Truly Rich and Blessed

The Importance of Moms Supporting Moms {Plus An Invitation to a Support Group for Moms of Multiples!}

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If you’re a mother reading this now, you probably know how true the title of this post is — we moms need our fellow moms, right?

Think about it — your own mother is a mom, and when you became one yourself, it’s likely that you turned to her for help, guidance, support and prayers. (I know I did!)

When I became a mom, I felt like I had become part of a “club” — a sisterhood of sorts. And it wasn’t limited to moms who were of the same nationality or belief or religion. It was (and still is) a global community.

I remember my first months as a mother to my first child.

Our family was still on mission in Timor Leste at the time, and there were times when I still felt “isolated” as newbie mom, even if my own mom was there with us. I didn’t have access to parenting magazines or books (save for the ones I had brought with me, mostly about pregnancy), and our Internet access at the time was very limited.

What I would do then was browse through different parenting sites (Babycenter was one of my favorites!), and copy and paste articles into Word so that I could read them later.

I’d do the same thing for “mommy blogs” that I accidentally discovered online (at the time, I didn’t even know that they were “mommy blogs!”). One of my go-to sites then was the Babylicious site, which is run by a Malaysian mom. I loved reading about her parenting adventures, and could relate to some of her stories.

It’s this “moms supporting moms” thing that actually led me to start blogging. Wanting to share our parenting journey with others, this blog became my new “mission field” of sorts — I wanted to reach out to other moms, and “support” them through sharing my own experiences.

Why is it important to get mom-to-mom support, you may ask?

There are so many possible answers to this question, but let me give you just a few:

1. It’s easier to relate to someone who’s already “been there, done that.”

Enough said. Isn’t this oh so true? 🙂

2. Other mothers’ insights and experiences can help shed light on our own journey as moms.

Whenever I have doubts about my parenting, our homeschooling, and other matters, it always helps to hear from other moms, especially those who are more “experienced” than me.

3. It takes a village to raise a child.

I have found the African (?) proverb above to be essentially true. I actually wrote a whole post about why we sometimes need the “village” two years ago, when our youngest child was sick. I also wrote about how the “village” helps me as a homeschooling, work-at-home mom.

The vision of a “village” of moms around the world, helping and not “hurting” one another, is actually one of the reasons why I joined communities like World Moms Blog, Make It Blissful, and CatholicMom.com. I wanted to be “connected” to other moms somehow, in a more concrete way, and reach out to them as a sign of support and solidarity.

Let’s agree on one thing then, shall we?

This motherhood thing is not easy, and we need all the help we can get, that’s for sure. So let’s agree on just one thing — that we’ll do our best to support one another, no matter what our differences may be.

I’m not going to write about all the different “mommy wars” and issues that have been at the forefront of parenting sites and networks lately — at least, not now, not here, anyway. (I may do so in the future — let’s wait and see!)

What I ask for now is just an understanding that we all have our challenges, and “picking on one another” won’t help at all. Instead, let’s just do what we can to help one another out, and to show one another support and love.

An invitation

For the moms out there who may be raising multiples (twins, triplets, etc.), I’m sure your journey is even more challenging! This is why support groups can be a great help to you.

If you happen to be in Manila this weekend, please do come to this meet-up of “Seeing Doubles,” a support group for parents with multiples that was launched last year:

support group for moms

If you’re not a mom of multiples and think that support groups for moms of singletons — like Seeing Doubles — should have meet-ups too, do let me know! Maybe we can work something out or plan something!

How do you show your support to other moms? Let’s discuss different ways in the comments!

Family Time Is the Best! :)

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Hi, everyone! 🙂

Hope you’re all having a blessed, happy Sunday so far! 🙂

I haven’t been blogging as much as I want to… Mostly because most nights, I’m already too tired (I forgot how draining being pregnant can be sometimes!) to do anything else but snuggle up with the kids, read to them and say their prayers with them. Also, our little girl has been waking up in the middle of the night A LOT lately (crying and shouting to boot!) and it’s been VERY stressful for hubby and me. Thank God though, she settles down quickly now, and we think she’s been waking up usually because she needs to go to the bathroom. It’s a good thing too, that hubby is more patient with her than I’d like to be… 🙂

Anyway, I have a confession to make… I haven’t been blogging so much, too, because… Well, I’d rather be spending time with the kids or hubby. (Of course, there’s work, too!) I know that it sounds so cliche… but being preggy and all is making me so sentimental lately. My latest post on Philstar.com’s unBLOGGED section is a bit telling… that I’m getting so senti and emotional lately. And that I’ve realized the need to focus more on my family.

So… If you are wondering where I am, don’t worry… I’m still here! 🙂 I’ll still be posting regularly (I MUST do more scheduled posts, even on !) There are still a couple of giveaways coming up, too (some that are LONG overdue, haha, sorry!), so please do watch out for those! (Indigo Baby’s Amazing Grace giveaway is still ongoing, pls. do join it if you haven’t! Just click here!)

However… please bear with me, too, if I won’t be posting as often as before (at least for now!). I’ll do my best-est to be regular though! 🙂

Well, that’s it for now, friends! 🙂 Time to play outside with the kiddos! 🙂 Family time IS the BEST! (At least for us!) God bless, everyone!

Truly Rich Reflections: How Fast Time Flies! Tim’s Birth Story (Of Sorts)

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Our eldest, our son, Timothy, celebrated his sixth birthday yesterday. I cannot believe how fast time flies! It seems like only yesterday that I was at the Guido Valadares National Hospital in Timor Leste, clutching tightly to my rosary and small statue of the Holy Family, trying to remember the natural childbirth tips I had read in online articles and books. (Yes, I never took natural childbirth classes but still managed to give birth naturally to both kids – all by God’s grace and with Mama Mary’s intercession!)

No hospital gowns in Timor! 🙂
So you have to bring extra clothes and towels for wiping up your own blood, etc. Seriously!
Though I don’t know how the situation there is now. 🙂 

I still remember waking up around five in the morning earlier that day, feeling like I needed to go to the bathroom. When I stood up… wooosshh! I felt what most women would say “my water” break. The floor beneath me was wet and I immediately woke Anthony up. He then woke my parents up (they were living with us in the same mission house at the time – my dad was the mission team head then).

I remember staying calm when, to my amusement, everyone else around me seemed more panicked (especially my parents, ha, ha!). The situation in Timor at that time was still fairly unstable, though the violence in the streets had more or less died down with the presence of the UN Peacekeeping Forces. Still, we all prayed for a safe trip to the hospital, and a speedy, safe and normal delivery.

When we got to the hospital, I was checked by the midwives on duty. Anthony had already informed my Filipina OB-gyne that my water had broke. Unfortunately, she wasn’t on duty at the time, so she endorsed me to the OB that was on duty, a kind Nepali doctor who would end up delivering our second child almost three years later. She, however, was not the one who delivered our son. It was one of the local midwives.

At around 9 a.m. I was given oxytocin to help speed up labor, since I was still not having any contractions. The doctor didn’t want to risk anything since my water had already broken and the baby might be affected. (At least, that’s what I recall her telling me.)

I remember the midwife prompting me to push when I needed to and to rest in between. I remember her positioning my legs this way and that and telling my mom (Anthony was not allowed in the delivery room since men were not allowed) to hold my left leg a certain way so I could push more efficiently. I remember wishing I could tell her, “You know, I watched this video about women giving birth in Europe and elsewhere, and squatting might be a better position for me.”

I distinctly remember her telling me in Tetun, “If you don’t push properly, you’re going to get two cuts – one down there and one on your tummy!” You see, I wasn’t pushing correctly and, in effect, all the effort I was exerting was not getting us anywhere. So, yes, I almost had a C-section. Thank God I didn’t though.

I remember almost giving up but still putting all my effort into that one last push. By that time, Anthony had been allowed inside the delivery room since I was the only patient left there. (I think there were around five or so of us there in the morning.) It was already around 3 p.m.

So push I did! And finally, Timothy came out. Anthony took a video of the whole thing with his Nokia 6600 phone (so high-tech, right?!). I’d post the video here (NOT!) but I wouldn’t want to lose any readers, ha, ha! (Sadly, Rysse’s birth was not recorded on video. Only my mom and one of our lady co-missionaries (a dear family friend) were with me at the time and Mama was too panicked, I think, or maybe excited – she forgot to document Rysse coming out! Oh well… no worries!)

I remember how the midwife immediately handed Tim to me and told me to let him suckle at my breast. I remember crying (and my mom crying!) and singing the lines of “On Eagle’s Wings” to him (a song we would usually sing as a mission team during my pregnancy). I remember singing all sorts of songs to him while the midwife did my episiotomy (Ouch!).

Latching on (ouch!) for the first time. I wasn’t able to attend any breastfeeding classes(no such thing in Timor!) and all I knew about breastfeeding was from what I had read online and in books.
All I knew was that I wanted to breastfeed, no matter what it took.
Thank God I was able to do so, despite the cracked nipples and mastitis later on!

October 10, 2006, was the day my life changed. For the better. It was the day I discovered the calling God had prepared me for (without my realizing it) my whole life. It was the day I became a mother in the truest sense of the word (though I was already a mother the moment Tim was conceived). On that day, I realized that God has a greater purpose for me – even more than being a fulltime missionary for our Catholic community.

His purpose for me? To be a wife to Anthony and a mother to our children.

Thank You, Lord, for calling me to live out my purpose, my mission, no matter how broken, unworthy, sinful I am.

Thank you, Tim (and Rysse and Baby), for helping me realize this calling. I love you very, very much, even if my words and actions sometimes cause you to think otherwise.

Our first two babies 🙂 I miss those chubby cheeks!

And thank you, Anthony, for being the best partner in building our family and raising our children. I love you.

Taken in February (?) 2010 🙂


Truly Rich Tips {And note to self!}: Find Your Balance as a Wife and Mother

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I am supposed to be sleeping, I know! (Sorry, baby! Mama loves you!) BUT a sudden turn of events disrupted my weekend plans to get some work and homeschool planning done and I was left with no choice but to “burn the midnight oil” again! *sighs* These are the days when I wish with all my heart that I was “just” a fulltime stay-at-home-momma (NOT a working one). Oh well. In God’s time, I know! 🙂

Anyway, hubby’s sick and it’s one of the reasons why my schedule got out of whack (he’s been so since my birthday, but I honor him for being such a trooper and even organizing a simple dinner with immediate family for me that night). Not that I’m complaining! It’s very rare for him to fall ill and I’m just thankful to God it’s nothing serious, and that he’s on the mend already! This is also a time for me to step up and take care of him, something I (and he!) know that I’m not very good at sometimes. (I love you, honey!)

Which brings me to my truly rich tips for today, on finding your balance as a wife and mother. At last weekend’s Mompreneur Summit, one of the speakers, Krie Reyes-Lopez of  (an AWESOME social enterprise, by the way!), said something like this:
“There’s never gonna be a balance. And it’s OK.”

She was pertaining to balancing everything as a wife, mom, mompreneur, etc. When she said that, I found myself nodding in agreement. I often find myself trying to balance so many things and activities and advocacies, and it can all seem too much. Thank you, Krie, for the reminder! 🙂

Of course, we can try our best to find a balance somehow. But we need to remember that even if we don’t, it’s perfectly fine.

To end, please allow me to share with you a slide show I made for a pre-Mother’s Day event at Fundline Philippines. I was asked to speak to the employees who are moms.

Before you click through it, please note that I don’t claim to be a life coach nor counselor in any way, and I wrote the talk based on my experience as a wife and mom. Please take note that I also don’t claim any rights to ownership to any of the images used in the presentation, except those of me and/or my family. 🙂

Anyway, I hope this helps somehow! 🙂 Have a blessed week, everyone!
Women and Family Life for Fundline – Finding Your Balance as a Wife and Mother

Amazing Grace for Moms: Thriving by the Grace of God

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I have a confession to make — this post has been loooong overdue! I know I said I’d continue the Amazing Grace for Moms series throughout June, but before I knew it, June had snuck up on me and flashed by at the speed of lightning, and now it’s already July! 🙁 My sincerest apologies to you all, and especially to those who submitted posts for this series. 🙂

Anyway, I’ll try harder to be regular with this starting this month, OK? (The operative word being “try.” LOL!)

To start off, here’s a guest post from Mommy TG, i.e. Teresa Gumap-as Dumadag, who, like me, is a Catholic homeschool mama, writer and blogger — among other things, too! (Check out her complete profile here.) May you be inspired by her story and be amazed by His grace! 😉

Thriving by the Grace of God

Thrive is defined by Merriam-Webster.com as:
1.    to grow vigorously: flourish

2.    to gain in wealth or possessions: prosper

3.    to progress toward or realize a goal despite or because of circumstances. 


In The Free Dictionary, it is defined as to make steady progress; prosper.

I feel so blessed already just by reading these definitions of the word thrive.  The word kept coming into my mind as I was thinking of what to share when Tina invited me to write a guest post for her blog’s 50 Days of Amazing Grace.  

Let me share how the different definitions of thrive has been applicable to me.

 I won’t be able to share the details of my story in this post but I will do my best to give you a glimpse of my adventure with God as manifested in my professional life and the choices that I made over the years.
I graduated from the University of the Philippines in Diliman with a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Administration.  I was already offered a job even before I officially graduated.  I started as a Management Trainee in a fast food restaurant, got promoted and given bigger responsibilities, and became Officer-in-Charge of a branch in just two years.  Then, I resigned from my job and turned my back on a promising career in the restaurant business. 

Many people did not understand why I made that decision.  Many people are either unemployed or underemployed, or are dreaming of being able to apply what they studied in their jobs.  There I was living the dream of many and yet I chose to let go of something very good.

Why did I resign?  I resigned because I had an “aha” experience.  I realized what my true passion was.  I realized that though I liked the restaurant business and I was good at it, there was something else that made my heart race faster and my mind ever so active.  It was helping people develop to their full potential by inspiring them and training them.  I discovered this as I was handling the training and development of our staff in the restaurants where I was assigned.  I experienced a different kind of fulfillment and joy.

So armed with that discovery and faith in God whom I believe was the one who planted that desire in my heart to make a career shift, I left my stable and promising job and looked for a job in training.  

Another compelling reason for me to leave my job then was that it hindered me from attending regular prayer meetings in a Catholic Charismatic Community of single professionals.  Moreover, my shifting work schedule in my job made it very challenging for me to enjoy the presence of God daily in the Eucharist.  There were times when I would doze off during Mass while kneeling and praying with my eyes closed.

Shortly after I resigned, I was hired by a training company mainly for my potential.  I had little experience but the owner of the company believed in me so much that he hired me as Training Officer.  I felt God’s assurance through him.  I learned many things in that company including how to use Power Point and how to make training manuals.  

That was just the start of a wonderful adventure with God in my career or professional life.  The things that happened next to me in the years that followed were all miracles from God and a result of His grace.

It all started with a dream to have a job in the training department of the fast food restaurant where I first worked.  But God was not content in simply fulfilling that small dream that I had for myself.  He pushed me out of the first company I joined so I could grow and be fit for the much bigger dreams that He had for me.  

I was eventually hired as Training Officer of bigger companies, including a multinational company where I grew exponentially in many aspects.  It was during my employment in this company that my dream of being able to travel to different places was fulfilled.  I conducted trainings locally and abroad.  I developed training modules which were used in our branches in the Philippines and in the Asian region.  

From Training Officer, I was promoted to Training Manager.  I was very happy already with what I had achieved by the grace of God.  But God had bigger plans for me. 

I was hired by another company to be their HR Manager again, mainly because of my potential and my value system.  After that, I was hired in another big company where my dreams of having my own vehicle and being paid a specific amount as compensation were realized. 

I couldn’t help but feel so blessed as I look back at my growth as a professional.  There are still a lot of times when I just stand in awe of God as I thank Him for making all these things possible in my life.  I know deep in my heart that I would not have all these achievements if not for His grace and His help; especially since my educational background was not related to human resources management, but hotel and restaurant administration.

What amazes me even more now is that I have already realized my dream of becoming a freelance Management and HR Consultant.  The timing is also perfect for me to finally live out my dream.  I stopped working full time shortly after I got married and at the beginning of my first pregnancy.   From someone who simply dreamed of having a job in training, now I get to choose the HR projects I work on.  

I praise and thank God for helping me to keep on moving forward and achieving my goals.  I praise and thank Him for prospering me and my family through the work of my hands over the years.  I praise and thank Him for the grace to believe in Him, in His Word and in my god-given gifts.  I praise and thank Him for the grace to step out with courage and hope every time He pushed me out of my comfort zone and asked me to stretch beyond my perceived limits.  I praise and thank Him for all the doors of opportunities He has opened for me through the years until now that I’m not only a freelance Consultant but also an author and freelance writer.

I did not achieve my dream or my goals without challenges or difficulties.  The truth is I had plenty of them.  I think those were the reasons that made every achievement and victory much sweeter.  I can’t help but point to God every time I’m asked to tell my story because I would not be where I am now if not for His amazing grace.

So let me end my sharing by encouraging you, dear reader, not to be afraid to listen to God’s voice in your heart.  Do not be afraid to follow His lead.  His grace will be enough for you as He calls you to do new and bigger things.  I can say this with conviction and know this to be true because I have experienced this truth in my life repeatedly.  I pray that you, too, would find yourself to be in one amazing adventure with God.  God bless!


Teresa Gumap-as Dumadag is the author of the book, When My Bridegroom Comes. She is also a writer and contributor to several publications. However, she says her primary titles these days are WIFE, MOM and GOD’S SERVANT. You can find her blogging over at Mommy Bares All.

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