mistakes.  You know what happened to me?  Self-esteem was blown away, self-doubt rushed in, and I even questioned my relevance.  But I changed the way I look at all these things and was able to move on from things I didn't get or achieve and just celebrated the things that I did.  When we pray to God for something, (and please remember God is not a genie that we only call on to when we need something hehe!) never question his answers because He may say Yes, No or Later.  Why?  Because He always has something BETTER for us, trust me!  I know.  So you win some, you lose some, and know that it is okay. :)

5.  Learn To Let Go Of Some Friends
 This may be one of the hardest to do sometimes, to let go of people in your lives who do not bring you or give you value, who belittle you, who were never happy when you achieve something, and who do not bring you close to God. Not all relationships are bound to last.  Those whom you thought you've found gems in them may lose their luster.  Those you've trusted with your all and sold it to others behind you aren't worth your time and effort.  Those who can't afford to be honest to you no matter how much it may hurt and didn't even bother to give you the answers you needed when asked, no point in continuing the relationship.  When you lose friends or end relationships along the way, it's God's way of pruning, molding, and directing you to the path He wants you to take.  Some friendships or affiliations don't always work and do not bring Him glory and thus there are unexpected E-O-Fs or F-Os (End of Friendship or Friendship Over) along the way.  Accept it with grace, let go of them, and move on.

6.  Forgive Even Those Who Didn't Ask For It
 To them who had done you so wrong, who had hurt you, who betrayed you, who bullied you, who took you for granted, who left you, who didn't stand up for you - it could be your mom or dad, any of your siblings, your best friend, an ex, your colleague, and even your spouse, don't harbor hatred, it will make you look older, prune bitterness in your heart, turn it to resentment and let it affect the person you are to become.  Sometimes pa, we may not know it but we are in denial saying that we've forgiven a person yet will never forget what they have done.  When we forgive, we forgive totally.  We let go of everything that comes with the pain or hurts or brokenness we experienced with that person or persons.  And even if these people do not ask forgiveness, okay lang, forgive anyway.  You are doing this more for yourself and for the Lord.

7.  Surrender Your ALL To God
Early last year, my husband and my eldest attended a retreat organized by CCF (Christ Commission Fellowship). Last December, Wes and I attended CCF's (Christ Commission Fellowship) True Life Retreat where we both deeply understood how much God loves us that He sacrificed His own Son to save us from our sins so we could all receive the gift of salvation when our "time" comes.  I used to just hear and accept those words casually and didn't fully understood them deeply.  We've also been attending services in CCF more regularly as a family since the start of the year.  Since then, one answered prayer after the other happened.  I didn't say challenges in our marriage, kids, work, and financials didn't occur anymore.  Of course they did, but our spiritual maturity has helped us cope better, accept these things better, worry lesser, fight lesser, be convicted quicker when we did something wrong or not so good, and this made us forgive more openly, and apologize immediately.  Our prides are still being crushed because we're still works in progress.  My husband is now more intentional, he's more patient to me, he's more thoughtful, he's now saying SORRY (which is a very hard thing to say for a man most of the time right ladies?) and he has stepped up in leading our family closer to God.  By surrendering to God and lifting up all to Him (everything talaga, challenges, triumphs, frustrations, anxieties, worries, bitterness, as in everything!) our family life has changed all for the better.  Our relationships are more knitted together, communication is more open, we pray together at night, my relationship with my husband has improved, my outlook in life has been more positive, and the past hurts and brokenness had been slowly taken away.  There's no way to go but UP with God!

These are the lessons that were impressed more to me this 2017.  These aren't new but every year because of my spiritual growth and maturity, I look at these lessons or topics at different perspectives.  All I know is I am happy to still be alive, to have renewed my personal relationship with Jesus, that my family and I are healthy, safe, and together, that I am less stressed and less worried, that I am more focused, and that I've never felt so alive!  I've also never felt so much loved by my family and of course by God.

Cheers to an awesome 2018!  Thank you for your continuous support and love for my blog.  Happy new year to everyone!

I may be five days late from greeting everyone of you a HAPPY NEW YEAR, but late's always better than never.  But then again, being late is unforgivable right?  So that's one of my NY's goals, to avoid being late.  Anyway, due to my current situation at home, sick husband, demanding children, the slight pregnancy discomforts (aka laziness), I just got to open my laptop and write just now.

So let me start by asking, how was your 2015 loves?  Was it great?  Was it challenging?  Was it a year that you'd want to forget or keep as a standard to living the rest of the years you have?

Mine was pretty awesome, especially compared to my 2014 (when my mom passed away).  There were a lot of life, blog, and even career high moments that happened in 2015.  For that, I'm very thankful.  My relationship with Macky was also elevated of course to a super duper higher level, but we've had a major challenge as well.  With all these, there were lessons learned and insights gained.  I want to share them with you in this blog post, so expect this will be a long one.  If you don't get to finish reading until the end, it's okay, I would understand.  I just want to document what I'm thankful for in my year 2015 and my hopes for the new year.  Are you ready?

Here goes...

The Pope Experience
My 2015 was a roller coaster ride but mostly the ride was going up than dipping down.  In January, my year was instantly blessed by being able to see Pope Francis up close and personal during his visit to the Philippines.  We waited along Nagtahan Bridge for more than an hour and it all paid off.

The video of our close encounter with the #DearPopeFrancis earlier this morning at Nagtahan Bridge. It was a humbling and indescribable feeling to actually see him up close. We all so feel blessed to be able to get a short but meaningful glimpse of the Pope. #PopeFrancisPH #PopeTYSM

A video posted by Louise Fandiño-Santos (@mommypracticality) on Jan 15, 2015 at 11:39pm PST

Job Promotion 
Last 2014, I was awarded as the team's Specialist of the Year.  My promotion or upgrade came after that.  My performance allowance was also extended which financially helped our family a lot.  I know there are also other teammates who deserve the recognition and allowance, but this blessing was given to me and the family and I'm really overwhelmed and happy about it.  I made sure I put this to good use by organizing two outreach programs this year involving Macky and our kids during their birthdays.  I hope we instill the value of work discipline, of being selfless when you receive more than what you asked for, the compassion for others in need, and the heart to help the unfortunate.

The Brand New Family Car
It was a dream to finally purchase a brand new car for the family.  We prioritized renovating the house in 2012 to accommodate the growing family.  After paying off our loan, we intended to get an economical family car.  By economical, we meant a big enough car, like a 7-seater one, but which is gasoline efficient, a 1.3L would do for us.  Finally, March 27 came and we were able to cross one of our dreams in our family dream list.

The Proposal

A photo posted by Louise Fandiño-Santos (@mommypracticality) on Mar 28, 2015 at 7:04am PDT

We took the car break-in the following day when we used use going to our planned barkada family-outing in Baras, Rizal.  Little did I know, Macky was already preparing his wedding proposal a month before the outing.  I was totally clueless that he would actually do the production, from background music, fireworks, sparklers, lights, the plot, and the ring of course.  I was speechless and majorly overwhelmed by everything he did that night.  Of course I said YES!

TV5 Happy Wife Happy Life Episode Guesting
I was surprised when TV5 contacted me around April to ask if they may interview me as a resource speaker for the topic "Internet Safety".  It was a surreal moment when the whole production crew went to our house for their location shoot with Ms. Danica Sotto-Pingris.

Wilkins Distilled Drinking Water Digital Ambassador Project

In April, I was contacted by the agency of Wilkins for a one-year Digital Ambassadorship with the brand I truly use and trust.  I was one of the three bloggers to represent their brand digitally and it was an honor to be part of this project.  This launched my fifth TV commercial, but this time using my real name, as Tita Louise.  I shot the commercial with my bloggy friends Jackie of gojackiego.com and Ginger of mommyginger.com.

Del Monte Pineapples Digital Ambassador Project
I'm happy and proud to be part of one of the brands closest to my heart, Del Monte.  I, together with Glaiza of moomymusings.com, was approached by the brand last August to represent Del Monte Pineapple to their mommy target market.  It was indeed a humbling honor to be part of the #DelMontePineappleADay campaign because I love pineapples and my kids do too!  We consume it, we love it, and I could go on talking about benefits of it.  We've had two major event launches for this campaign already and shall continue early this year.

#MackyLouiseFinally - My Practical Rustic Themed Wedding

Finally, I married my best friend, my soulmate, my band mate, my (monkey) business partner, and the love of my life on November 28, 2015.  The intimate wedding of 70 pax attendance took place in Antipolo, quite a remote area from where we reside.  It was a simple, well-planned (by me!) and well-executed (thanks to all my suppliers) life event where we also did some DIYs!  It was a dream wedding where our union was witnessed by the people whom we only want to be there, no pressures from both sides.  I remember how beautifully the sun was shining that day for our garden wedding.  Everything went smoothly.  More than us as a couple being happy and feeling accomplished, we felt the joy and pride in our children's eyes.  We also felt the sigh of "finally" from our parents.  To us, those were the moments most precious to us.  We feel very blessed.

Baby Number 3

A photo posted by Louise Fandiño-Santos (@mommypracticality) on Dec 20, 2015 at 11:20pm PST

Life has its way to surprise us in so many ways!  We thank God for blessing us with a third child.  We really wanted one, we've been planning to have one since last year but I guess God said it wasn't time and made us wait.  The wait was worth it and having this new fast-growing bundle of joy inside me is the best gift we've received this year.  More than anything, the car, the major blog milestones, the wedding, having been chosen by God to be a mother of another child and be responsible for raising him (hoping it's a baby girl), is humbling.  Of many trying mothers and fathers, we were chosen to receive this miracle.  Indeed the best thing that happened to us this year.  We're praying it's a baby girl this time, but if not, it's okay as long as it's normal and healthy.

This rounds up my happy 2015.  I'm thankful for a beautiful year that God has blessed our family with.  There were some bumps along the way, it was all glittery and colorful.  But I'd rather not write that but instead make them my life reminders and lessons so I could pursue doing better and choosing what's right.

To summarize my 2015 learning, here they are:

1. Put God first and trust Him in everything.
2. Prioritize your family.
3. Learn to say no.
4. Nothing is permanent.
5. Compete not with others but with yourself.
6. Fulfill your commitments.
7. Pursue your passion and devote some time.
8. Sometimes we have to let go of some people in our lives.
9. Be charitable.
10. Teach your children by example.