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3 Ways to Make Family Gatherings More Memorable

December 11, 2017 by Tina Leave a Comment

The holidays are upon us, and we all know what that means… ’tis the season for bonding with our loved ones, especially for family gatherings! 🙂

Personally, I love family gatherings (that’s my extrovert self speaking, I think). There is something about being with those near and dear to us that just, well, warms my heart!

However, we all know that not all family reunions end up great and stored in our memory banks. Personally, there have been countless times in the past when I have felt saddened or hurt or angered (or a combination of emotions) during family gatherings. Sometimes, this has been due to misunderstandings or well-meaning but insensitive comments by relatives (you know the ones! 😉 ), or other reasons. Still, these are not things that we should dwell on, right? After all, Christmas is all about HIM, and not about us nor our relatives.

Having said that, I think it would help to keep some things in mind when it comes to making family gatherings memorable. Here are just a few of them:

1. Focus on the relationships.

This can be easier said than done because of the “hustle and bustle” that is usually associated with the holidays. But, but, but we must always remember that our relationships with our family members (and those beyond our family, too) are more important than how fancy or “complicated” our family gatherings are. There is no need to hold reunions at big-time venues like hotels or resorts — what is important is the quality of time you spend together. (Of course, if your family can afford to do so, there is no problem with that!)

2. Prepare yourself (and your loved ones, too).

If you’re the type who can be overwhelmed by big crowds (hello, dear introvert friends!), big family gatherings may be a bit too much for you. So prepare yourself by psyching yourself up mentally and emotionally to face your relatives. Focus on your relationships (see number 1).

Also, since holiday gatherings can be overwhelming to the younger members of your family, i.e. your kids if you have them, it’s best to prepare them ahead of time by explaining to them where you’re going, what you’ll be doing, who you’ll be meeting, and the like. This will help all of you make more meaningful connections with loved ones, especially extended family whom you may not have seen in a long time.

3. Look for meaning in the ordinary.

The “holiday rush” can sometimes make us forget to look beyond the “ordinary” and see beauty and meaning. I don’t know, maybe it’s the spirit of Christmas and all, but even simple shopping trips can make me feel sentimental lately.

Actually, preparing for Christmas always makes me extra sentimental, because it’s really the time for family reunions and making meaningful memories with our loved ones. Even this video of my friend Beng of The Parenting Emporium and her mom checking out sofas made me feel a bit emotional… it brings back memories of my mom… and our whole family, actually… spending time together, bonding together as a family… *sigh* (Get me some tissue please!)

I will actually be extra happy during the upcoming holidays, because we will be spending even more time together as a family. I pray that you will be able to do so too, friend. After all, the holidays are all about our loved ones, right? Especially our Greatest Love of all — Jesus, the Reason for the season!

P.S. Don’t the sofas featured in the video above look so comfy and cozy? One day, when we get our own family home, I hope and pray we can get one of them for our living room! In the meantime, I will drool over them and place these photos in our family’s dream board. 😉 Which one do you think is best? (You can check out more great choice for furniture on the BLIMS website — they have an ongoing holiday sale!)

This post is brought to you by BLIMS Fine Furniture.

3 Ways to Foster Creativity in Your Family

August 15, 2017 by Tina

Image from Pixabay.com

Creativity is an important skill in today’s world. In fact, according to this article on Psychology Today, creativity is “at the heart of this essential skillset for the future,” referring to “skills and traits for success (and perhaps even simply survival) in the modern era.”

As a writer and content creator (yes, I’d like to think of myself as a “creative” 😉 ), I would have to agree with the article cited above. I believe creativity is crucial in our day-to-day. And if you’re a family person like me, especially a mom, you’d agree that being creative can really save the day at times!

So, if you’re looking for ways to foster creativity in your family (especially how to foster creativity among your kids), here are three suggestions:

1. Let kids be bored.

Image from Pixabay.com

Yes, that’s right. Oftentimes, kids (and even adults!) become more creative when they are allowed to be “bored,” i.e. there is no bombardment from gadgets, outside activities, etc. Some people call this letting kids have their “free time,” “down time,” or “unstructured time.”

2. Provide what they need to be creative.

Now, before you go out and purchase every single arts and crafts / DIY/ other stuff that you deem creativity-enhancing out there, you should read this article on Greater Good Magazine. Basically, it says that among the “resources” kids will need for “creative expression,” time is a “key resource” (hence, point number 1 above).

Another resource is “space.” Give your kids the freedom to create in their own specified places at home if possible — like a designated corner in your living room, or a place in their own room, etc. Wherever it may be, children should feel free to make a mess while letting their creativity direct them!

Of course, having items that were mentioned in the same article, like “art supplies, cheap cameras, costume components, building materials” (LEGOS, anyone?), is also a good thing to do. Make sure your kids have access to them, and can put them away easily so you won’t have to nag them (or go crazy with the messes they will create)!

Image from Pixabay.com

3. Capture their creativity.

Of course, in this day and age, capturing the creativity of our family members — especially if you have kids — is not that hard to do because of technology. And any parent out there can testify that many times, it’s the moments when our kids’ creativity shines through that make for meaningful memories.

So it’s a good thing that companies like Canon help people like us capture these moments.

In the words of Benny Yu, Consumer Group Director of Canon Marketing Philippines, Inc.: “Family moments are delightful moments worth having memories of. Through the newly-launched series of Canon PIXMA E printers, we wish to make these moments count – from using our printers to produce work that will help enhance the creativity and learning of kids, to documenting these moments via photos.”

The series of printers Mr. Yu mentioned was actually launched a while back at the “Pixmom” event, which, sadly, I was not able to attend.

However, I did get to see other mommy bloggers’ Pixmom posts, and I am glad to note that the Canon PIXMA E series printers are cost efficient and have good print quality, plus they are Wi-Fi-capable, can even print on canvas and so much more! Just check out the video below by my friend Louise of Mommy Practicality:

Here are just a few ways by which the Canon PIXMA E Series printers can help every family moment memorable:

The Canon PIXMA E410 is perfect for moms who help put together her children’s numerous drafts of artworks, sketches and projects with its ability to print up to 400 black and white documents, and 180 colored pages.
The design savvy student will enjoy the PIXMA E470’s built-in Wi-Fi features that can help print from anywhere to meet that deadline when paired with the Google Cloud Print*1 service.
Teens in the family can immortalize their best photos on Facebook through the PIXMA MG3070s with its PIXMA Cloud Link application for remote printing of Facebook albums and online contents with mobile devices.
The compact PIXMA E480 model is best suited for aspiring entrepreneurs in the family with its on-the-go faxing and scanning features.

(For more information about the PIXMA printers, visit www.canon.com.ph and www.shopcanon.ph. Or look for the hashtag #Pixmom on Instagram and Twitter to see more posts about the Canon PIXMA printers!)

Now, I’d like to know: How do you foster creativity in your own family? If you’re a mom like me, how do you encourage creativity in your kids? Feel free to leave a comment below and share your experiences or suggestions! 🙂

Starting a Passion-based Business: Tina De Guzman’s Inspiring Story

May 27, 2017 by Tina

I started this blog — then known as “Truly Rich Mom” — because I was inspired by the teachings of Brother/Kuya Bo Sanchez. I also wanted to share our adventures as a then-missionary family and share mom-recommended products and services too. I re-branded to Truly Rich and Blessed last year mostly because I wanted to reach out to non-moms as well.

Still, you really can’t take the “mom” out of me, and I definitely can’t stop writing about things related to motherhood because, well, it’s an integral part of who I am. I also like sharing inspiring stories about how people are becoming “truly rich” (and blessed, in my opinion) in different aspects, especially when they are my fellow moms.

Truth be told, my husband and I are still trying to figure out what kind of entrepreneurship path is best for our family. In the meantime, we are learning all we can from Kuya Bo and other successful entrepereneurs.

One such entrepreneur is a fellow mom and my namesake as well — Tina De Guzman of Fluffy Pwets. I wrote about her last year for one of the Truly Rich Club‘s e-newsletters, which is exclusively for members. (I contribute there sometimes, as I do for other publications.) I’m sharing Tina’s story below, in the hopes of inspiring at least one of you out there to follow your business dreams! (Tina also gave birth earlier this year to their second child — congrats, tokayo!)

Starting a Passion-based Business: Be Inspired by the Mompreneur behind Fluffy Pwets

“Never give up. Today is hard, tomorrow will be worse, but the day after tomorrow will be sunshine.” This quote from Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba.com, can probably serve as inspiration for every entrepreneur out there, especially those who are just starting out, or want to start but don’t have the guts to do so.

The truth is, whether you’re just a newbie or a more “seasoned” entrepreneur, any business has its own set of challenges. Just ask Tina de Guzman, a lawyer, international development specialist, and the mompreneur behind “Fluffy Pwets” (www.fluffypwets.com).

Fluffy Pwets is the Philippines’s first and original brand of hybrid fitted cloth diapers in the Philippines, and all their products are individually handcrafted by Filipino women using both imported and local materials. Having expanded since its first appearance in the market, Fluffy Pwets now also offers coordinating clothing, accessories, and cloth diapering essentials.

Here, de Guzman shares a bit of her story with us – may it inspire us to pursue our business dreams and goals!

The “birth” of Fluffy Pwets

“My husband and I are cloth diapering parents. We would buy diapers locally and from abroad, and the choices in the Philippines were limited,” de Guzman recalls. “I did a lot of research, tested many different diaper types, and one day, we just decided to try making our own cloth diapers.”

At the time, De Guzman was working fulltime, and she is actually still employed to this day.

“It was very difficult to start a business while holding down a job, because you can only do so much within your supposed waking hours,” she shares.

“When Fluffy Pwets started getting hundreds of orders and we didn’t have enough staff yet, I ended up finishing Fluffy Pwets-related work at 5:00 a.m., leaving just enough time for me to hit the shower and get ready for my day job. It was crazy.

“Now, it’s more manageable. I am at risk of getting carpal tunnel syndrome though, because I handle our accounts mostly via phone and laptop, but I can’t say I’ve been forced to pull all-nighters like when we were starting out.”

The blessings behind having a business that you love

Despite all the challenges though, de Guzman says starting and running the Fluffy Pwets business is “very much worthwhile, especially if you believe in your product and there is good reception from your target market”.

“Anything worthwhile won’t come without challenges,” she emphasizes. “It’s overcoming those challenges that make your undertaking victorious.”

De Guzman shares that Fluffy Pwets has actually become a blessing of sorts to her. “Aside from the business side of it, I appreciate how my network has expanded because of Fluffy Pwets,” she divulges. “I’ve met a lot of people and made new friends who I wouldn’t have met through my day job.

“Also, it is so humbling and fulfilling to see photos of #FPbabies! Most parents send us photos of their babies wearing Fluffy Pwets diapers, clothing, blankets, and bags on their birthdays, photo shoots, and other special occasions. We appreciate that we’ve become a part of their lives.”

Simple but meaningful tips for starting your own business

Whether you’re employed now and hope to start a business based on something you love – like cloth diapering, as in de Guzman’s case – or already have a business of your own, you will probably find the following tips from de Guzman helpful:

1. Do your research.

2. Be original. Be the first and constantly innovate.

3. Prioritize customer service and excellent product quality.

4. Don’t skimp on investing on experts – be it expert craftsmen, illustrators, or marketing professionals.

If you want to get more inspiring and practical tips on how to be “truly rich,” I encourage you to join the Truly Rich Club. You may do so just by clicking here. 🙂 God bless us all so we may bless more people!

One Simple Way to Boost Your Health (and Your Own Milk Supply!)

May 20, 2017 by Tina

This post is brought to you by VPharma.

Over here at Truly Rich and Blessed, we try to emphasize that one of our “riches” is actually something that is often overlooked (or, in my case, neglected at times!). And that is “Our Self.” I am quite guilty of this actually, so I have been *trying* to take better care of myself, including my health!

This journey actually started a few years ago, when I started consulting some friends of mine who consider themselves as “crunchy moms.” I even declared my One Word to be “Health” that year. I must confess, though, that I (along with the rest of my family) still have a long way to go to be considered 100% healthy and health-conscious as we do sometimes indulge too much in not-so-healthy things.

Having said that, we do try our best to keep healthy. I also discovered one simple but effective way to boost your health (at least it works for me and my family, plus some of my friends, too!). I actually got this tip from Chefs Jon and Raquel Chua, during one of their cooking workshops held at The Parenting Emporium. They mentioned it and I have been doing it ever since.

Can you guess what that one simple way to boost your health is?

Here you go:

Put malunggay powder in your food.

The Chuas actually recommended Mega Malunggay at the time, to be exact. It comes in capsule form but you can easily open the capsules and use the powder. Malunggay or Moringa Oleifera contains more vitamin C than oranges, 3 times the amount of iron in spinach, and 4 times the calcium amount in milk. It also contains essential proteins, helps heal inflamed joints and tendons, and helps normalize blood pressure and sugar level. Furthermore, Mega Malunggay also contains 100 mg of sodium ascorbate, a non-acidic form of vitamin C.

So I started putting malunggay powder in our food, especially the viands that have sauce and soup. I also sprinkle the powder in the kids’ rice (we eat red or brown rice) and they are already used to it. I also put malunggay powder in omelettes, pasta sauce, chocolate drinks, and even mix it with instant noodles during the rare times the kids are allowed to eat them (read: “emergencies” when Mama has no time to prepare something healthier and more nutritious! Yes, we still let the kids eat food like that sometimes. I know, I know! Huhuhu! We really should lessen those occasions or even eliminate them.)

Actually, if we baked our own bread and other goodies that would require an oven (which we don’t have), I’d probably add malunggay powder to the ingredients as well. That’s how convinced I am about its health-boosting properties!

Of course, it’s already a well-known fact that malunggay also helps boost one’s milk supply if you’re a breastfeeding mom. So adding malunggay powder to your food will also help you provide the best nutrition for your child. (You can also consume the malunggay capsules directly, of course.)

Personally, I am so grateful to God for providing us what we need to be healthy in nature — in this case, in the humble malunggay tree. Having malunggay capsules ready to consume or to be split open (to get the malunggay powder) is an added bonus though, and makes it more convenient for busy people (especially moms!) like me to get a dose of healthy, natural, organic goodness.

Now, I’d like to hear from you: Do you have any tips for boosting one’s health? Or even one’s milk supply? Please feel free to leave a comment below.

On Liturgical Living: Some Resources for Catholic Filipino Families

April 15, 2017 by Tina

Source:

This Lent and Holy Week was extra special for me because I was privileged to share a bit about how we practice “Liturgical Living” with a few of our former co-missionaries who are exploring homeschooling. I remember when our family was just starting our homeschool journey. I found many valuable resources online and discovered the beauty of living the Liturgy in our homes (and everywhere else!). I have to thank the many Catholic mom bloggers — mostly from the U.S. — who took the time to share their families’ individual takes on Liturgical Living.

Of course, this does not mean that I am an “expert” on Liturgical Living. I certainly am not. Our family is still “muddling along,” as I told our ex-missionary friends earlier this week. We are just doing what we can, when we can, all by God’s grace. Some seasons find us doing “more,” some seasons doing “less,” but every season we do try to do whatever we can.

Also, please do allow me to say that I think Liturgical Living is not something that is only for Catholic homeschooling families. It is something that every Catholic family can try to practice. Personally, I believe that it is not just for married people with kids but for single people too. It’s really about living out our faith. Our faith, after all, is part of what makes us “truly rich and blessed.”

So what is Liturgical Living anyway?

To answer that question, let’s look at what the word “liturgy” means, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

1069 The word “liturgy” originally meant a “public work” or a “service in the name of/on behalf of the people.” In Christian tradition it means the participation of the People of God in “the work of God.” ⁵Through the liturgy Christ, our redeemer and high priest, continues the work of our redemption in, with, and through his Church.

1070 In the New Testament the word “liturgy” refers not only to the celebration of divine worship but also to the proclamation of the Gospel and to active charity. ⁶ In all of these situations it is a question of the service of God and neighbor. In a liturgical celebration the Church is servant in the image of her Lord, the one “leitourgos”; ⁷ she shares in Christ’s priesthood (worship), which is both prophetic (proclamation) and kingly (service of charity):

The liturgy then is rightly seen as an exercise of the priestly office of Jesus Christ. It involves the presentation of man’s sanctification under the guise of signs perceptible by the senses and its accomplishment in ways appropriate to each of these signs. In it full public worship is performed by the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, that is, by the Head and his members. From this it follows that every liturgical celebration, because it is an action of Christ the priest and of his Body which is the Church, is a sacred action surpassing all others. No other action of the Church can equal its efficacy by the same title and to the same degree. ⁸

So, in essence, to “live the liturgy” or practice Liturgical Living means we worship Jesus in our daily lives, we serve Him and others, and we proclaim Him to others, too. At least that is my personal take on it.

Liturgical Living means we also do our best to observe the different seasons of the liturgical year in our home: Advent, Christmas, Lent, Sacred Paschal or Easter Triduum, Easter, Ordinary Time.

Source: Catholic Culture

We have family traditions that are in line with each season, and strive to tailor our lifestyle according to each season too. (You can take a peek at what living the liturgy looks like for our family here or try searching for the hashtag #LiturgicalLiving on Instagram and Facebook — you’ll see many posts from Catholics from different parts of the world.)

To help you get started (or maybe “level up”, if you consider yourself a “newbie”) on Liturgical Living, allow me to share some resources that I think will be helpful particularly for Catholic Filipino families (besides the “obvious,” like the Sacraments, Bible, etc.):

1. Devotionals

We use devotionals like Didache (published by Kerygma Books) as part of our daily read-alouds with the kids. (Or at least we try to. #KeepingItReal 😉 ) Sometimes, I ask the older kids to take turns reading the Gospel passages and reflections. I believe that Liturgical Living means we should immerse ourselves in God’s Word daily, so we strive to make regular Bible reading time part of our daily lives.

2. “Faith-themed” children’s books from different bookstores

Books are wonderful teaching tools especially for children (and adults, actually!). Personally, I’ve found it much easier to live the liturgy when we have books that can be “connected” to certain seasons or feasts. For example, for Saint Nicholas Day (Dec. 6), we read The Baker’s Dozen, or for Lent/Holy Week/Easter, we read different books like The Very First Easter.

Over the years, we have collected books that help us in Liturgical Living from different bookstores, mostly secondhand ones like Booksale and The Learning Basket. I’m also a member of different Facebook groups that have been set up mostly for book-~~hoarders~~ lovers like me, and sometimes I manage to buy good books from the sellers there, too.

3. Your local parish bookstore / religious items store

Religious item stores like the ones at local parishes or “bigger” ones like St. Paul’s have been a great Liturgical Living resource for our family. We usually buy our Easter gifts for the kids at St. Paul’s (and elsewhere — see my post on Pinay Voices for more details). We also got our lovely Advent Wreath and Advent/Christmas family prayer book there, plus many other items over the years, including videos that teach kids (and adults!) about the Catholic faith.

Recently, we also got images from , like this Sleeping Saint Joseph statue:

Displaying religious items in our home and using sacramentals are beautiful ways for us to live the liturgy and make our faith more “real” to us.

4. Local Catholic entrepreneurs

I am one of those people who totally supports entrepreneurship, just like one of my “mentors” Kuya/Brother Bo Sanchez. I have a particular fondness for local Catholic business owners whose businesses are all about spreading the Catholic faith. One such entrepreneur is Weena Contreras of Everything Is Grace.

My fuzzy, sleep-deprived brain cannot recall when exactly Weena and I “met” online, but I am truly grateful to the Lord for allowing our paths to cross. Weena’s faith life, particularly their family’s adoption story, is very inspiring, and so is her business: exquisitely hand-painted wooden saint dolls!

Thank you, Weena, for these lovely dolls for our kids: Saints Timothy, Therese, Titus, and Anne! :)

Wooden saint dolls are great tools for hands-on play, and help encourage a love for the saints among kids. (Although I’m pretty sure many adults will like them, too!) I first came across the concept of playing with wooden saint dolls years ago, when our eldest was only 4 or 5 years old. I saw them in a Catholic homeschool mom’s blog post and I remember wishing that they were available locally here in the Philippines. Well, now they are, thanks to Weena and her family (her husband and young son also help her in the business)! 🙂

Incidentally, Weena has a special “Easter gift” for everyone this Easter Sunday. All orders made via using her special Easter discount code (Easter-17) will be 15% off! Watch the video below for more details:

I actually have my eye on the following saint dolls for our kids and one of my godchildren:

5. Catholic Filipino online resources

While I usually refer to U.S.-based websites like CatholicCulture.org, CatholicIcing.com, and CatholicAllYear.com for Liturgical Living, I also regularly check local Catholic online resources like , , and CBCP News for possible tips and tools that we can use. It’s actually my prayer that Truly Rich and Blessed will be considered a “valid” Liturgical Living resource for Catholic Filipino families. 🙂 (Please pray with me that it will be so!)

I also pray that this list of resources will help you somehow in your journey towards Liturgical Living. One thing I’ve learned over the years is that there is no one “perfect” way to live the liturgy. Just as each person and each family is unique, Liturgical Living in each home is also unique. May the Lord bless each of us then — married and single; with or without kids — as we discover the beauty of living out our faith, one step, one day at a time!

Do you practice Liturgical Living in your family? Do share in the comments!

3 Ways to Make Family Gatherings More Memorable

1. Focus on the relationships.

2. Prepare yourself (and your loved ones, too).

3. Look for meaning in the ordinary.

This post is brought to you by BLIMS Fine Furniture.

3 Ways to Foster Creativity in Your Family

1. Let kids be bored.

2. Provide what they need to be creative.

3. Capture their creativity.

Starting a Passion-based Business: Tina De Guzman’s Inspiring Story

Starting a Passion-based Business: Be Inspired by the Mompreneur behind Fluffy Pwets

The “birth” of Fluffy Pwets

The blessings behind having a business that you love

Simple but meaningful tips for starting your own business

One Simple Way to Boost Your Health (and Your Own Milk Supply!)

Put malunggay powder in your food.

On Liturgical Living: Some Resources for Catholic Filipino Families

1. Devotionals

2. “Faith-themed” children’s books from different bookstores

3. Your local parish bookstore / religious items store

4. Local Catholic entrepreneurs

5. Catholic Filipino online resources

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