It's that time of the year when people think more of other people and what they want to receive for Christmas.  The people on my list are categorized into four: children, colleagues, friends, and family.  It's actually easy to personalize gifts and it can be practical too if you go to just one store such as SM Store.  I do most of my Christmas shopping in SM because it's true when they say, they've got it all.  Not only that, the experience of shopping and having it wrapped for free is such a convenience for me as a busy mom.  It's so practical

How's everyone?  Hope all is well with you dear readers.  Actually, I'm still on a post-wedding high as I write this.  But admittedly, I'm pretty occupied with so many other things that I only get to write my thoughts about the wedding and the life after being married, just now.
Sometimes when I think too much about what first to write, I panic.  There are so many good things to write about, so many wonderful stories behind the wedding preparation to share, that I don't know where to start.  So I decided, to skip the chronological of what to write in my head, and just go with the flow of what's in my heart.

So, I'm now a Mrs!  Woohoo!
Thank you to everyone who sent their congratulations and well wishes to me and my husband.  Whoa!  That actually felt great!  Hahaha!  To call Macky, my husband and it's legit.  I'm giddy about that thought.  It's been ages since we lived together without the blessing of marriage.  I'm not proud about it but I am not hiding that part of my life to anyone.  If you've been following my life story which I briefly shared on the blog, you'd know that I was annulled from my previous marriage.  So jumping into another one, even if Macky and I have been together for years, scared the hell out of me.

He asked me for marriage four times and I didn't say no, but I didn't say yes either.  When he popped the question the first, second, and even the third time, I was paralyzed each time.  The only answer I gave was "Can we talk about it first?"  Buti na lang on the fourth and last time, I felt that I was super ready for this married life and I finally said YES.  Otherwise, I think iiwan na niya ako!  Hahaha!  I'm happy he stuck around and patiently waited for the right time.  Ika nga ni Lola Nidora, "Sa tamang panahon."

November 28, 2015 - the happiest day of that month (I honestly couldn't say of the year, because there are just too many happy moments this year for me and the family).

I didn't expect that my husband would cry while I walked down the aisle.

The sun was shining mighty high.  It rained in Metro Manila but not in Antipolo.  My prayer for a zit-free day was also answered.  I prepared everything well a few months before the wedding, and all my pegs were achieved and my plans were executed exactly as how I envisioned it to be.  I prayed for a chillax day for me and Macky, and yes, we both had that relaxed and fun vibe even if we had to go to pick up my flowers from Dangwa in the morning, go to the venue to style it ourselves, and even if I had to sew additional ribbon on the DIY wedding ring pillow in the car on our way back to the hotel.  We had a fun "production" day and all the DIY-back-aching-days paid off.  We were both pleased with how our wedding turned out.  Simple.  Practical.  Intimate.  Happy.

My below P5,000 wedding gown. :)

My suppliers, aaaaahhhhh..... they are heaven-sent!  All of them!  I'm very blessed to have met them online and to connect with them in person which led to a fruitful partnership during our wedding.  I cannot write about them lengthily in this post, but I will do so in the coming posts.  They deserve a separate or individual feature here.  But let me enumerate my wonderful suppliers here:

• Venue: L' Aquinum Garden, Kingsville Executive Village, Antipolo City
• Caterer: Ignacio's Catering
• Ring: Diamond With Love Jewelry Shop
• Invitation Designer: Myra Jane Lim
• Invitation Printer: Glam Prints and Favor
• Flowers: Pia Ajoste Flowers Online
• Photography: The Perfect Grey Photography
• Videography: Cupcake Cinema
• Make-Up: Make-Up Maven by Joy Yap
• Hair: Donita, 09157475019
• OTD Coordinator: LDR Travel and Events
• Cake: Delishaes Cakes
• Photobooth: Photofun Machine

Our wedding theme was Rustic Shabby Chic.  I got a lot of ideas and inspirations from Pinterest.  That's why, I really LOVE Pinterest because it's a life-saver for people who want to save a lot by going for DIY instead of having stuff made by other people.  I still couldn't believe we pulled our DIY projects off (which by the way I'll also be writing about in the coming posts!)  Basta, all I can say is, Pinterest has made our wedding Pinterest-worthy.  We requested our guests to use the hashtag #MackyLouiseFinally when posting photos on social media.  You may check it so you could see some photos of the wedding.  The hashtag is so apt because, FINALLY, kinasal na talaga kami.

How's life after the wedding?  Blissful and BLESS-ful indeed!  Iba pala talaga ang feeling when you're married with the person God gave you to spend the rest of your life with.  The wedding ring, which at first I thought Macky would lose in a week, in fairness, he feels incomplete when it's not on his finger.  Oh, and if you're curious about the budget, all I can say is, the cost of our car down payment is bigger than what we spent for the wedding.  I'm not called Mommy Practicality for nothing diba?  Practical and blissful wedding indeed!  That's how we envisioned it to be.

Macky made these signage.  "Better Together" is our theme song (by Jack Johnson).  The song tells so much about us as a couple and it was also my wedding march song, which unexpectedly I cried to.  Happy feels!

We haven't gotten into the best part of my story!  Two weeks before the wedding, Macky and I found out, that we're expecting our THIRD CHILD!  And we announced this wonderful blessing to our 70 pax guests (immediate family, very close relatives, and friends common to both) during our wedding, exactly during Mac's vow-reading.  This pleasantly surprised everyone, who wouldn't be?  It was a happy moment talaga for us!  A week after our wedding, BOOM, my baby bump was shouting to the world already.  I'm 12 weeks on the way, officially ending my first trimester!

The best family photo of the year!

Double blessing.  Double Happiness.  That's how I would best describe my wedding and sort-of unexpected pregnancy (but strategically planned to have it after the wedding).  But God has better plans!  He wanted to give our gift earlier and I tell you, His timing is always perfect.  This baby has saved me more than once in the most perfect time!

Now, I'm a happily married woman!  Naks, nakakakilig pa rin talaga!  I promise that I'll be sharing more stories about the wedding which will surely help a lot of other aspiring mommy-brides like me.  As I keep on saying, God is a forgiving God and a God of second chances.  He gave me my second chance when He thought I needed it.  Then He gave me this wedding and blessed it with so much ease in preparation, budget and actual execution, all in His perfect time.  My wedding is the most perfect wedding I've been to, because it's ours of course! :)  I'm sure by now, you could sense that I'm smiling while daydreaming about what happened during our wedding and telling you my story.  Yes, that's how happy my wedding was.
This is my wedding story.  More to come loves!  Again thank you for your warm greetings and joyful congratulations.  Have a good day ahead!

RELATED ARTICLES:

• Our Wedding Photographer - The Perfect Grey Photography
• My RTW Wedding Gown And Where To Find One
• Our Intimate Rustic Themed Garden Wedding
• Garden Wedding Venues In Antipolo
• How To Effectively Plan Your Wedding
• Our Rustic Wedding DIY Projects
• Reflections of A Soon-To-Be-Bride
• Our Rustic Wedding Pegs
• My Wedding Proposal Story

I can’t believe it’s already December!  Time flew by so fast that I didn’t notice my November came in and out so quickly.  Maybe it’s because I was too busy the last few months with my wedding preparation.  So now that our wedding celebration is over, it’s time to face all my Christmas duties!  I feel that I have to rush with my Christmas preparations which I purposely delayed so I could focus on one event at a time.

We all know that Christmas is a really joyous event in our country.  Ask any OFW, and they’d want to come home and celebrate Christmas here.  They would tell you how warm Christmas is received in every Filipino home.  Seasonal food comes out like puto bumbong, bibingka and also macaroni salad.
Christmas here is a time we look forward to because it’s all about spending precious time with your loved ones.  That’s why, family reunions are organized here and there to celebrate one of the most awaited event of the year.

In our family, tasks are distributed to every member.  Usually these are my tasks:

1. To find a common schedule for all.  Having families of our own, we have to agree if we would celebrate either on the 24th or 25th.  It’s usually my task to call everyone to know their availability.  
2. To assign each family what to bring.  Renting a place is not practical as the money we’re going to pay the restaurant or function room could just be spent with food for sharing.  Pot luck is always the name of the game.  After finding out common schedule for every family, I also am tasked  to assign each family what to bring.  Who brings a pork dish?  Chicken dish?  Pasta?  Desserts?  Drinks?   Macaroni Salad?
3. To prepare games or entertainment.  Thanks to my mom who enrolled me in singing lessons when I was younger.  I usually host the activities or sing while Macky plays the guitar.  Our favorite activities or games usually are: Pinoy Henyo, Charades, Exchange Gifts, and of course, raffle!
4. To whip up a delicious bowl of everyone’s favorite rich and creamy Lady’s Choice macaroni salad.   
   
   Oh yes!  Even if mom’s not around anymore, parang andun pa rin siya because we could still taste the same rich and creamy taste of her macaroni salad.  She passed on her recipe to me that’s why, every year, this has become my assignment.  Our family bonds over the special macaroni salad because we’re reminded of her, parang kasama pa rin namin siya.  Hence, her Lady’s Choice macaroni salad has become the star of the Christmas table which makes our Christmas reunions more special.

For me, it’s not how many tasks I do every Christmas reunions.  Kahit dagdagan pa ng 10 more tasks go lang.  The important thing is, sama-sama ang pamilya kapag Pasko, dahil mas masarap talaga kapag sama-sama.  Even if we’re no longer complete, we’re thankful that there’s always something that reminds us of my mommy, yung special Lady’s Choice macaroni salad recipe niya.

How about you loves?  Are you already excited for the Christmas family reunions?  What tasks do you have?  Do you also have a special recipe na star ng reunion niyo like our Lady’s Choice macaroni salad?  Do share!

I’ve been loyal to a certain brand of mobile phone because probably of familiarity, ease of use, durability and I just don’t want to leave my comfort zone.  For years, I’ve been upgrading my phone but still choose the same brand.  When I received Asus ZenFone 2 Laser 5.0 in the mail for a review, it was the first time I’m switching to a different brand.

Being a full-time working mom has its ups and downs. I work all day away from my kids but I contribute in putting food on the table. I don’t personally wash my little one’s hair on a daily basis, but I am able to send him to a good school and give them not only their other needs, but their wants occasionally (especially if they earned good points). If there is one thing common between us all moms, that would be putting the family’s needs and safety in top priority.

As I write this (hope to finish this post today), we're just one day away until our BIG DAY!  Many of my friends are saying that I should be relaxing this week so I would not look haggard on the wedding day.  Wait, what?  What relax?  Hahaha!  The only time I remembered relaxing was when I had my nails done for three hours the other night and when Macky had a Shiatsu massage.  It was too long that we ended at 12am.  At that time, I just wanted to go to bed,but I had no more time to had my nails done anymore.  Could you check if the blush shade is pretty or  should I change to white or ecru or add a glittery design?

One more day to go until I wear the second ring on my finger. By the way, I had a blush polished on my nails for the big day. Yay or Nay? Should I change it to white or ecru or french tip or put glittery design on it?

A photo posted by Louise Antonette Fandiño (@mommypracticality) on Nov 26, 2015 at 2:26pm PST

I'd like to think I am of Spanish descent because of my surname, Fandiño.   Hahaha!  Anything with Ñ to me most probably has a Spanish influence.  So, when Macky and I were invited to dine at Alquria Restaurante, I felt like, hey, this is my zone!  Kidding aside, I've always loved Spanish cuisine because it's very close to our own Filipino dishes like Afritada, Caldereta and even Lechon, which all have Spanish influences.  I remember my dear friend Tricia (of authentic Spanish-speaking family) who would always invite me to their home to try her homemade Spanish menu specialties like Churros con Chocolate and Croquettas.  Because of her almost weekly invitation, I've grown love for Spanish cuisines.

Who says motherhood is easy?  I think no one did.  It's a 24/7 job.  One has to always be on her toes to ensure her family is safe and happy.  One of her challenges is how to keep her kids away from harm at all times.  Personally, I know that accidents could always happen.  But I also believe that it could be prevented.

In an intimate gathering I attended together with my fellow Circle of Trust Moms, organized by Wilkins Distilled water, we learned some do-it-yourself safety hacks from other trusted expert moms using materials that are easily accessible from their own homes.  It was a fun afternoon of learning and sharing with other moms in the crowd.

Here are some of the tips shared during the Wilkins event which you could also try at home.

Scout the Territory. 
Take a child’s eye view of your home. Get down on your knees to see for yourself what’s within reach, what looks tempting, and what could be dangerous for your kids.

Cushion Sharp Edges and Soften Up Corners. 
Invest on furniture edge guards and corner protectors; foam pipe insulations for instance are easily available at hardware stores. When your child starts running around the house, you’ll be thankful you brought that extra protection.

Keep Window Cords Up High. 
Loop and tie window cords to keep them out of reach of children, but not too high that you can’t lower the shade all the way down.

Duct Tape on Power Outlets. 
Cover reachable openings with duct tape or band aid to avoid the risk of electrocution.  There are also readily available power outlet covers you could buy in DIY shops for less than one hundred pesos for 4 pieces.  I personally use these at home to keep my kids safe.

Wow!  I just turned another year older and hopefully wiser and better on a holistic approach.  I used to deny my real age because I guess I was insecure or in disbelief that I turned a year older each year and yet I felt like I didn't grow old.  You know what I mean?
But now, not that I am more confident and feeling super wise, I more comfortable telling people my age.  Loves, I just turned 37 years old.  I am way past mid-30s and a few years before the big 40! :)  So with a lot of thinking and reflecting these past few days, I want to share some of my learning and realizations about life, dreams, love, kids, and other people: