What does it take for moms and their children to create happy memories together?  I would answer that in two important words, LOVE and TIME.

One cannot create a happy memory without LOVE or an absence of TIME.  Each of these elements should co-exist.  I am a mom of three and even though I know I've been doing pretty well in being present for my kids, still I feel like I could do more.  I dream of a home filled with hugs, kisses, laughter, prayers, dream-building, pleasant routines or joyful surprises to nourish our hearts, minds, and souls.  And of course, I give them yummy food and drink to nourish the body.  Yes, it has to be YUMMY!

My kids and I created a bedtime routine by giving them a glass of milk, chatting over both silly and serious things, reading books, and playing.  On some weekends, either we go out as a family or do arts and crafts at home.  We may think these are trivial things, but the children, every bonding time with their parents help them grow confident, build good self-esteem, and collect happy memories.

Oh and you must already know by now that I have three boys (if not yet, then there, now you know.) and they're really big kids.  I guess it has a lot to do with giving in to their favorite yummy milk drink whenever they want it.  I give them ALASKA Powdered Milk.

I want to share with you now an arts and crafts bonding project which you could do as well with your kids.  My grade-schooler Wes is so fond of coloring and drawing, so I am doing this activity with him.  With the use of drawing and coloring materials, we're going to make a personalized tumbler.

Here are the things you'll need and step by step procedure:

1. Let your child choose what drink or treat he wants to take before doing the activity.  This will influence them to have a good mood.  Remember, giving them what they want makes them happy.  My son likes to have a glass of ALASKA Powdered Milk, because he says it's YUMMY and it makes him warm, like Mommy's hugs.

2. Bring out art materials you and your child could work on to create something beautiful.

3. Let your child draw and color how he sees his Mommy (you'll be surprised to see how beautiful you are in his eyes!)
4. You draw and color one fond memory you have of your children too.
5. Insert the cutout paper/board that will fit a tumbler which could be personalized (tumblers could be bought online.)

6. DONE!

Here's a video of how we did this project together.  Watch ‘til the end to see the SURPRISE!!!!!
I'm so kilig with the output of the project!  We both could use the tumblers whenever we take our bedtime drink, Alaska Powdered Milk for him and Alaska Chocolate Milk drink for me.  And while drinking from these special tumblers, we will always be reminded of our happy TIMEs together, of the LOVE we show each other.  And what put a dent on that special project we did, was the transformation of his loving Mommy artwork into a piece of jewelry made by Bubba Doodles which I will truly treasure.
I cried buckets of tears when I received the box of jewelry. He wondered why and asked if he made me sad.  I said "No anak, of course not.  You made mommy extremely joyful and that's what I also want you and your brothers to feel every time we're together."
He just hugged me tightly, kissed me on my cheek and asked, "Mommy, where's my milk please?"  Hahaha, gatas lang masaya na siya!  Basta ALASKA, happy and contented.  Ako rin of course because he enjoys milk a lot!  And one way of showing my love as a mom is giving the kids proper nutrition they need so that when they grow up, they will grow strong, healthy, and happy!

You see, our house may be not grand, but it's a large HOME filled with happy and yummy memories or what we call “Milk Story” that will last a lifetime.

So Mommy, what is your “Milk Story”?

Hello momshies, mudrabelles, muther, maders, mamangs, mommies or mamitas! :)

Dahil sa super ka-busyhan ng inyong lola, I almost forgot that Mommy Practicality turned 5 years last July 1, 2017!  WOW!  I mean, wait whut, 5 years?!  For me, that's a milestone that is worth celebrating.

I knew back then that I really want to blog and start sharing my experiences on being a practical mom (like most moms are diba?) and parang be a voice that speaks for the average mommy in the Philippines.  Yung practical and medyo mabudget or mabilang talaga pero hindi naman tipid or makunat.  I feel that this "gift" of practicality is what pushed me to start blogging about it.  Of course I got this talent from the Lola Practicality, my mom (Hello mommy in heaven!).

Anyway, wow, I still can't believe that I've come this far I mean in terms of years of writing, blog redesigns, and sharing through my life's ups and downs, yayaless life phases, from pregnancy to breastfeeding journey and beyond, raising three childhood stages at the same time (a teen, a young child, and an infant).  Kasama ko kayo here in my blog and I am thankful for this digital avenue, a home for my heart and thoughts which I share to people I know and don't know.

Waah!  I have so many things I want to say, basta, I am overwhelmed and grateful for the five years of blogging.  It has blessed me far more than I can imagine it would.  I am happy it's still alive and I actually have regular readers or social media followers na totoo.  Hahaha!  I know wala namang fake, but I mean, sometimes I'm really wondering if there's anyone reading my posts.  Though my analytics say there are, but I want to engage my readers more.  I want to get to know my readers more and actually see in real time who I am talking to or writing for. :)

I am also happy that my blog is a trusted partner of some brands I've collaborated with.  Super thank you to all the brands who chose to work with me to be able to reach out to you and share the good news!  Through the years, I've been an ambassador (of beauty and good will - charot lang!) of these amazing brands:

• Samsung KidsTime
• Sun Cellular (Year 1 & 2)
• Wilkins Distilled Drinking Water
• Del Monte Pineapple
• Propan TLC
• RiteMED for Kids, and a lot more...

That's why, a crazy idea came up one time to do an FB Live on my Facebook Page and just talk through a Q&A about anything under the sun.  Which I was so glad I made that crazy decision.  Sa totoo lang, SHY kasi ako kahit alam ko most of you hindi naniniwala.  I kind of have some fears or insecurities about going live (I know perform in a band and do TVCs, but seriously I'm shy).  So with the surprising result of the FB Live, I'm doing it every month and will streamline the topics para mas may structure tayo.

Now, to celebrate or make fun of myself (I like making fun of myself and laughing at myself with you...) I launched #ChallengeMommyPracticality as the blog turned 5 years last July 1.  I also found out that reaching out to my readers through a video whether live or not is something where I could see more instant results whether you like the content or what I offer or not.

So here's the video I posted my on FB Page and IG:

Mommy Practicality turns 5 today! 😍😍😍 Hurray! I want to celebrate it through a FUN MOMMY CHALLENGE giveaway. Mechanics in this video momshies. Thank you for all your support to this blog. Grabe! 5 years naa! So comment away and you might get a chance to win a coffee date plus a gift pack from me. Consolation prizes await Mommy Challenge idea generators too! #ChallengeMommyPracticality #MommyPracticalityTurns5 P.S. Pagbigyan ang stuttering ko, it, a busy and yayaless weekend. Almost forgot nga it's my blogversary! 😂😂😂

A post shared by Louise Fandiño-Santos (@mommypracticality) on Jul 1, 2017 at 12:54am PDT

So again, in text, here's the full mechanics:

1. Comment what Mommy challenge you want me to do.
2. I'll choose the most entertaining/funny/interesting na doable challenge.
3. Winner will have a coffee date with me and win a goody bag too.
4. I'll release a Vlog of me doing the winning challenge.
5. Consolation prizes shall be given to the other interesting challenges as well.

Raising three boys is no joke.  Boys are more active, more playful, rougher and tougher to handle.  Given that, they all need nutritious foods that would help boost their energies and immunity to sickness.  Let’s take for example my eldest child who is a basketball varsity.  He trains every day after school.  I can just imagine how tired and drained he could be coming home every night right after their training.  To be able to keep up and not be sickly, he really needs to eat properly.  As a mom, it’s my duty to make sure that he and his brothers take in nutritious food and avoid junk that will not help make them healthy at all.

That means giving my kids meat, fruits and vegetables.  Since they need a lot of energy for their daily activities, I’ve always known that what their bodies need are foods rich in potassium and vitamin C.  Surprisingly, the staple vegetable present in our household, has all the nutrition they need: US Potatoes!  Honestly, I didn’t know that my BFF potatoes are that nutritious!  I’m glad it’s my and my children's favorite.

Source

My kids and I love potatoes in different forms like fries, mashed potatoes, hash browns, baked potatoes, buttered potatoes, and potato croquettes.  I also use potatoes in our household dishes with soup, with corned beef, in omelets, in Menudo, ground pork medley, and many more!  US Potatoes are enjoyable, easy to eat and delicious. The best part is, knowing that something this delicious could be super nutritious.  

Nutritional Benefits of Potatoes

• Potassium – Did you know that it has even more potassium content than banana?  This would help my basketball varsity child keep up with the muscle strengthening activities during his daily trainings.  It will also give energy boost to him and my playful grade-schooler!  Potatoes could fuel both the body and the brain because it’s also a good supply of water and ions in the body.  The concentration is highest in the skin and just beneath it. So, eating the potato with its skin is always beneficial.  They also contain calcium, iron, and phosphorus.   Gladly we eat clean potato skin of baked or steamed potatoes.
• Vitamin C - Potatoes are known for the large amounts of Vitamin C present in them. Typically, 100 gm will contain about 17 mg of Vitamin C.  This is great for boosting immunity against illnesses!
• Vitamin A, B and P – All these vitamins help the brain function well.  When you have kids in school, you need all these brain foods right?
• Brain Food - Proper functioning of the brain depends largely on the glucose level, oxygen supply, various components of the vitamin-B complex and certain hormones, amino acids and fatty acids like omega-3. Potatoes cater to almost all the needs mentioned above. 
• Carbohydrates – Potatoes are high in carbohydrates, and thereby maintain good levels of glucose in the blood. This prevents the brain from letting fatigue creep in and it keeps your cognitive activity and performance high. 
• Other vitamins and minerals- Potatoes contain iron which is what the blood and brain needs.  Since it’s a brain food, it also contains phosphorus, zinc, and the B complex vitamins. They also help in the maintenance of bone strength and structure, especially for kids at earlier stages.  My baby boy who’s turning one next week also loves mashed potatoes and steamed potatoes with rice!

Were you also surprised to know that the power potatoes are that nutritious? 

Now let me share with you a simple US Potato Recipe which you and your kids will surely love!  I’m sharing our homemade mashed potato recipe: 

Mashed Potato Recipe:

1. Peel and cut 8 medium-sized US Potatoes.  
2. Put the potatoes in a large pan, add enough water and bring to a boil for 15-20 mins.  
3. Drain water and put on low fire.  
4. Mash the potatoes.
5. Add 2 tablespoons of butter, salt, pepper, and ¼ cup milk.  Mix all ingredients.  
6. Make sure there are no lumps and the mashed potato is creamy.
7. Serve with a smile.

Oh, I must add this, that not only US Potatoes are good for kids, they are also beneficial to us too because it potatoes can lessen the risk of heart ailments and can aid in living a healthier eating lifestyle.  Also if you’re living an active lifestyle or an athletic person, the nutritional values of US Potatoes could help boost athletic performance!

We don't know anymore if we should or shouldn't be bringing our umbrellas whenever we go out of our houses because the weather is unpredictable. So to protect ourselves from the weather, we better bring it anyway. Pero iba na ang usapan pagdating sa mga bata, our children, we could be overprotective sometimes. I think that's okay especially that uso ang colds and cough because of sudden changes in weather.

Father's day weekend went by so quickly without me being able to really celebrate it with my dad.  The busyness of yaya-finding, work, and taking care of my own family took the celebration a backseat.  So I want to give tribute to my dad in this post.

Ever since my mom passed away three years ago yesterday, my dad became both the Ilaw at Haligi ng Tahanan.  Not that he does the things my mom did when she was still with us.  But Daddy goes beyond what he usually does every day to show me how much he loves me and my kids, and express his extra concern about me especially whenever I would get sick or I was on medical bedrest when I got pregnant last year, and when my kids lost their yayas.  Dad would bring or buy me my favorite food or remind me of my meds and he would even help me wash dishes even if he didn't have to.  He would volunteer to look after the kids.  He just wanted to unload me of the house chores especially after coming home from work or from a physically draining task.  These are the things he started doing for me when mom passed away.  He became more present and more expressive of his love.

Indeed, he's a SUPER DAD.
I grew up closer to mom who was a housewife because dad was always in the office working hard to provide for the family.  He sent us to good schools, we lived decently, we were able to go to many places, and he was able to buy both our needs and some wants.  He taught us many values that kept us grounded, contented, and responsible.  Now that I have my own family, I understand why he was always away.  And I now know, for the times he was away from us every day just to work, how he wanted to just be at home and spend time for us.  But he sacrificed that, because he's a DAD - our SuperDad.

I remembered my Dad in this heartwarming Father’s Day tribute, three real-life fathers share the ups and downs of being the man of the house.

(Sandali, pause reading, and get a box of tissue please!)

How they work hard to be able to provide their family everything they need and how affected they are when they see their children go through heartaches.

Meet Daddy Harold, Daddy Mario and Daddy Rowel who talk about how much they love their families, and why they don’t mind making sacrifices if it means seeing their children grow up happy and well, and most importantly, that their families remain intact.
After watching the video, I really cried hard and realized that although I always tell my dad how much I appreciate everything he does for me, feeling ko it's still not enough.  I should be spending more time with him and do more things for him, kasi tapos na siya sa mga obligations niya sa akin.  But he's so selfless!  I guess I will forever be the little and only girl in his eyes.

Just like the contentment and happiness in the eyes of the three fathers in the tribute video, I'm sure my dad will also feel the same way with an extra mile gesture from me and my siblings to show him our appreciation not only during Father's Day season, but for the rest of his life with us.

Daddy, I love you and Happy Belated Father's Day!

Now how do you celebrate your father's love?

LOVE – You will never know what you’ve got until it’s gone. This applies to WATER! My gosh, have you ever been in a situation where you’re full soapy suds and just when you’re about to rinse, there isn’t even a drop of water in the shower? And you can’t even open your already sore and irritated eyes, which are also covered with soap or shampoo, and hindi mo na alam what to do?! If not, then lucky you! If yes, then you would understand the desperation and helplessness I felt that time. And why? Because I wasn’t informed!

Well, actually, the fault was entirely mine. There was an announcement regarding the water interruption in our area but I forgot to take note of the day and time. That’s why the unfortunate thing happened to me in the shower.

In the few times that water services are interrupted due to emergency maintenance activities or dry spells, it’s really important that we have pails of water stored up for emergency purposes. Had I noted the schedule of maintenance, I would have prepared better. But you know what? I remember writing it down somewhere, I guess the small note got lost or thrown away.

Good thing, Maynilad now has a program called TxtTubig wherein household managers like us could keep abreast with announcements and advisories concerning our water supply. I think this program is very convenient, especially since our hands and eyes seem glued to our phones all day anyway. I don’t need to worry about small notes getting lost because I will get pro-active advisories and updates via text.
This means that if there will be a scheduled water service interruption due to maintenance activities that will affect my household, Maynilad will send me a text message ahead of time so I can prepare by storing enough water for the duration of the water cut-off.

How can you get these free messages? To enroll via text, just type MAYNILAD<space>ADVISORY<space>ON<space>Customer’s Contract Account Number<space>NAME<space>MOBILE NUMBER to 0908-8968278. The registration fee is only P1.00.  But registration is FREE for social moms or digital mommas like us, if we enroll through Maynilad’s social media pages (Facebook and Twitter). Just send your Maynilad Contract Account Number (as shown on top of your water bill), the account name, address, and mobile number through direct/private message)to enroll.

I know it’s super hassle whenever there are maintenance activities, but the good thing with TxtTubig is we will be informed so we could prepare ahead of time. Plus, at least we know that the maintenance activities are scheduled to improve and sustain our water services. So TxtTubig na!

Watch this video to know how Maynilad's Wastewater Management really works:

• Updated Maynilad Water Bill showing no outstanding balance
• The septic tank has not been cleaned by Maynilad within 5-7 years
• There is a manhole opening leading to the septic tank that measures at least 2ft by 2ft

JUNE is a month to remember by every Filipino because of it's a month we celebrate the National Independence Day.  F1 Hotel Manila clearly never forgets for it's the month they launch their annual Filipino Feast LuzViMinda 5.  This year's LuzViMinda has a theme of Gastronomical Fusion featuring three talented guest chefs Mikel Zaguirre (representing Luzon), Dennis Uy (representing Visayas) and Kalel Chan (representing Mindanao), headed by Executive Chef Decker Gokioco.
This wasn't the first time we experienced a dining euphoria in F1 Hotel Manila, the first one was in 2014 which I wrote about HERE.  So when we got a chance to devour yet another round of F1 Hotel Manila's LuzViMinda dishes, we're just so happy that diet isn't part of our family's vocabulary.

So let me tour you around the Philippine islands through one thing that will bring peace to everyone: FOOD!

LUZON
The dishes which Chef Mikel Zaguirre prepared were inspired by heirloom recipes which were meticulously crafted by research and adjusted a little bit to adapt the modern palate.
VISAYAS
Chef Dennis Uy’s dishes were inspired from his travels around the archipelago.  The Visayan dishes are familiar to my palette since I've traveled to different cities in this region.  There's a special place in my heart for Visayas, and so is their food of course!

MINDANAO
Chef Kalel Chan, presented an array of sumptuous dishes which were all worth trying!  Mindanao is where my mom's family is from (Gen. Santos City!) and where she and dad secretly married (Polomolok!) before her hand was officially asked for marriage (wedding in church, so if my lolo didn't give his blessings, wala na rin sila magagawa.)  Anyway, the dishes were all new to me but I surely enjoyed the Mindanao cuisine.

My youngest is turning one year old next month and we're all excited about it!  What excites me a lot more is the preparations I'm doing for the birthday party of our son.  Of course as a practical mom, the first thing to do when organizing a birthday party is to set a budget, decide on a theme, book a venue or restaurant, choose a menu, look for affordable but quality suppliers and then go micro with the details.

This will be a series of blog posts about our baby's birthday party!  Today, I want to talk about our chosen theme and my pegs.  Instead of cartoon or movie characters, we decided to go for a Baby Jungle Safari theme,  Aren't baby animals one of the cutest things you could find on earth?  Yeah?!  With a fiesta of colors in baby hues plus cutie lion, giraffe, elephant, zebra, and monkey faces, I believe we wouldn't go wrong with this theme.

As usual, I've created a Pinterest board to collect all my Jungle Safari birthday party theme inspirations.  That's been a habit of mine whenever I would organize an event (a passion I would someday pursue!) of my children.  I've collected pegs for the following: venue decoration, pictorial or pre-birthday shoot styling, dessert table, cake, giveaways, costume, and invitation.  Let me share them now with you:

"Tuwing Umuulan at Kapiling Kaaaaaa..." is not a song I want to sing to mosquitoes pestering us this rainy season!  Ang dami nilaaaa... and I HATE mosquitoes sobra!  In somehow the same intensity, I also hate roaches and flies.

Ang nega ng starting statement of this post, pero sige, who loves them?  May kilala ka?  Hahaha!

This rainy season, there are a lot of diseases and allergies that may rise and one of the common and fearful diseases is Dengue.  And where do you get Dengue?  From Dengue-carrying mosquito bites.  It's something I'm serious about especially I have kids.  I think everyone should take this seriously whether you're a parent or not.  It poses a risk on our health which could even cause death.  Nakakatakot talaga.

The mosquito eggs kasi are laid in water, lalo na in stagnant water.  This happens a lot more when it's the rainy season because we sometimes don't notice the water filled and stagnated in some containers outside our homes.  I've done everything I can in my powers to repel these disease carrying mosquitoes.  I've used insect repellent lotions, citronella candles, citronella oils, insect repellent sprays, insect repellent patches, to prevent mosquito bites.

But to repel is not enough for me, both mosquitoes and roaches, and even the pester flies.  I need to get rid of them.  But I cannot always clap without rhythm in the air and catch the mosquitoes to kill them.  I also cannot always hit roaches with the nearest footwear I could get my hands on and hear the splat of its roach juice.  And I cannot always roll a newspaper to swap the irritating flies whenever I'm in the middle of a meal.  Nakaka-stress yun!  Plus kadiri too diba?

Buti na lang I now have a license to KILL!!! The license was given to me by ADVANCED Aerosol Multi-Insect Killer and ADVANCED Aerosol Mosquito Killer.
I don't know if you'd find it weird but I take pleasure in seeing these dangerous and filthy insects eradicated - as in DEAD.  I've long stopped using aerosols because it smells awful when sprayed into the air or the corners of the house.  Some brands promise to be odorless, but actually they're not.  Since I have kids, the scent of chemical may also be dangerous to them.

With ADVANCED Aerosols, odorless talaga sila!  Amazing lang.  There are two variants by the way, one is solely dedicated to killing mosquitoes.  This is the one that comes in yellow cover/top.
 The other one with blue top is an multi-insect killer.  This one's a tough weapon against the pests like cockroaches and flies and also effective against mosquitoes.
 I call these my lifesavers, my weapons against these unwelcome pests inside the house which may endanger the lives of my family, lalo na mga kids.

There are four things I like about ADVANCED Aerosoles and these are:
#1 It's the FIRST real Odorless Multi-Insect Killer that began the odorless fight against mosquitoes, cockroaches, and flies.  It is tries and tested to be effective making it the trusted choice by many when it comes to eradicating insects.

#2 It's FAST in knocking out and killing the insects because of its fast-acting ingredients which delivers 100% knockdown against disease carrying mosquitoes (Dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya) and cockroaches (Sepsis, Leprosy, and Diarrhea).  One session of spraying of ADVANCED at home, you'll see the knocked down insects on the floor.

#3 It's ODORLESS.  One of my fears using insect sprays is the foul odor of the chemical.  But when I tried ADVANCED the first time two years ago, wow, it's a real deal odorless talaga. It's proven to be a powerful weapon against dangerous insects without the irritating smell which is offensive to our sensitive noses, especially the kids.

#4 It's BUDGET-FRIENDLY - Practical moms would agree that we want a product that is proven to be effective in doing its job without hurting our pockets right? Well for insect killers, this is a perfect choice.  Compared to other brands, this is very economical which comes in different sizes: 600ml, 500ml, and 300ml.  Swak siya talaga sa budget!

Tips for using ADVANCED Aerosole:

1. Shake well before using.
2. Spray directly at mosquitoes/roaches/flies or into the air.  I say the most common area they hang out are in the bathroom, the laundry area, and garden.  These areas are damp, mosquitoes favorite place.  For cockroaches, they could be found in dark like the kitchen, under the refrigerator or stove, in cabinet voids.  So spray there!
3. For best results and longer lasting effect, close all doors and windows before spraying, then wait for 30 minutes before re-entering the sprayed area.
4. Avoid direct contact with skin and eyes.
5. Don't spray near humans, pets, food, and utensils.  
6. Make sure you wash hands thoroughly after spraying.
7. Store properly away from children's reach and in a dry and cool place.
8. It's flammable so don't throw empty can into fire.