There are things that I don't do everyday in a week like do a fitness regimen or write a fresh blog post.  I do these activities twice a week!  You know what else I do twice a week?  I make sure I get myself clean and protected down there, especially on red days, with BETADINE® Feminine Wash!  Clean is the New Sexy loves!

Could you feel the heat?  Yeah, it's definitely ON!  This Summer, SUN Prepaid subscribers Stand out and Shine with #SunSummerSikatPromo!

As if carrying our babies in our wombs isn't already hard enough, add on the labor pain and childbirth experience, the sleepless nights, the swollen breasts due to feeding and the physical toll on us mothers, Parenting the children is one big task which will be taking over most of their growing up years with our children.  That's why it's important to really be intentional and be in tune with our children, no matter how busy we could get.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining.  In fact, I'm humbled to be a mother of two boys with different personalities.  I am also proud to have undergone whatever I've experienced and still experiencing with the loves of my life.

My kids are seven years apart, 11 and 4 years old.  Sometimes, I'm like a yoyo when I hear myself disciplining the older one, then shifting to a gentler, higher- pitched (and always excited) voice to the little one, when he calls my attention.  Parenting two kids of different phases could go crazy.  But this time, I'd like to focus on my tween, Dandre who's undergoing some inevitable changes as he is soon to exit the later childhood stage and about to enter the adolescent stage.

My son has been playing basketball since he was six and that's all he wants to focus on until he grows older he said.  He studies in a private school and is enrolled in basketball clinics (since he was six) to support his interest in the sport.  We live in a residential area in Manila, in one of the busy and crazy barangays with a VERY diverse mix of people and economies.  If I keep him very sheltered, I might be depriving him of experiencing the REAL world and learning how to make friends with people from different walks of life.

Making Friends.
He's made friends within the neighborhood when I allowed him for the first time to join the barangay league last year.  But he was still too young for hardcore street basketball and didn't care much about fitting in the group.  But now he's almost 12, fitting in and being liked matter more.  Not that he's having a bad experience in this department, but as a parent, I felt the need to give him early warnings, tips, advice, and better understanding about the friendship topic.

I just want to share with you some advice I gave him during our talk

YOU DON'T NEED TO PRETEND TO BE SOMEONE ELSE TO FIT IN.  
I told my son that he is special and unique.  He is very talented and he's really kind.  I also told him the positive things my friends tell me about him when they get to talk to him.

Dear God,

Today, I received a good news about my upgrade at work.  Yesterday, my TV guesting was aired.  Last week I did a TVC shoot for a brand I trust.  Last month, we got our brand new car and the love of my life proposed marriage to me.  I thank you every single day for all of these beautiful things happening in my life right now.  Thank you for carrying me in your arms and embracing me whenever I cry my heart out due to the passing of my mother last year.  It was a tough year last year God, and you are making it better this year.

It’s easy for me to keep on praying for more to come.  I think everybody would want only good things happening for their family, for their health, for their businesses, and for their careers.  And while everything in my life at this state is great, I know that it’s because You want me to do something for You.

As a full-time working mom, honestly I feel challenged finding time to cook every single day.  As much as I want to, my schedule won't permit it.  So to make up to my family, I make it a point to cook breakfast everyday and special meals on weekends.  And because I'm more conscious now in selecting food for the family, we are minimizing our trip to the fast food chains and slowly doing away with "instant" meals.  Preparing a home-cooked but restaurant-tasting menu is now easier, thanks to Clara Ole food solutions!  Now there's a practical, and time-saving way to serve healthy meals for the family

It's usually weekdays, specifically lunch time, that my work friends and I go to Il Ponticello.  It was only last weekend that I visited Il Ponticello with my family, for a taste of Brunchissimo and a wonderful Pizza Santino experience for my kids.

The BELO Essentials (Beauty Duo) #ANNEdearms Kit

I could not stress you the importance of taking care of the skin and looking for many ways to protect it both internally and externally.  By eating the right kinds of foods like vegetables, fruits and meat, and also protecting it from the harmful rays of the sun, you're already doing your skin good.

Plus, if you also do your research on the type of skin that you have, then you'd be aware that not all products work the same for each individual.  Every skin type should have a different skin care regimen in order to make the skin look young and healthy.

Here are the different skin types for your guidance:

1. Normal Skin - least problematic among all skin types.
2. Dry Skin - easily develops wrinkles, fine pores, prone to aging and irritating, 
3. Oily Skin - problematic, looks greasy, as large pores and usually breaks into acne.
4. Combination Skin - skin has patches of dry and oily.  Dry areas are around the eyes and oily around.
5. Sensitive Skin - usually dry, scaly and becomes easily irritated.

CELESTY effectively removes makeup, oil, deep-seated dirt and blemishes, tightens skin pores, lightens dark pigmentation, prevents wrinkles and dry skin and whitens skin while improving tone.

Key ingredients:

• YH-15 Yeast Extract (for whitening), 
• Malachite Extract (lightens pigmentation), 
• Vitamin B12, 
• Soybean Seed Extract, 
• Hyaluronic Acid
• Algae Extract
• Arginine

CELESTY products are available at the House of CELESTY at Shinagawa Lasik and Aesthetics, Landmark Trinoma, Cinderella G3, PureBeauty Serendra, Cinderella ATC, PureBeauty Trinoma.

Clinic Location: Mezzanine, Tower 2, The Enterprise Center, 6766 Ayala Ave. cor. Paseo de Roxas, Makati City, Philippines

What is Shinagawa?
For 25 years, Shinagawa has steadily evolved into one of the worldwide leaders in Lasik and Aesthetics. Shinagawa has enjoyed the patronage of over 3 Million satisfied patients.

The Shinagawa clinic in the Philippines, Shinagawa’s first major business operation outside of  Japan, continues to stay true to its aim to provide the best, safest, most accessible and affordable services using the latest technologies and techniques in medicine.

For more info, visit their WEBSITE, or call at (02)491-0000.

A CELESTY GIVEAWAY! :)

1. Open to all readers willing to claim their prize in Makati City.
2. Just follow the Rafflecopter tasks.
3. Two (2) winners will win a bottle of Glow Essence Extream Whitening Essence worth Php 2050 each.
4. In addition to the prize, winners will get discounts to different treatments:
• 50% discount coupon for Celesty
• 20% discount coupon for Traditional Braces
• 30% discount coupon for Lasik Procedure w/ FREE Lasik screening
• 30% discount coupon for Derma Laser Treatment
5. Comment with your Full Name and Email Address.
6. Giveaway starts April 13 and ends April 20.
7. Winners will be announced on April 25.

Hello loves!  How are you all doing this past week?  Ako I'm very excited to share with you that I got to experience a once in a lifetime TV guesting in a mommy-oriented show to be aired on TV5!  What's more exciting was that they shot the whole episode in our humble abode!  If mom would still be alive, she surely would be the first to be aligaga to arrange the house and make sure it's squeaky clean.  But for sure, as she was watching us down from above, she's proud at how I managed the house.

Anyway, here are teaser photos of the shooting at home for Mommy Practicality's TV5 guesting:

Solo interview by the show's crew before one of the main celebrity hosts arrived.