School break is almost over.  Wait what?  I hear my kids ask that question with somewhat a disbelief tone.  Because!  I also can't believe that school season is waiting for us around the curb.  Yup, somewhere there!  Okay, so let me shake off this shock and start to face reality that back to school means back-to-gastos for most parents sending more than one child to school.  I would know, I am sending two now and in a few years, they will be three.  But all's good.

Alam niyo the Back To School season brings a good nostalgic feeling to me.  I remember as a child, I love coming back to my school to enroll and then head straight to National Book Store in Cubao to shop for school supplies.  I love the sight and smell of new school stuff.  I love running my hand through new pad papers and notebooks, trying out inks of different pens, and choosing the design of my pencil case myself.  And I am always reminded of that every time I enter any National Book Store.  It was a beautiful memory of my mom and I - which I have been passing on to my kids as well.  Indeed you could say I am #LakingNational.
Everything you need for school is at National Book Store.  You could find anything and everything here.  From writing materials, arts and crafts, books, accessories, and now so much more new things for school is under the roof of National Book Store.

Admit it, who wouldn't trust National Book Store for having everything?   They've been with every Filipino family supporting our school and office needs for 75 years!  That's why it's also about time that they venture into the education field with the recent launch of their NBS College.

Also, to keep up with the times and needs of busy moms who have not time to go out or brave the traffic, they accept your school supply orders via their website www.nationalbookstore.com or via delivery hotline ‎‎8888-627.  They will deliver right to your door step nationwide.  Delivery is FREE for minimum of Php1,000 purchase in Metro Manila and Php2,500 in provinces. All these were announced during the Back-To-School event hosted by Patty Laurel-Filart.
If your're new to back to school shopping, National Book Store will never leave you clueless as to what to purchase for your kids because of their school level online shopping guide.

My school kids Wes and Dandre are incoming Grades 2 and Grade 9.  Though I already knew what to buy because I came with a checklist of which to buy, the back to school shopping guide online is still a great  idea.  Such convenience for all National Book Store shoppers!
So, I recently went Back To School shopping and I had an awesome experience!  I was able to complete my list for both Dandre and Wes for a total of Php 2,250.00.  With this I was able to buy the following:

• 10 Writing Notebooks
• 10 Spiral Notebooks
• 1 Math Notebook
• Best Buy Set of folders (short and long) with plastic cover
• Best Buy Set of envelopes (short and long)
• 3 rolls of pre-cut plastic covers
• 2 rolls of tapes 
• A box of 24 Crayola crayons
• 1 Pencil Case
• 1 Crayon Case by Crayola
• 1 Cute arts and crafts scissors
• 1 box of Monggol #2 Pencils
• 3 Black Gel Pens
• Eraser
• Glue
• 2 packs of Art Paper
• 2 packs of Construction Paper
• 2 packs of Oslo Paper
• 2 packs of Colored Paper
• 1 expanded envelope with handle
• Manila Paper
• Best Buy pad paper set
• Grade 2 pad paper set

Let me share with you what you could find at National Book Store:
 So moms and dads, have you done your Back To School shopping already?  If not yet, whether online or offline, you know where to go - National Book Store!  Don't forget to bring your Laking National Card! :)
For more information, follow their story using this hashtag #BackToSchoolwithNBS.  Also follow them on Facebook: @nbsalert and Instagram: @nationalbookstore.

Happy Back-To-School Shopping!

Praise God that my kids don't get sick often.  I get really scared about illnesses that a mosquito bite may bring and another dreaded illness is anything related to their tummies.  Because when their tummies start aching and they couldn't describe how painful or which area, I think I would really panic.  I'm sure this worries any parents too right?
These tummy problems which are mostly digestive health-related diseases such as diarrhea and constipation, come from harmful bacteria. And boy, kahit tayo adults, our moods really change kapag tyan na ang pinag-uusapan, what more our children who couldn't articulate what exactly is going on in there? 

When our children become sick, how we wish tayo na lang sana, so this really causes us emotional stress.  Experts and moms in my community say probiotics may help ease your child’s digestive disorders and even make potty training more manageable.  Perfect timing for my baby Damien who will turn 2 in a few months. 

Okay, so let's now talk about Probiotics.

ABOUT PROBIOTICS
Probiotics are live microorganisms that help maintain the balance of good and bad bacteria in the digestive tract.  Did you know that a human digestive tract has about 100 trillion healthy bacteria. Bacteria aid in digestion and help the body defend itself against illness.

Thus, probiotics can aid with immunity and help protect us and our kids from common colds and flu.
But because of poor diet, stress or by taking antibiotics and other medication, balance couldn't be achieved most times.  We can get probiotics from food such as yogurt and beverages, but the quality in those may not be enough.  So how do we get the right amount of probiotics for our children?

INTRODUCING ERCEFLORA PROBIBEARS

Erceflora ProbiBears, a yummy tummy supplement with the combined 2-in-1 PROBIO-BOOSTER of not just Lactobacillus acidophilus, but also Bifidobacterium lactis – good bacteria that help prevent gut problems such as diarrhea, upset stomach, and other digestive illnesses to help keep kids happy and healthy everyday.

Lactobacillus is good bacteria that are present in a lot of food. A study has shown that Lactobacillus was an effective treatment against infant colic and even helped improve immunity. Bifidobacterium, on the other hand, helps ease digestive issues such as bloating and flatulence. It also has a longer shelf life.

It’s the delicious and healthy way to strengthen your child’s tummy in yummy chewable bears!  I opened one pack so you would know how it looks:
These cute Erceflora ProbiBears:

• Has NO Preservatives
• Is Trans Free
• Is Gluten Free
• Is Nut Free
• Kosher and Halal Certified

From the makers of the World’s #1 Probiotic, ProbiBears will reassure moms that their kids stay healthy in the tummy! Moreover, their kids will love it because it comes in fun and yummy chewable bears! Erceflora ProbiBears is the 2-in-1 Probiotic Supplement (Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium) that will help improve your child’s digestion.

Erceflora ProbiBears will be available in Mercury Drug by June for only Php540SRP per Box of 20s.

Now that I am a work at home mom, I get to manage the household very closely. By that I mean I take care of my children personally, I clean the house/dishes/clothes and whatever needs to be cleaned, and lastly, I get to plan, market, choose the food and cook at least twice every single day.

I feel fulfilled whenever I get to cook for my family.  Cooking is like an expression of my love through service to my husband and kids.  Though not a great cook, at least I can whip up a meal worth remembering and when I can't or don't have enough time but still want a delicious and healthy meal for my family, I get a convenient help from frozen food products I could get from the grocery and cook almost instantly - such as Fisher Farms PH.

Fisher Farms PH has a lot of frozen fish products and we're glad to receive some to try, but actually, we've already purchased a few of their products before and we really liked the taste.  So I got really excited to try their other frozen products.

My family is a heavy breakfast and fish or seafood eaters.  So having fish anytime of the day is a welcome treat!  And if you would be interested to ask if my kids like fish, YES, super!  And vegetables too.  So, how's the taste?  It is definitely crispy on the outside because of its  breading, and it's fully cooked and tender inside.  The taste reminds me of my mom who used to marinate Dinaing na Bangus herself.  This is 100% made of Bangus, breaded, deboned, and Garlic and Vinegar marinated.  The pack is good for 4-5 servings.  Serve it with garlic fried rice and slices of tomato, hot brewed coffee, and mag-kamay for the best Pinoy breakfast experience.  Of course don't forget to wash your hands! :)
Personally, more than dried fish and dinaing na Bangus, I like Tinapa so much ever since I was a child.  When I first tasted Fisher Farms PH's Smoked Deboned Milkfish, I instantly liked it.  The bangus meat is tender and fresh.  The serving size per pack is generous, could even feed 4-5 hungry persons.  Pair it with again, garlic fried rice, tomato/onion/cucumber side dish and voila, you're in for a delicious and inexpensive experience with your family.  Plus, it's no hassle to cook it.  I recommend this in your cart on your next grocery day.
Honestly like the Hungarian Sausage, I was expecting this to taste seafoody-sisig, because after all it's a frozen seafood product.  Other bangus sisig I've tried tastes like that, fish.  But THIS, oh my, it's Bangus but it didn't taste fishy or malansa.  It says microwaveable on its packaging, but in my case, since I ditched the microwave, cooking it in a pan did the trick.  Usually a Sisig would need toyo-mansi (soy sauce + kalamansi) to season it. Fisher Farms PH's Bangus Sisig do not need seasoning anymore because it's tasty and in fact, for a frozen product it passed my and husband's Sisig taste standards, this is in comparison to the Sisig in famous grill restos in Metro Manila. :)

FISHER FARMS PH's POGI POINTS
1.  TASTE - If you love food because you love the fusion of different tastes in your mouth as you savor a dish, then you would also like Fisher Farms PH's frozen products.  You could never go wrong buying Fisher Farms Ph's package, any of their product line actually, because it tastes good!  No need for seasoning, it stands out.  Extra rice please?

2.  DISTRIBUTION - Fisher Farms Ph's frozen products are available in select branches of the following supermarkets: Savemore, SM Hypermarket, SM Supermarket, Allday Supermarket, Metro Gaisano, Rustans Supermarket, Shopwise, South Supermarket, Waltermart, Puregold, Daily Supermarket, Fishermall, LCC, Ayagold, Pioneer Centre, Robinsons, The Landmark, and Ng Chain.

3.  PRICE - Price points of their frozen products ranges from Php 120 - Php299.  Sometimes, they also have limited time promos where you could Buy 1 Take 1, such as the one I bought from All Day Supermarket last month.  It's Mommy Practicality approved because it's a value for money purchase.

4.  HEALTHY - Fisher Farms PH milkfish is a healthier choice! Bangus has lower fat content than pork belly.  Plus it's also a good source of heart-healthy Omega-3!

I recommend moms who are on the go who sometimes have little time to prepare healthy meals for their family, try Fisher Farms PH frozen products and make sure you include them in your next grocery list.  Above four are my favorites, but you may find your own favorite from the variety of their other milk fish products such categorized into:
- Gourmet Selections
- Microwaveable Meals
- All Natural Fish Sausages
- Regular Fish Deli
- Kiddie Fish Delis
- Deboned Milk Fish
- Frozen Whole Fish

Happy Healthy Eating! :)

Mother's Day is the most celebrated event for a mom's life in a year, next to her birthday and wedding anniversary.  Well this is the arrangement of occasion importance at least for me personally. :)  Do you agree to this?

Actually you know what, moms' selfless love and care, sacrifices, strength, and even resilience should be celebrated every day, all year round.  So should Valentine's Day right?  That's why, all these occasions are perfect timings to send us, Moms/Wives a beautiful bouquet of flowers, just like what I received last Mother's Day from Flower Chimp Philippines.

I received this with a large thick cellophane as protection

Beautiful and fresh flowers make me really happy!

Lovely combination of flowers for this particular bouquet

This Valleta bouquet came with a nice vase.  Look at the bouquet, it's HUGE and really pretty!

1. Go to www.flowerchimp.com.ph/
2. Find a bouquet that you like. On the product page, choose from options offered (e.g. including a glass vase). 
3. Add the bouquet to your cart.
4. Open the cart and input your special instructions like date of delivery, your personal message, and of course, sender name.
5. Proceed to checkout. Provide your email address and delivery plus contact details of the recipient.
6. Pick your shipping and payment method - Payment can be done via Visa and Master Card.

1. FREE delivery on ALL orders to ALL regions in the Philippines.
2. SAME DAY DELIVERY within Metro Manila for online orders made before 1pm (Mon-Sat).
3. They have a wide selection of ready made bouquets to choose from.
4. You could narrow down your bouquet selection based on the following filters:
• Occasion
• Color of flowers
• Price Range
• Flower Type
5. Guaranteed FRESH FLOWERS every day.
6. Practicality - you don't need to be hassled to go out of your way to go to flower shops yourself or even in Dangwa to choose the flowers yourself and have it arranged, wait until the arrangement finishes and only to pay almost the same price.  The premium you will pay to have your flowers delivered by Flower Chimp PH is for the convenience and comfort of just ordering it online.  You know how traffic could get the best of us right?

https://www.mommypracticality.com/2018/05/mommy-practicalitys-mothers-day-giveaway.html

Express your feelings and appreciation to the special persons in your life with flowers.  You can never go wrong with flowers.  Flower Chimp PH is your partner in bringing joy and brightening someone's day.  Flowers are guaranteed BEAUTIFUL and FRESH.  Thanks to technology, you don't need to go out of the comforts of your home to get big and pretty flowers, order it online.  Have it delivered for FREE same day pa! 

Are there times that as a woman fulfilling your multiple roles (a wife, a mom, a sister, a career person, a friend or an organization leader) you get too exhausted to the point of even asking yourself or the universe "Why am I doing what I am doing?"

Have you ever wondered if other women of any role at any stage also did, does or will do what you did, what you do or will do?

Have you ever felt unsure, confused, lost, depressed, empty or even pressed against the wall?  Have you figured out what your purpose is in your life as a woman?

If you've felt or thought about this one time in your life, it's okay, it's normal.  I personally had my personal struggles as well as a woman.  It's normal, we all go through a lot.  Though of different experiences, degrees of past pains and tolerance of it, we all go through something.

We've cried buckets of tears during our first heartbreak, we've risked ourselves when we carried our babies in our wombs, we went through physical pain during labor and childbirth, we also submit as wives to our husbands, we raise our children, we even take care of our aging parents, we fulfill our passions/dreams on the side, and so many more.

It's tough to be a woman, and I believe that every struggles and victories of a woman should be celebrated.  This is what the Jewels Conference is all about.

What is the Jewels Conference 2018?
The Jewels Conference is a one-day event that seeks to empower women in their personal journey of balancing their roles, careers, relationships, and dreams. Our attendees were made up of different segments of women ranging from mothers, young professionals, young adults, and the youth.

First of all, Happy Mother's Day to all moms who have been anticipating for this mega giveaway launch and who have been reading my updates on list of sponsors.

Actually, let me also say that I have been blessed enough kahit po paano by this blogging world.  It has made me financially secured enough to be able to leave my corporate life and focus on my children, continue blogging without thinking of a boss or a work deliverable that will affect my performance appraisal and my salary increase, and allow me to plan and pursue my other passions.

With this, I want to extend these blessings to my readers and followers who are moms as well, so I spoke to my present and past blog partners who are willing to participate in the MEGA GIVEAWAY.

So without further hoola-baloo, presenting #MommyPracticalityMothersDayGiveaway!
DETAILED MECHANICS:

1. Open to all MOM followers and readers of Mommy Practicality who are Philippine Residents, ages 21 and above, and willing to pick up prizes.
2. Get a chance to win ONE from the following packages:
• Mommy Time Package - 3 WINNERS
• Flower Chimp Bouquet (one of the three winners of this package)
• Watsons Gift Pack
• Aesthetic Science Facial GC
• Kerygma Paperback book (Family Goals or Your Newborn Is A Blessing)
• Baby Love Package - 3 WINNERS
• Pampers Basket (one of three winners of this package)
• Graco Bath Tub
• NUK Twin Pack
• Sweet Embrace Package - 3 WINNERS
• City Garden Suites Overnight Hotel Accommodation with Buffet Breakfast for two (one of three winners of this package)
• Kiddimin Gift Pack
• Fisher-Price Toy or Graco Feeding Items
3. Follow Mommy Practicality on Instagram and Facebook.
• http://instagram.com/mommypracticality
• http://facebook.com/mommypracticality
4. Follow giveaway sponsors on social media:
• PAMPERS PH: https://www.facebook.com/PampersPh/ and https://www.instagram.com/pampersph/
• CITY GARDEN SUITES MANILA: https://www.facebook.com/CityGardenSuitesManila.Ph and https://www.instagram.com/citygardensuites/
• FLOWER CHIMP PH: https://www.facebook.com/FlowerChimpPH/
• GRACO PH: https://www.facebook.com/Graco/
• NUK PH: https://www.facebook.com/nukphilippines/
• WATSONS PH: https://www.facebook.com/WatsonsPH/
• AESTHETIC SCIENCE: https://www.facebook.com/aestheticscienceclinic/
• FISHER-PRICE: https://www.facebook.com/FisherPriceSEA
• FERN KIDDIMIN: https://www.facebook.com/fernkiddimin/
• KERYGMA BOOKS: https://www.facebook.com/KerygmaBooks/
5. Re-post this poster PLUS post a photo of you and your child/children.  In your caption, answer "What's the best thing about being a MOTHER?"
6. Don't forget to tag @MommyPracticality and put the hashtag: #MommyPracticalityMothersDayGiveaway
7. Tag two (2) of your MOMMY friends (real accounts only) and encourage to join the giveaway.
8. Make sure your post is public (FB/IG).
9. Giveaway will run from today until May 31, 2018
10. Winners will be announced on June 7, 2018.