Truly Rich and Blessed

Celebrate the Gift of Womanhood — Mommy Mai’s Story + An Amazing Grace Giveaway by Dainty Ashley

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Last month, I was contacted by a mompreneur about hosting a giveaway for her fairly new (and highly successful so far!) online business, Dainty Ashley.

Hi Tina,
My name is Mai and I’m the owner of Dainty Ashley. It’s an online store of handmade hair accessories for babies and little girls which just made its debut last month. It had a very good launching and I was overwhelmed by the tremendous love and support among fellow mommies who, like me, love adorning their little girls with fab and dainty hair trinkets. As my thanksgiving to Him for the unexpected great debut turnout, I wish to sponsor a giveaway on your blog. 

I am really so inspired when people like Mai wish to “pay it forward” and share their blessings  with others in their own little ways! I told her that it is just fitting that we’re celebrating the gift of womanhood this month on the blog (though admittedly, I still owe you guys more inspiring stories of women! Teehee! Oh well, there’s always next month, right?!)

Anyway, before going on to the giveaway, let’s hear (read) a little bit more about Mai and be inspired by her brief sharing:

In line with the Gift of Womanhood and World Breastfeeding Month, this picture pretty sums up how I am so blessed, beyond happy and thankful for the gift of womanhood… the gift of motherhood to be exact. 


I’m so in love with these two kids and they are my world! When my firstborn came, I gave up my career in the corporate world to be a SAHM (then became WAHM later on) and it was the best decision I’ve ever made. No regrets at all.

Asher (now 4 yrs old) was breastfed for exactly 2 years and 9 months. We would have nursed longer had I not gotten sick, hospitalized and need strong medications. Ashley hasn’t tasted formula milk since birth and hasn’t tried drinking from the bottle to date. We’re happily, exclusively and directly breastfeeding for 10 months now and I’m so set to continue breastfeeding her until she voluntarily weans. 🙂

Mommy Mai also shares the story of how she started Dainty Ashley on her Multiply page here. Read it and be even more inspired! I just LOVE their motto too:

Dainty Ashley

Every little girl is beautiful.  To accentuate your little girl’s natural beauty is our mission.

Oh so true, right?! 🙂

I also like the fact that Dainty Ashley is paying it forward in another way, by supporting Project Pearls.

Dainty Ashley is not just committed to prettifying further cute babies and kids but also, we’re committed to help needy kids as much as our little family can. From our , a percentage of the sale proceeds  will go to Project PEARLS, a non-profit organization that helps underprivileged Filipino children. 

Their outreach efforts are focused in Ulingan, Tondo where kids live and work in charcoal factories: Saturday Feeding Program, PEARLS Scholarship Program, Brain Booster, Birthday Program, Medical and Dental Missions. Their tagline is “Helping underprivileged Filipino children to have a better life by giving them Peace, Education, Aspiration, Respect, Love, Smile (thus, PEARLS). More about Project PEARLS here: http://www.projectpearls.org/

I wish every business had this “social entrepreneurship” aspect! 🙂 Kudos to Mommy Mai and to other mompreneurs who reach out to others through their businesses! 🙂

And now… on to the giveaway!

Mommy Mai and Dainty Ashley will be giving away the following prizes:

One set of Dainty Ashley trinkets worth almost P1000 (FOR ONE WINNER)  inclusive of:

  • Bianca Fuchsia and Pink Headband
  • Ella Red Headband
  • Yui Ladybug Clippie
  • Yui Bumblebee Clippie
  • Meg Flowers Set of 3 Clippies
  • Meg Hearts Set of 3 Clippies
  • Meg Fruity Leafy Set of 3 Clippies
  • Margaux Headband from the Dainty Pearls collection 

PLUS
15% discount coupons for Dainty Ashley purchases 🙂 (FOR TWO WINNERS)

The giveaway is open to everyone who has Philippine shipping addresses and will run from August 24 to September 7, 2012. 🙂

The mechanics are simple:
1. Like Dainty Ashley on Facebook: 
2. Like Truly Rich Mom on Facebook: 
3. Post about the giveaway on Facebook, tagging Dainty Ashley and Truly Rich Mom
4. Follow Dainty Ashley on Twitter: 
5. Follow Truly Rich Mom on Twitter:
6. Tweet about the giveaway
– Additional points for following Dainty Ashley on Instagram: @daintyashley (You’ll need an Instagram user ID for validation)
– Additional points for blog posts linking daintyashley.com AND the

To make things easier for you, here’s the Rafflecopter widget:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

P.S. You still have time to join Human Heart Nature’s Amazing Grace giveaway! 🙂 Just click here. Have an awesomely blessed weekend, friends!

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If you’re a breastfeeding mom like me (yes, our three year old daughter still breastfeeds!), you’ve probably heard of the “.” If you haven’t, Jenny Ong of Chronicles of a Nursing Mom has written extensively about it on her blog here. Basically, the bill will water down the existing Milk Code, which essentially regulates the advertising of breast milk substitutes, including formula milk.

Since it’s breastfeeding month and all, this is the BEST time to reiterate again why we are for breastfeeding. Yes, there are instances when mothers are unable to breastfeed, or choose not to, and we are definitely not in the position to judge nor condemn them. I, for one, would like to say that I truly believe that God created me as a woman for a great purpose. Being a woman is a gift, and it is something that should be celebrated and treasured. And I believe that breastfeeding is part of that gift.

As women, our very bodies have a divine purpose. God created every part of our bodies for a very special purpose. Below is an eye-opening, inspiring excerpt from the Theology of the Body website (I’ve highlighted the parts I like the most in yellow):

Every fiber of a woman’s being cries out for connection, for relationship. This distinctively feminine orientation has been poo-pooh’d in recent decades, claiming it makes a woman weak and dependent. The solution has been to downgrade her need for relationships and upgrade her ability to accomplish and achieve. However, there’s an undeniable aspect of a woman that can’t be swept under the carpet or deleted from her life – her body…

The structure of a woman’s body is made for union, for connection. The act of intercourse happens within a woman’s body as does the union of egg and sperm. The rapidly forming embryo unites itself to the lining of the womb and remains connected through the umbilical cord. In breastfeeding, the woman and her child are connected heart to heart and flesh to flesh for love and nourishment.

There is no shame in being a woman. Only women can receive new life into the empty space within. Only women can make a gift of self so that others can receive the gift of their very lives. A woman’s body “speaks” the language of receptivity and relationship.

This is me breastfeeding Tim at three months. 🙂 I know I have posted this photo before in older blog posts and articles, but I really have very few breastfeeding photos! 🙁  Sad, huh?! 🙁 Oh well, I’ve taken lots of photos in my heart and mind! 🙂

We are made to receive life and sustain life! To nourish one’s children through breastfeeding is one of the most concrete signs of this fact — God can use us to sustain life! 🙂 Isn’t that something worth celebrating?

I’d like to share with you some of my breastfeeding-related posts:

BFFs Unite — True Breastfeeding Stories: and
Raising Pro-Life Kids — My Natural Birth and Beginning Breastfeeding Story

How to Breastfeed Your Baby in Public
It Takes a Village to Raise (and Nurse) a Child
Truly Rich Tips — How to Get Others to Support You in Breastfeeding
On Extended Breastfeeding — A Perfectly Normal Thing to Do
Truly Rich Tips — My Top 5 Breastfeeding Tips for New Moms

Of course, since relief operations are still ongoing for the victims of the recent habagat and floods in the Philippines, I also want to remind you guys that breast milk donations are still being accepted. I wrote a post about that here, but there’s more updated info on Chronicles of a Nursing Mom here.

Also, if you’re a regular reader of Smart Parenting’s website, a fellow contributor, Abby Manalang-Villarica, shared her opinion of why she is against the Monster Bill. It makes for a good read, and you can find it .

Breastfeeding month isn’t over yet, and there are so many ways we can still celebrate it! 🙂 One of the simplest and best ways? Keep breastfeeding our children! 🙂 (If you are still breastfeeding!)

P.S. There is another “monster bill” that is in Congress now and I’m sure you guys have read my posts about it on Twitter and Facebook and even on this blog. (This document here best describes my stand against the bill.) You’ may have even watched footage or read news articles about Senator Tito Sotto’s recent speech about it. Whatever your opinion about the RH bill is, I hope and pray that we keep not just our minds, but also our hearts, open. For starters, I’d like to invite you to read this article here by Janet Smith, associate professor of Philosophy at the University of Dallas. She writes about not just the effect of contraceptives, but the mentality that comes about with using and promoting them.

Celebrate the Gift of Womanhood with Human Heart Nature — Who’s Your Favorite Pinay Heroine? + An Amazing Grace Giveaway!

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Hello, friends! 🙂 How has everyone been? I hope and pray that you guys are doing all right, despite the recent storm and floods that have devastated the Philippines. Relief operations are still going on, and with another storm coming up, it’s best we all prepare ourselves for more (though heaven forbid it!) disasters.

Anyway, I know I said I’m postponing posts in light of the recent calamity, but I still owe it to my generous sponsors to continue with our planned giveaways. Here’s the first of quite a few lined up for this week.

In an earlier post, I let you guys and gals know what Human Heart Nature products I personally recommend and use in our household. Well, in line with our theme of celebrating the gift of womanhood AND in preparation for National Heroes Day here in the Philippines (August 27), I am honored and blessed to announce our latest Amazing Grace giveaway, sponsored by the fabulous people (mostly, fabulous women!) from Human Heart Nature! 🙂

In case you didn’t know, friends, Human Heart Nature was founded by sisters Anna Meloto-Wilk and Camille Meloto, and Anna’s husband, Dylan Wilk. You can read about that story in detail here. Since Human Heart Nature was officially launched in 2008, it has been empowering thousands of Filipinos, many of whom are women, to live greener, healthier lives AND be entrepreneurs in their own right as dealers. I’m sure Anna and Camille had an inkling of how God would bless Human Heart Nature right from the very beginning, as I know these women personally to be strong, upright women of faith and passion. Kudos to you, ladies, and more power to you!

Recently, Human Heart Nature launched its Pinay and Proud campaign, which “pays tribute to 15 remarkable women whose astounding life stories epitomize what it means to be a true Filipina at heart.” It also includes the Pinay and Proud exhibit, which toured different malls, including Powerplant, TriNoma, Shangri-La Plaza, Greenbelt Mall and Alabang Town Center. They also toured different schools. More details here.

In light of the recent calamity that has affected our country, I am sure there are many stories of heroic Filipinos, including Filipino women, that have emerged. Now, more than ever, it’s time to be PROUD TO BE PINOY, and we join Human Heart Nature in highlighting stories of women who are Pinay and Proud.

PRIZES

Our partnership with Human Heart Nature this month means that TWO blessed readers of Truly Rich Mom stand a chance to win an uber-fabulous gift pack from Human Heart Nature! 🙂 (See picture above for details)

ELIGIBILITY AND CONTEST PERIOD

Eligibility: The contest is open to Philippine residents only (or those with Philippine addresses).
Claiming of giveaway prizes: Winners will be notified via e-mail. 
Contest period: Contest will run from August 14 to August 27, 2012, National Heroes Day in the Philippines. The winners will be announced by August 29, 2012 on . 

MECHANICS

I’m enumerating everything below, just in case I miss something, but you can easily add your entries via Rafflecopter (you can find the widget after the mechanics).

a. “Like” the .

b. Follow , if you have a Twitter account.

c. Let us know who YOUR Pinay heroine is by posting a photo of her on your Facebook wall, and tag Human Heart Nature, me and five of your friends. (She can be one of our “national heroines” or even just your next door neighbor, your best friend, your mom, your local volunteer, etc.)
d. Tweet who your Pinay heroine is, using the hashtag #PinayAndProud — pls. don’t forget to tag @HumanNaturePhil and . (If your heroine is on Twitter, you can tag her, too!)

For additional entries:
e. Leave a comment on this blog post and let us know in two to three sentences why YOU are #PinayAndProud.
f. If you have your own blog, write a blog post about this giveaway, highlighting who your favorite Pinay heroine is. Alternatively, if you don’t have a blog, you can write a Facebook note about it. Please enter the URL of your blog post or FB note in the comments section below, with your complete name and FB profile (name on FB).

Now, more than ever, is the perfect time to pay tribute to the Filipina by sharing positive stories and images about Pinays we admire, whether they’re well known people, or just ordinary people we encounter daily. 🙂 Let’s make more positive Pinay noise on the web and beyond, people! 🙂

Below is the Rafflecopter widget. Have fun, everyone! And don’t forget, let’s keep praying and acting to help our countrymen, especially in this time of need!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Celebrate the Gift of Womanhood: Dominique Goh — From Fulltime Working (Outside the Home) Mom to Work-At-Home-Mom

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Today, I am very privileged to “have” Dominique Goh from Singapore over here at the blog, to share with us the story of how she became a work-at-home-mom (WAHM).

Singapore will always hold a special place in my heart, as it is one of the first countries I went on mission to as a single woman, and it also became a “stopover haven” for our family whenever we would travel to and from our old mission base in Timor Leste. We have a loving, caring group of people over there — a “family,” actually — in Couples for Christ.

I chanced upon Dominique’s blog while doing some research on work-at-home moms. 🙂 I’m sure you moms out there who aspire to be WAHMs will learn a thing or two (or more!) from Dominique. 🙂

Whatever state you are in now though, whether working fulltime out of the home, or stay-at-home, or work-at-home, I invite you to celebrate the Gift of Womanhood! 🙂 You are a precious gift; and you were meant to shine! 🙂

Now, for Dominique’s story:

It has been nine years since I became a mom. Since then I have been done the whole nine yards — FTWM/ SAHM and now a WAHM. It was a conscious decision for me to stay home with the kids when they are young. I had been taking two years no-pay leave each time to care for my kids when they were born. I feel that it is important that I be a hands on mum and take charge of the kids during their formative years. 


For the elder two boys I went back to work and placed them in childcare when they were 18 months old and 2 years old respectively. It was a tough time juggling both work and family commitments. Every day was a big rush for me and it only got more stressful if one or both of the boys fell ill and I needed to take time off from work to attend to them. The boss was not that understanding and I felt that I was short-changing them by having to spend more time on the kids. 


When Tiger girl was born in 2010, I decided that was a need for a change. I would not be going back to work once my no-pay leave was up, as it would be impossible to juggle the different schedules of two school-going children and work. Hubby flies often for work and I did not have alternative childcare arrangements if anything does crop up. The boys too would be needing more attention and I would have to supervise their studies now that they are in elementary school. 


I decided that it would be in the best interest that I find a job which was flexible enough and suited for doing at home. My working hours had to be able to be fitted around the school calender. I did consider looking for a part-time job with regular working hours but it would be difficult for me to factor in the care-giving arrangements once the school holidays come by. 


Being a teacher, I could always give tuition (tutorial classes to us Filipinos) for both academic and musical instruments (piano and violin), however, it would be at the expense of time I could spend with my kids. Most of the tuition-attending kids would be only be able to come after school and on weekends and that is the time which the kids would be at home and needing my attention. That plan was scrapped. I needed something with much more flexibility and that could be done while the kids were in school or when the baby is sleeping.  


After much consideration, I decided to focus one of my greatest passions — blogging and writing. I had been doing freelance writing off and on during my time as a SAHM, when the boys were under 2 years old. This would be the best option for me as I will be able to schedule in work around the existing household/children’s schedule. 


This year I decided to go full steam ahead and switch from a (T) SAHM to a WAHM. I actively source for writing campaigns and got myself an agent to help coordinate the campaigns which I am working on. It has been great being able to take care of the family and earning supplementary income while being at home. It can be tiring juggling both at times when work deadlines loom in the background. However, looking at the content smiles on the kids’ faces and the security that I have seeing that they are being offered the best care possible makes all these sacrifices worth it. 


Dominique's Avatar Dominique Goh is a Singaporean elementary school teacher,  freelance writer and mom of three who is passionate about parenting and educating kids. In her free time you can see her dabbling in photography, cooking and cake decorating, and blogging at Dominique’s Desk.










P.S. Do YOU want to share YOUR story about how you’ve found your joy at home / work or other aspects of your life? Be part of the CELEBRATION and share about how you treasure THE GIFT OF your WOMANHOOD! 🙂 Shoot me an email at if you’re interested! 🙂 Go, go, go! Let your light shine! 😉

Hello, August! :) Kicking Off Our Celebration of the Gift of Womanhood: The Blissful Babes Story + Another Amazing Grace Giveaway! (Yes, by Blissful Babes!)

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Hi, there! It’s the first day of August, and we’re kicking off our celebration of The Gift of Womanhood here at the blog with the inspiring success story of a very special woman — the amazing Buding Aquino-Dee! 🙂

When we returned to the Philippines for good (at least, for now, haha!) after our mission assignment in Timor Leste, one of the things I did was to actively seek a pro-breastfeeding community, or at least other breastfeeding moms whom I could turn to. Through Chronicles of a Nursing Mom, I learned about   I had so much fun connecting with other moms, and even got to go to the Mom’s Purest Love event in 2010, which was organized by L.A.T.C.H. Philippines and Eastwood Mall, and share a little bit about babywearing.

In my attempt to be a retail mompreneur, I got to communicate with Anna “Buding” Aquino-Dee, one of the co-founders of L.A.T.C.H. and a mompreneur “maven” herself! (Remember, she is the creator of , and generously sponsored a giveaway here last month!)

Photo from LATCH’s FB album for the

You see, before her other “inventions,” Buding founded Blissful Babes, a line of high quality nursing wear, when she and her family were still based in Canada. (You can read more about Blissbul Babes’ mission and philosophy here.) In her own words, here’s Buding’s “story” behind how Blissful Babes was born. (I got this from here, by the way.)

According to Anna
Source.


The Blissfulbabes Success Story

It all began in 1999 when my son was born. It was one of those life-altering experiences that opened my eyes to a whole new world — MOTHERHOOD. Before I became a mom, I was one of those high maintenance women who loved to dress up (still do and always will) and even during pregnancy. I simply refused to wear matronly fashions. 
So when Tommy came, I made the choice to breastfeed him but I found myself stuck at home because I couldn’t find anything to wear. First, there was the postpartum figure to contend with, and next, I didn’t want to expose myself when I fed my baby. The rare times I tried to nurse in public, I had to find a dark corner in the mall, a fitting room or a bathroom stall and so I thought to myself, while cramped in that small unsanitary place feeding my son…. there has to be a better way! Now, THAT was the whole premise for creating Blissfulbabes Nursingwear.



Both my business and my son have grown beautifully since but it was not without the trials and tribulations of balancing work and family. It was truly a struggle at the start but now, I would consider my little project a success. Why? Well, I am certainly making enough to keep me home and my profits are more than I could have ever accomplished as a salaried worker. Though, any retailer will tell you it’s feast or famine, the feedback and support that I have gotten from my customers has been such an inspiration, I am fueled for the long run. 


I also stare at my son while he is nursing and in that quiet time, so many things are flowing between us and I am not talking just about milk… so many THOUGHTS are flowing between us. As I look back at him, I could really tell that he is so happy to have me home and those are the moments that I affirm to myself that I have made some good choices. And so, home is where I’ll stay and being a work-at-home mom is what I’ll be. This is what I consider to be, the Blissfulbabes success story.

At present, Buding already has three children (including Tommy), and she and the whole family have relocated to Manila. She manages to balance family life, business and her many admirable advocacies because she is fueled by God’s grace, her passion for life and her devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, among other things. I am so blessed to count her as a friend and a fellow pro-lifer and breastfeeding advocate!

I am also so blessed to announce that in honor of World Breastfeeding Month, plus this blog’s celebration of The Gift of Womanhood, Buding is generously sponsoring a Blissful Babes giveaway!

PRIZES
TWO blessed winners will receive ONE Blissful Babes Nursing Bandeau each! 🙂

Brief product description (from the Indigo Baby Multiply site) 
Nursing Bandeau (free size) / Stretch Seamless Microfiber Modern 
PERFECT for breastfeeding moms! 🙂

ELIGIBILITY AND CONTEST PERIOD

Eligibility: The contest is open to Philippine residents only (or those with Philippine addresses).
Claiming of giveaway prizes: Winners will be notified via e-mail. 
Contest period: Contest will run from August 1 to August 15, 2012, the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The winner will be announced by August 17, 2012 on . 

MECHANICS

Please follow the Rafflecopter instructions below. (Let’s thank the Lord for Buding for sponsoring this awesome giveaway! You can show her some “love” by posting on SaYa’s Facebook wall .) 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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