Source

Stress.

Happy Stress.  Ngarag Stress.  Excited Stress.  These are the different levels of stress that I feel when wedding preparations are concerned.  The anxieties, excitement, and pressures I feel go uphill and downhill.  I don't know if this is normal, but based from brides I talked to it is.  But their number one advice to me is "Just make sure you keep the stresses H-A-P-P-Y!  You'll do fine.  Enjoy it!"

Big word(s).

Well, it's really easier said pala talaga than done.  That's what I realize now.  I may be a campaigns strategist who also handles events at work, but wedding is different.  I'm sure most of you married women reading this would totally agree.  Ako naman, while juggling my deliverables at work and home, and doing my duties to my slowed down blog (which I feel so sad about for not updating as frequently... ), I do all the research, contacting, negotiating, and scheduling of meetings with suppliers.  My better half who's also busy with work would do his tasks as requested, (we all know guys could only do one thing at a time.)

So, which brings me to sharing with you some realizations and tips on Wedding Preparation:

• Set rules of engagement with better half. - Save yourself from arguments and pointing fingers when things go wrong (or even right) during your wedding day.  Make sure you're all in this together,.  It's not YOUR wedding alone, remember that.  So a good guy fried of mine gave an advice to lay down cards with what you need and expect from each other during the preparation.  There were general rules that we set like, no saying "Ikaw bahala."  The decision to get this supplier or not OR to book this venue or not, should always be mutual.  Tools: Constant loving communication with your husband-to-be and time.

There's nothing more exciting for my four year old than to see the Disney characters he loves up close and performing LIVE!  Thanks to Sun Cellular for making this possible for me and the kids!

Back when my brothers and I were still studying, I would never think about how hard my parents had worked to send all four of us to good schools.

Shameless Grade school graduation picture!

Source

Well hello dear readers!  How was your week?  Mine was busy as usual.  If you don't know it yet, I work full-time in Makati (aargh, everyday traffic), plus I blog, plus I am preparing for our upcoming wedding.  So just imagine how insane I could get at times especially when I realize that I haven't done or asked our home angels to do the pamamalengke!  Nakakaloka actually.

We do all have duties and responsibilities at home and work, and if like me you have extra-curricular activities that you pursue because of your passion for that/those crafts.. then, chances are, you too get stressed out with expectations and deadlines to meet.  Waaahh!  So, if not the pamamalengke schedule ang task that you forgot to do, then it should be something else.. like the laundry?

I’m sure as a mom, you too worry about the health of your family, especially of our kids.  We feel emotionally and physically stressed whenever our kids get sick and oftentimes hear ourselves saying “Sana ako na lang ang nagkasakit.”  Ganyan tayong mga nanay.  That’s why, we do everything in our capacities to keep our children sick-free.  How?  By making sure they get the right nutrition and immunity booster from their food and drinks intake.  One way to keep them sick-free is adding fruits to their diet, such as pineapples.   Good thing, I found a more delicious way of making my kids eat pineapples through Del Monte Pineapple.

Del Monte Pineapple Tidbits and Chunks in cans.

Personally, I am fortunate my two boys eat fruits and vegetables regularly even if I do not disguise them into something else.  Their favorite is Pork Sinigang and they eat more of the veggies than the meat.  They have daily servings of fruits like bananas, mangoes, papaya, and pineapples too.  They got this from my dad, who at 75 years old, is illness free and in tip-top shape for his age.  Because of my children’s likeness to fruits and vegetables, they rarely get sick.  Being sick-free is almost synonymous to being economical because we don’t have to spend extra for hospitalization and medicines.  Plus, they don’t miss school days and opportunities to play, explore, and learn too.

Given this, I am honored to be trusted as an ambassador of a world-class and trusted household brand, Del Monte Pineapple.  We are a Del Monte household ever since I was younger, from condiments, to pasta dishes and other sauces, and of course pineapples.  I’m happy to be representing something our family uses and loves through the years.

Sharing my mommy experience on making my kids eat fruits and veggies.

As mothers, we tend to be overly-protective with our kids especially when they are at play because we don't want them to get hurt or injured right?  But, sometimes, being too protective is not healthy anymore to their physical, emotional and psychological development.  There are many creative ways to keep our kids injury-free during active play and I will share some which I apply to them.

Since I have two active boys (the little one is bordering hyperactive haha!), they are prone to injuries.  When they get injured, I worry too much and sometimes panic.  But as their dad would always say, "Mga lalaki yan, minsan kailangan din nilang madapa at matutong tumayo..Wag kang OA" (They are boys, sometimes they need to stumble to learn how to pick themselves up.  Don't over-react!)

First of all, we decided on our wedding theme which is: Shabby Rustic Chic.  Why?  Since my mom passed away last year and of course couldn't be physically present when we wed, I still want her presence to be somehow felt by bringing some of her shabby stuff from home such as authentic leather small luggage, typewriter, crochet works, and DIY vases.  Plus with Rustic theme, I could DIY some of the wedding items.

For now, let me first share with you our wedding pegs:
VENUE:  We will choose a garden as our wedding ceremony and reception venue.  It's easy to have a rustic feel in a garden.

Source

As moms, we take care of a lot of things around us: our children, the husband, the household, menu for the week, in my case - the office work, and the blog too.  We're always occupied with these things that we tend to forget taking care of ourselves.  Oftentimes, I would stop in the middle of what I'm doing at work or at home and ask myself these questions:

"When was the last time I had my nails done?"

"When was the last time I had a full-body massage?"

"When was my last fitness schedule?"
"When was the last time I took notice of my physique?"

Those things are my favorite alone time, my solo time, my me-time.  It's already for me, I don't have to depend on another individual, but still I forget to take care of ME.  My usual excuse is: "I don't have time."

I've always wanted to try out Yoga as a fitness activity, but never got a chance to do it for so many reasons to justify my laziness to do so.  So I'm happy to receive an invitation from Pine-Sol which pleasantly read:

"A woman's work is never done (so true!), and too often we leave ourselves for last.  Allow Pine-Sol to put you first on a day of health and wellness."

I took a leave from work, because I just had to be there.  Moms were gathered in Le Spa Yoga Studio of Sofitel Manila with an instruction to just #SavorYourMeTime.  And so did we.

If you don't know it yet, I'm only three months away from our BIG day (Panic!  Waaah!), which is our wedding day!  So spending a big amount of money on to something else would be crazy and impractical.  Let's take for example Madonna's upcoming one-night Philippine concert, even if I looooove Madonna and grew up listening to her (and her songs even influenced me in more ways than one) I don't think I would spend P60,000 for her ticket.  I'd rather spend it for something more long-term like an investment or for the wedding!  It's almost automatic for me as a practical mom to #ChooseBetter when it comes to spending.

Just imagine what you could get for that much money right?  Since I'm preparing for the wedding, I've gone through different garden wedding venues and talked to wedding suppliers.  The first thing I need to know after liking the ambiance of the place or samples of their services, is HOW MUCH?  I think all brides or soon-to-be-brides would agree.  Let me share with you where 60,000 pesos could take you when wedding preps are concerned:

Where 60,000 could take me:

1.  A whole garden venue for the wedding day X 3! - I love promos and sales loves, you know that!  I got my garden wedding venue at a discounted price because I waited for their promo.  It now only costs 20,000 pesos for five hours use (excluding ingress and egress!)  So with 60,000, I could book the event place three times over!

L' Aquinum Garden

When I posted a photo on Facebook of my younger son playing with his 100% mommy-made play house, a lot of my friends commented how cute the DIY Playhouse is.  Some were pushed to finally start their pending made-up play house for their kids.  Some of them said they were inspired by my DIY project and want to also make one for their child.  While the Titas and Ninang commented about how cute my little boy is for playing with a usually-girl toy, and having a blast too.