Few more days and it's Christmas loves!  Time to also put up your Christmas decorations at home if you still haven't.  What a perfect timing it is as well to prepare your Christmas Gifts lists and do your shopping.  I admire others who started shopping for their Christmas gifts as early as the first quarter and who also take advantage of the sale season at malls to buy their early Christmas or Birthday gifts. It isn't only practical, it also saves you from the shopping rush.

I'll be doing a series of Practical Christmas Gift Ideas from this day onward.  To be featured are lists of Christmas gift ideas for Moms, Dads, Husbands, Children, Friends and Colleagues.  Don't forget to come back to my lists because I'll keep on updating them.

Practical Christmas Gift Ideas for Moms

1. Scarves or Shawls- Give Mom a scarf or shawl and watch her turn an ordinary outfit to something sophisticated!  Plus it will also give her the warmth she needs on cold days. Make sure you choose her favorite color or print!  Price range: Php 150 to Php 1,000
2. Health and Beauty Items or GCs- For all of mom's hard work at home or in the office, she needs a well-deserved break!   This season is the best time to show her your appreciation and love by giving her health &  beauty items or service GCs such as massage, hand &  feet pampering or facial treatments.   For items, this could be anything from cologne, three-step-facial-care, lotions, hair products, vitamins or supplements too! :)  Moms need to feel beautiful and rejuvenated so she'll come out fresh and ready to take on any work load with a beautiful smile! Price range: Php 50 to Php 1,000
3. A New Mobile Phone with SUN Postpaid Plan - Give mom a new phone bundled with a SUN Postpaid Plan!  Choose from Regular Postpaid Plans (as low as Plan 350 to Plan 600), Fixed Load Plans, Unli-data and SUN Elite Plans (choose from Plans 999/1399 a month to Elite Plan 1500) or Tri-Net or Group Plans!  To add to the experience, register her new SUN Postpaid to FREE Internet for unlimited Facebook, unlimited surfing, likes and sharing! Price Range: Php350 to Php 1,500 a month
4. A Chic and Multi-functional Sac Manille Bag - When moms are out with kids, we want to bring the whole house in our bags just be sure, we don't forget anything.  But at the same time, we want to still look chic and fashionable.  Give her a bag that does that both!  I have been using David Jones (Paris) bag for years and not only it looks pop, but it's durable because it's made of quality materials!  Available at Sac Manille.  Price Range: Php 1,500 to Php 2500
   
5. AVON Home Plate Set (add Placemat and Coaster Set, and Flatware Set) - Mom would always find happiness in new dinnerware or kitchenware!   She will be more excited to whip up delish meals for the family!  Price Range: Php 550 to Php 1500.
   
6. Planner or Notebooks- Almost all moms, including me, love making lists (spell things to do, grocery list, gift list, school needs, etc.) plotting schedules (like birthdays and children's school activities.)  A really nice mommy planner would be a perfect gift for any moms!  I assure you, this gift will be most used the whole year!  This Mom 24/7 2015 Planner is a great buy with many discount coupons carefully selected for mom!  Available at Mommy Mundo Shop for Php 395.  There are other beautiful planners or notebooks available at leading book stores nationwide from Php 100 to Php 500 each :)
   
7. Heart-felt Christmas Card or Letter- Last but not the least, the most inexpensive (almost free) and most heartfelt gift is a Christmas love letter for the most beautiful and loving woman in any person's life.  You could never ever go wrong with a personalized message of appreciation and holiday greetings with this.  Moms will not only read the content but they could read through all the effort you put into creating this wonderful gift.  Tell her everything you can't say in person in your letter and watch her cry buckets of tears.  Price Range: FREE but one that will last a lifetime!

There you have it!  The key to giving a really special gift to your mom is to know what she really likes, her hobbies, what she really fancies or what she needs.  Some moms, like my mom, prefer to receive cash!  Hahaha!  Now that's practical!  But whatever you give your mom this Christmas, make sure you write her a message of appreciation and express how much you love her!  Make it a habit to tell and show your moms your love, not only on special occasions, but everyday the whole year!

Here it is loves, the moment you've been waiting for!  I'm launching now my 2nd Year of Mommy Practicality Birthday Giveaway!
I'm just so thankful for the life that's entrusted to me by God and as I wake up everyday and breathe in, I am humbled.  I couldn't say thank you enough to my loved ones, my friends and colleagues for truly celebrating happily with me! :)  I'm thankful for everything I have right now which brings me happiness, contentment and peace of mind.  With everything that I have, I feel so little and I know I have a mission to do more and be more, to serve HIM and others. :)

Speaking of celebrating life, one way to do this is to host a Birthday Giveaway! :)  I will not delay further, here are the mechanics:

STEP 1:  ELIGIBILITY

1. OPEN to ALL Mommy Practicality readers, followers and friends NATIONWIDE.
2. Service GC prizes will only be available to joiners residing in Metro Manila winners.
3. Prizes shall be sent to provincial winners with an option to pick-up in Makati City.  Residents of NCR shall pick up their prizes from Makati City.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I used to feel sentimental every time my birthday would come up.  I now realized it must be because I felt incomplete, unaccomplished, lonely or insecure.  It also could be because my hormones are running downhill and I just felt crappy and unappreciated.  But most of all, it's because immaturity was eating me all up and I just didn't feel content at what I already have.

I remember when I was a younger and our family would dine out, I would always ask my mom or dad to share with me whatever they ordered then.  And they would give me a bite or two no matter how it sometimes got messy.  The important thing is I was taught about the value of sharing.  Now that I'm a parent myself, I could tell that the most important life values and lessons are learned during eating time with the family.

I was reminded by this when our family had a chance to try eating and of course sharing meals with each other at Slammin' Mini Burgers + Fries + Dips one Sunday afternoon.
The first time I heard about mini-burgers was in some Hollywood movies where White Castle mini burgers were featured.  It's the same concept which Slammin' Mini Burgers + Fries + Dips President Mr. Pat Dy and partners, adopted and revamped their existing Slammer Burgers brand into starting last year.

One big burger when shared (like how I do with my boys, all three!) could get really messy.  But with mini-burgers concept, a double or triple order could be shared with the family and a group of friends or colleagues who want to get a healthy mix and portion of each burger kind.  So glad we got slammed that Sunday afternoon!  Here are what slammed our tummies that afternoon:

The All American Slider (P145, double/P215, triple) is the hands-down best-selling dish!

• The Black Box Creations (limited-edition mini burgers made with extraordinary ingredients)
• The John Candy (topped with salted caramel, sautéed onions, melted cheddar, and bacon)
• The Romeo and Juliet (bacon, melted cheese, strawberry jam, and salted butter)
• The Big Kahuna (with pineapple chunks, sriracha mayo, teriyaki glaze, melted cheddar, and bacon. And once you’ve eaten your fill of these, come back in a few months to try the new offerings! 

If you're looking for a healthy option, you would like their Beer-Battered Fish and Chips (P185).  This meal is best paired with thick-cut and crispy fries and a large-sized dip of your choice.
I particularly loved their All American Slider because I'm such an onion fan!  The beef patty was juicy and you'd know in one bite, that it's made of 100% beef!  My dear Dandre particularly loved the Bacon Mushroom Melt.  I was curious how it tasted, so with the size the burgers came, sharing without being messy was no problem at all!

The Loaded Fries were also to die for!  If you love nachos or tacos, this is their take on it using thick-cut fries with generous, generous, generous (super generous I had to type it more than once!) toppings!

Serving time was not too long considering they cooked it as you order it.  Clean restaurant plus courteous and efficient staff make Slammin' Mini-Burger + Fries + Drip a good place for family bonding and teaching good values to the kids such as sharing!  I'm glad #IGotSlammed (we all did!)
The restaurant may have a simple menu, but it's filled with sure winners which guarantee leaving their guests an enjoyable and satisfying casual dining experience!

Should you be a sponge for new learning and inspiration about what matters most in our lives such as relationship with God, family relationships, personal finance, career or business, then attending the Kerygma Conference is what you should do!  It's happening this month and it surely will be a grand event!

Now on its 8th year, Kerygma Conference 2014, the country’s biggest inspirational learning event, will be held at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), SMX Convention Center, and Mall of Asia Arena on November 20 – 23, 2014. With the theme “Lifted High”, this year’s Kerygma Conference is set to soar again for another record-breaking run with powerful talks from Catholic lay preacher Bo Sanchez himself and key guest speakers such as Jason Evert of ChastityProject.com (an international ministry focused on promoting purity), Most Rev. Socrates Villegas, DD, Most Rev. Honesto Ongtioco. DD, Fr. Dave Concepcion, the Kerygma Preachers and a whole lot more. Expected number of attendees is at 20,000.

Last October 25, our family was invited to attend Best Western PLUS Antel Hotel's #BerryBEST Halloween Party: Heroes and Legends.  Only my little one came in costume as our dear Kuya thinks he's too big to be in costume (at 11 years old, I think I would have to agree to that now even if deep inside me he's still my baby!)

Mr. Peter Paul Perez, MLA Country Manager (Philippines and Vietnam)

We've got the Halloween fever loves!  So this post is dedicated to past Halloween Costumes I and my kids wore in the previous Halloween parties we attended.  This may also be your guide to some Halloween Costume Ideas for your kids on their future Halloween Trick or Treat events!

While viewing these photos, I became nostalgic and noticed how small they were before and that time flies by so fast.  Another realization struck me that as parents, we should try to spend as much time as we can with our kids because with a blink of an eye, they get older and grow taller.  And just by viewing these photos of my children, it made me miss them as smaller kids.