Christmas is fast approaching!  It's indeed the most awaited and most wonderful time of the year for our family, especially the kids.  We have Christmas traditions we follow every year.  Mostly these traditions had been passed on from one generation to another.

Traditions like putting up the Christmas Tree together, lighting up our parol, kids writing to Santa their gift wishes, filling up their stockings with treats, and of course, Noche Buena.

Ah, the cool breeze, the warm smiles and happiness brought by family reunions here and there are what makes the holidays a lot more special for our family.  We love gathering over lunch or dinner, talking endlessly, updating each other of what's happening in our lives or what's new - all these make our Christmases merry and bright.
This year, I made a few twist to our Christmas tradition.  One is making the kids list three gift wishes to Santa (so that just in case Santa won't be able to provide the first one on the list, he has options 2 and 3!) and creating a special cheese board (for we've acquired wine drinking and toasting to add to the merriment this season brings!) using Danes Cheese Ball.
Wine is best paired with cheese, crackers, freeze-dried fruits, nuts, and even cold cuts.  For the cheese part, I've created our lovely yet easy-to-do cheese board using Danes Cheese Ball.  Even kids will love to munch on something on this wonderful and attractive cheese board (something we haven't done in the past actually!).  That right there is a new tradition we will definitely keep and pass on for generations to come.
Danes Cheese Ball is a creamy cheese with rich cheddar taste which will make any dish an instant favorite come Noche Buena. It’s a deliciously festive way to add a festive touch to any pasta, salad, or meat dish! Now that it's a new addition to our Noche Buena table, it's definitely a whole new focal point to talk about, to enjoy, to celebrate as well! :)  The cheese platter will also serve as an appetizer while waiting for the clock to tick until midnight, when it's time for Noche Buena!
I believe that meaningful connections and conversations with every member of the family has diminished through the years with the introduction of technology, so why not put down the gadgets for a while, be present with your loved ones as in really present, and enjoy snacking on cheese with crackers (kids version) or Danes Cheese Ball cubes/strips with a glass of wine (for the adults) and let them know how much they are loved.  The holiday is the perfect time to also say your appreciation and even apologies (if there's a need) to your family.  Go ahead and talk, laugh, and enjoy great food!
Danes Cheese Ball is available in all major supermarkets nationwide. You can even purchase it through your smartphone using the HonestBee app and have it delivered to your doorstep with just a few clicks! Now you can enjoy more cheesy goodness without dealing with the holiday traffic, long lines at the grocery, or the hassle of finding a parking spot.
This year, make Noche Buena even more delicious and festive – make fun and new traditions with Danes Cheese Ball. Happy HoliDANES!  For more information, like Danes on Facebook (@DanesCheese) or follow their stories here: #HoliDANES

What is the meaning of Christmas for you?  How do you celebrate it?  What are your family traditions that no matter what happens, you try your best not to break it?

Let me answer that quickly and my answers are: birth of Jesus Christ and Noche Buena/reunion lunch with the family, kung saan salo-salo lahat kami.  Annually, the whole family gather in our house to see our parents, ngayon parent na lang because hindi na namin kasama si Mommy.  But it's a tradition that no matter what happens, we don't break it, and this is whether we had an abundant year or a lean one.
Christmas is also a season for giving which means, gift-giving is another tradition we don't break.  So whenever it's Christmas season, we really save up for the holidays or depend on our Christmas bonuses.  Ang saya tuwing nakakatanggap ng Christmas bonus(es) right?  We do our budgeting for gifts and what to buy for Noche Buena with it.  And even if it's a lean year for us, we still do our usual Christmas shopping for new clothes, gifts, and food or groceries.  Whether the objective is to stretch our Christmas bonus or not, isa lang pinupuntahan namin, Puregold.

Why?  As a practical mom, in all my purchases, whether malaki ang budget or sakto lang ang budget, I always look for my money's worth - yung value for money.  It's not really being too frugal but rather, getting quality out of something without spending too much.  So the past pang-Noche Buena, as well as this year's, sa Puregold ko nagagastos ang Christmas bonus pambili ng panghanda pati iba pang last minute Christmas gifts.  Halos one-stop shop na rin kasi dun, groceries, appliances, toys, school and office supplies, and other household items.

Look at these Christmas Packages which you could give as meaningful gifts to your loved ones, which you can actually customize based on your budget din.  This is a very practical gift to families using your Christmas bonus diba?  Panalo talaga right?


Just like how Luis Manzano, the one and only Lucky to his momskie Ms. Vilma Santos in Puregold's recent Christmas video, watch the light and super nakaka-relate na video:
Nakakatuwa ano?  I am sure bukod sa nakarelate ka, naki-kanta ka rin?  Again, the most important thing is, this season, as well as all year-round, show your love to your family by spending time with them.  Time is short.  Drop your prides and say sorry if you offended anyone, be ready to forgive as well, and lastly, give your time to your family.  Make Puregold a part of the holiday season.  Spend your Christmas bonuses at Puregold for your gifting and Noche Buena needs, whether malaki o maliit ang budget.  Sa Puregold, Always Panalo!

The fact that you're reading this means you are blessed because you have access to internet right?  We are blessed more than we think we are.  Our kids go to school, we spend weekends with them to go out for some recreational activities such as dining out, going to the park or going to an indoor play area such as Fun Ranch.
Not all kids experience what our kids enjoy or are provided learning experience through play outside their classrooms.  With this in mind, Fun Ranch came up with Project Happy Kids.

ABOUT PROJECT HAPPY KIDS
This year, they take a step further by spearheading Fun Ranch Day through the Project Happy Kids.  The initial objective is to make at least one hundred kids happy through the help of their community and project partners, Pepsi Cola Product Philippines and MovED, a foundation that aims to provide early childhood education to children in underserved communities across our country.

Students of beneficiary pre-schools will be treated to a Fun Ranch Day consisting of rides, play, snacks, souvenir for each child and a special Magic Show.  Fun Ranch, with the help of its community will shoulder the cost of the activity including the transportation of the kids and their adult companions.  Event date is on the second week of March 2019 right before the school year ends.

THE COMMUNITY
That's us.  This is a perfect idea for us to give back and make more kids happy by sponsoring a child!  How?  For an additional Php50 on our child's Unlimited Play wristband, we help sponsor a beneficiary child for a special day in Fun Ranch.
Visit any Fun Ranch branches:

• Ortigas - Frontera Verde, Ortigas Avenue cor. C5, Pasig City 
• Alabang - Westgate, Filinvest Alabang, Muntinlupa City
• Pampanga - Paseo Las Palmas Building, Jose Abad Santos Ave. (JASA), San Fernando, Pampanga

I am a self-confessed practical techie Mommy/Tita who takes advantage of the convenience of technology and innovations especially when they make our busy mommy lives easier and help us manage our precious times wisely. 

Thanks to honestbee, grocery shopping especially this Christmas season (hello Christmas rush and traffic!) is made stress-free and hassle-free! 

Recently, The Marketplace, a partnered with them to bring to our tables premium grocery selections to make our Christmas dinner tables more special.
The Marketplace has a wide selection of local and international products including fresh produce, deli items, and exclusive wines and spirits.  Now through honestbee, their first-ever online partner, these unique selections could be delivered straight to our doorsteps making our online grocery shopping experience an awesome one! 
During its launch, we were even taught how to make the Noche Buena more special by exerting a little effort to style the food. 

Some tips I learned:
These food styling tips for sure will be very useful for every household especially this Christmas season.  For all unique and premium ingredients, shop on The Marketplace via honestbee.

More photos of the event with these beautiful mommas:

So, are you ready for your Christmas gatherings?  Don't fret our grocery shopping partner honestbee is more than ready to give us world-class, high quality, fresh products from The Marketplace to elevate our Noche Buena experience this Christmas. 

Download the honestbee app for free on Apple App Store or Google Play Store and sign up for an account.  For more information, visit www.honestbee.ph.

I always say, nothing beats first!  Wes and I had a grand time during our very first slime-making activity at Elmer's Grand Slime Time Fair held a few weeks ago at Eastwood Mall Atrium.  The event and workshop was FREE of charge to all attendees.  Participants just bought their materials to be used to make different types of slime.

Surprisingly, it's not a well-known fact especially in our country that potatoes can be a great source of nutrition for moms-to-be.  I guess it has something to do with its trait as a starchy carbohydrate which women who are body-conscious eliminate from their diet.  But did you know that potatoes are rich in Potassium and Folate?
I've been a mom three times and all my pregnancies had been healthy.  My last pregnancy came as a pleasant surprise to me and my husband.  I found out about my bun in the oven when I was about to end my first trimester.  OH MY!  Had I known right from the beginning that I was expecting, I would have seen my doctor immediately to properly care for my most delicate pregnancy phase, took multivitamins especially rich in folate, and ate healthier.  But you see on the other side, even without knowing I was pregnant that time, my baby inside was at his tip top shape.  I recalled what I had been doing and eating during my first trimester that made the baby healthy and normal even without artificial sources of vitamins and minerals.  I lightly exercised and ate a lot of foods with potatoes in it.  POTATOES helped me get through my first trimester smoothly.

WHY ARE POTATOES GOOD FOR MOMS TO BE?
I remember during my last pregnancy, I was always happy.  I felt energized.  I felt strong.  I wasn't sickly.  Lastly, I was eating a lot!  I lot of vegetables and fruits but more of potatoes, and occasional servings of my favorite sweet cravings.  I had a healthy pregnancy.
But what made that last pregnancy memorable and special, was not knowing I was pregnant during my first trimester.  Like what I shared earlier, I gave in to my cravings for mashed potatoes, potato cream soup, nilagang baka with potatoes, potato salads, and steamed potatoes.  And upon consulting my doctor, she said that it's good that I included potatoes in my diet because that's what helped me get through with my trimester without any complications nor what most mothers fear - miscarriage.

So why are potatoes super food for moms-to-be?  I'll tell you what my nutritionist friend told me.

FOLATE - Potatoes are high in folate, which is important in pregnancy for normal fetal brain and spinal cord development. Folate is needed for the development of DNA and other genetic material. As the baby grows, he or she will gain energy in the womb through glucose. This may explain why blood sugar levels may drop and cravings for starchy food begin.  So this explains why I had potato cravings during my early pregnancy stage. 

POTASSIUM - Having potassium in a pregnant woman's diet could help avoid horrible leg cramps at night.  Did you know that although a banana is one good source of potassium, still the best source of potassium is the potato?  I was also surprised to know this.  Plus eating potatoes help avoid fatigue and constipation.  This explains why I was always feeling happy and energized during my pregnancy. 

NO FAT, SODIUM OR CHOLESTEROL - These are three things moms on the way need to lessen in their pregnancy diet. 

VITAMIN C, B6, IRON, and FIBER - these help in digestion, lower blood cholesterol, increase immunity from common colds and cough (which I really prayed wouldn't have throughout my pregnancy).  Iron is good for the blood, that's why doctors give pregnant women iron supplements to aid in having a healthy pregnancy.  All these are present in potatoes which make it a super food for moms-to-be.

HOW HEALTHY POTATOES SHOULD BE COOKED  OR SERVED?
Sure we may crave for fries or hash browns because after all these are made from potatoes right?  But there are healthier ways to serve or eat potatoes.  When expecting or praying to conceive, opt for potatoes which are boiled or steamed. Limit fried (such as the case of potato chips, fries, potato balls, and hash browns).  And when choosing steamed or boiled potatoes, don't smother it with dripping cheese or putting too much butter and salt in it.

Everything has to be in moderation. Over consumption could result to health issues.  Remember, to also add other vegetables and even fruits to pregnancy diet.  Choose fruits rich in vitamin content than sugar.  Eat your recommended amount of protein from meats too.  Potatoes also are good sources of protein which expecting moms also need.   So just remember to always eat right and make sure diet is balanced.  Remember that your choice of lifestyle and dietary choices will have a great impact on the health of the baby.  So eat right, especially during the first trimester of pregnancy.  Add potatoes to your diet, you won't go wrong with potatoes.  To also be safe, plan your pregnancy diet with your doctor or nutritionist.

POTATO RECIPE I LOVE: MASHED POTATO
As shared earlier, I craved a lot for mashed potatoes or baked potatoes during the unknown first trimester of my last pregnancy, so I am sharing with you the simple recipe that helped me have a healthy pregnancy producing a normal and healthy baby boy (who is now 2.5yo by the way).

1. Peel and cut 8 medium-sized US Potatoes.  
2. Put the potatoes in a large pan, add enough water and bring to a boil for 15-20 mins.  
3. Drain water and put on low fire.  
4. Mash the potatoes.
5. Add 2 tablespoons of butter, salt, pepper, and ¼ cup milk.  Mix all ingredients.  
6. Make sure there are no lumps and the mashed potato is creamy.
7. Serve with a smile.

There you have it loves. just make sure to overall increase your veggie intake in general, and take a good long look at how potatoes can help your nutritional needs. Potatoes could be the answer to the nutrient gaps so many women are experiencing, this is whether you are expecting or not. 

So go grab a potato today.  Make sure to get high quality US Potatoes to ensure you get the best nutrition you and your baby would need!  Purchase US Potatoes at from major supermarkets and groceries nationwide. For more information on US potatoes, you can get in touch with the local Potatoes USA-Philippines office at +632.534.8534 and info@synergyasia.biz. You may also
visit www.potatogoodness.com or like and follow Potatoes USA-Philippines on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PotatoesUSAPhilippines.