Hello Mommies!  How are you all doing?  It's a rainy day today, but don't be gloomy because I've got one great news for you!  I'm launching my very first Blog Contest for the year.  I'm as excited as you are loves because I'm giving away goody bags for the winners consisting of brands I use at home and some gifts from brands I also worked with.  It's also my way of sharing with you my dear readers and supporters my blog blessings.

Now, unlike other of my blog giveaways, this time, I will be focusing more on YOU as a mom.  I know it's not yet Mother's Day, but as early as now I want to celebrate motherhood and the beauty of it by having this photo contest on Instagram.  Why Instagram?  Why not?  Who doesn't love IG or at least like looking through beautiful and nicely styled photos and double tap them?  I do!  I love looking through photos on IG.  So for this blog contest, I want to see YOUR PHOTOS as a Mom showing activities with family, with husband, with kids, at work or anywhere showing your practicality.

Before the full mechanics, here's what my Grand Winner and Two (2) Runners-Up could win:

I have two children and another one on the way.  I'm expecting another boy, so that makes three boys in a row.  Wow, talk about boy making machine, yup that's me! :)  Although we were praying for a girl this time, God said, I'd be a better mommah to another boy, just as how I am with my first two boys.  Better luck next time (which my husband says in full swing baby production again for next year, haha, we'll see!).

Flashback to when I had only one child and the second one was still in my oven, one of the most fearful thoughts I had was how to not make my elder child might get jealous of the new baby.  Other thoughts were: How would he not feel less loved?  How would he not feel that we have lesser attention on him and more on the new baby?

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I am no love guru.  In fact, I've failed many times at it, even up to this day.  I am now married to my best friend, my soulmate, and my everything.  But before that, it was one hell of a road to get to where we are now.

I came from a failed marriage when I was in my early 20s.  I know now that I was indeed too young back then to be experiencing all the heartaches and downfalls I had.  And yet, I still didn't stop committing love and falling-in-love mistakes after that.  Finally, when I was sober, in my late 20s, 27 to be exact, I prayed to God, to keep me focused on what really matters, my son Dandre, my job, and in serving HIM.

My elder son is graduating from grade school this year.  I’m excited as he is, but at the same time a little bit anxious because his graduation would simply mean more independence for him.  More independence also means letting go of him little by little as he enters teenager years.  Yes I know, I worry too much.  Most of his classmates’ parents allow their children to already commute going home every day.  I don’t.  My son’s a few inches taller than I am, a handsome and smart-looking young man, and he still rides his school service every day.  I guess I’m being overprotective.  Bottom line is, I just want him to be safe.

Summer vacation is fast approaching AND... when it's that time of the year, we want our kids not to be idle and use this time to enhance their skills and talents, to learn something new, and continue to grow by enrolling them in summer classes.

It will not only keep them busy, but also foster new friendships and continuously develop their multiple intelligence as well.  With this, here it is once again, my compilation list of this year's activities, workshops, classes, and sports clinics where you could enroll your children.

As a practical mom, I make sure we don't waste food at home.  I've posted several articles on the blog on how I do more with less (less effort, less expense, and less waste) on food keeping, reusing, and recycling.

On lessening food waste, we cook only what's enough for the family to finish.  We also do food planning and buy only what's enough for two weeks.  In prolonging food's freshness, we use two food storage solutions, zip bags and cling wrap.  I'm GLAD that a few weeks ago, our family received a stack of these storage solutions, and more, from GLAD.

I used Glad® ClingWrap for our left-over Macaroni Salad, for keeping fruits fresh, and Glad® Zipper Bag for meats.