Our Relationships Archives - Page 2 of 75

3 Benefits of Using Nature to Nurture’s Safe and Plant-Based Dish Wash

April 30, 2018 by Tina

I first heard of Nature to Nurture when my friend Maricel of The Parenting Emporium (TPE) introduced me to Jac Siy, the mompreneur behind this up and coming nature-based brand. I must admit though, that it took me a while to actually try their products, and when I finally bought them from TPE, they turned out to be among the BEST discoveries I have ever made!

I particularly like their Baby Bottle and Dish Wash, which they consider their bestseller—and you’ll see why in this post! In a nutshell: it is safe, plant-based, ultra-concentrated, biodegradable, and has absolutely no nasty chemicals! And there are definitely benefits to using it… here are just three of them:

1. Cleans effectively without causing any harm

Nature to Nurture Baby Bottle and Dish Wash leaves baby bottles, sippy cups, dishes, utensils, plates, breast pump accessories, teethers, pacifiers, and even washable toys and pots & pans squeaky clean. (You can also use it to clean fruits and vegetables!)

We use it and we can definitely see its effectiveness even if it’s “just” plant-based (some people think that plant-based products aren’t that effective but it’s so not true!).

This particular product harnesses the power of baking soda to break down any milk or food residue—so you can be assured that it cleans items effectively without using any harmful ingredients!

2. Leaves no fragrance on washed items

Nature to Nurture Baby Bottle and Dish Wash is fragrance free, so it doesn’t leave any nasty chemical fragrance residue like other dishwashing liquid and bottle cleansers do. (Now, let me clarify here that we don’t use bottles with our kids since they were all breastfed, mostly directly or fed breastmilk via cup as Titus was. So we use Nature to Nurture on other items like cups, sippy cups, utensils, and plates.)

I love that after washing everything, there is no “after smell.” This is especially beneficial to moms with babies. We all know that babies are smart. Some reject drinking your milk if they smell something different from the bottle or cup that they’re drinking from.

Conversely, there are some babies who do not mind drinking milk that tastes and smells funny—which is a lot worse! Babies should not ingest anything other than what they are supposed to, no matter how “safe” nor “edible” a cleanser claims to be, yet there are some “safe” and “edible” cleansers and dishwashing liquids that still leave fragrance or smells on items.

**3. Helps you save money and save the environment, too**

Nature to Nurture Baby Bottle and Dish Wash is designed to be rinsed off easily, leaving no soap residue behind. This translates to us dishwashers using less water and saving time. (A big plus point for a frugal, busy mama like me who needs all the extra time I can get!)

And since it is biodegradable and contains no nasty chemicals such as SLS, SLES, phthalates, parabens, synthetic fragrances, enzymes, dyes, phosphates, chlorine, DEA, formaldehyde & caustics, it is not only safe for the user but it’s also safe for the environment!

So there you have it… just a few of the benefits of using the fabulous Nature to Nurture Baby Bottle and Dish Wash! You should definitely try it if you haven’t yet! 🙂 You can easily buy it online via the Nature to Nurture website. Let me know what you think of it, OK? Just leave a comment below!

This post is brought to you by Nature to Nurture. However, all feedback and opinions are mine, and are based on my personal experience using Nature to Nurture products even before this collaboration. 🙂

The Easter Triduum: Holy-days, Not Just Holidays

March 29, 2018 by Tina

Image source: pixabay.com

Today, Holy Thursday, marks the beginning of the Easter Triduum. We Catholics consider these days the “center” of our Christian faith. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops actually has a short but sweet video that gives some information about the different days of the Triduum below:

Personally, I love the Easter Triduum and everything that it means. But I didn’t always feel this way. Read the rest on PinayVoices.com. I pray that you and your loved ones will have a truly rich—spiritually and emotionally—and blessed Easter Triduum. Happy Easter in advance!

The Blessings and Challenges of a Work at Home Mom: My Veritas 846 Interview

February 27, 2018 by Tina

The first quarter of this year has been a bit busy for me, not just because of family life and the kids, but also because of the opportunities that God has been giving to me and Truly Rich and Blessed.

By God’s grace, I was invited to be on one of CBCP News’ online shows, and then, not long after that, I was invited to an interview by another Catholic media outlet which I highly respect, namely Veritas 846 Radio Totoo. It is THE number one faith-based radio station in the country! What an honor; praise the Lord!

Anyway, I was invited as a resource person by a couple who is dear to me and my family, Tito George and Tita Cynthia Campos, who happened to be two of the hosts for the show “Katok Tahanan.” The topic to be discussed was “Stay at Home Wife or Corporate Life?” I was asked to share about my journey as a work at home mom.

There were other interviewees—newlyweds Nico and Laika Ordoñez, two inspiring young people who also happen to have a blog. Nico works in the corporate world, while Laika is an entrepreneur.

I must say that I have never been interviewed for a radio show before, so it was really a great learning experience for me, and, just like my CBCP News interview, I was surprised that I actually had lots of fun doing it! Looking back, I can only thank Jesus and Mama Mary again for guiding me (and everyone else!) all throughout the interview, and I hope and pray that everything I said was inspired by the Holy Spirit.

You can watch the whole show below, thanks to :

As I mentioned in the interview, my work-at-home journey has been full of blessings and challenges, but I praise and thank God for leading me to where I am now.

Having said that, let me emphasize again that I honor every mom out there—whether you stay at home, work at home, run a business from home or from the office, work at an office—whatever your state of life is, please know that you are the best mom for your kid/s.

God called you and chose you to be the mother of your kid/s. He will equip you and give you what you need to raise them. I know that may be hard to believe sometimes, especially when you face challenges, but please know that you are not alone. God is with you!

Are you a mom who works in the corporate world? Or do you work at home like me? Or maybe you’re a fulltime stay-at-home mom (my “dream job” actually)? Please feel free to share your experiences in the comments!

3 Ways to Make Meaningful Family Memories

February 22, 2018 by Tina

As you probably know by now, I love to encourage people—married and otherwise—”to discover and grow the ‘riches’ we already have”… and I truly believe that our relationships are among the most beautiful, treasured riches we could ever have.

I mean, if you really think about it, at the end of our lives, it is the relationships that we have built and strengthened that will matter most; it is the bonds of love and friendship formed throughout our lives that will become our legacy when we pass on.

This applies to anyone, no matter what your background and beliefs are. Relationships matter. Especially the ones within the family. Life is too short to just let every day pass without making meaningful family memories. Here are three simple ways to do so, no matter how busy you might be:

1. Pray together as a family.

Whether you’re single, married with kids, married and still waiting to have your own kids, or anything in between (I know every family is different), this is one of the best ways (if not the best way) to make meaningful family memories—by spending time with the Lord and with one another.

I know it may sound cliché to many but it’s true. Establishing a regular family prayer time is a wonderful way to build memories with our loved ones. If you’re a Catholic, this is a great way for kids in the family to learn basic prayers, too. Of course, it is also a way for us to learn to pray “spontaneously,” i.e. by not using memorized prayers but using our own words.

In our family, we do both—we use the beautiful Catholic prayers we grew up with (while adding to them from the rich treasury of prayers that the Church gives us), and we also practice praying using our own words, even the kids. Personally, this is truly a beautiful way to make memories with our family members.

**2. Remember that the quality and quantity of time spent with family both matter.**

Some people argue that the quantity of time we spend with our loved ones is more important while others say that it’s the quality of time that matters most. In my humble opinion, it’s both.

If we are intentional about how we spend time with our family, even “simple” things like checking out beds at a furniture store can become moments to remember, right? This video from BLIMS reminded me so much of how ordinary moments can make for meaningful memories as long as we’re with those we love. 🙂

As a sidenote, don’t those beds at BLIMS look oh-so-comfy?! 🙂 Check out what else BLIMS has to offer here.

3. Maximize the use of technology.

Like most things on this earth, technology can be used for either good or bad. My suggestion is that we use it for good, of course, and one of the things we can do is to use it to make memories with our family. How? Here are a few ways:

When you’re physically not with your family members, send messages of love, support and encouragement to one another. Even simple greetings like, “Good morning, have a blessed day! Love you all!” will go a long way.
Set limits on your gadget use as a family and as individuals. When you do choose to use gadgets, look for ways to do it together, like watch a funny video clip together, or play educational games together.
Use your gadgets to remind one another of important times/schedules. For example, in our family, we set alarms on our gadgets to go off daily at 3 p.m., to remind us to pray the . Even our younger kids know what to do when the alarms go off! Praise God! 🙂

I hope these will help you make meaningful memories with your family—let me know in the comments if you have any other suggestions! God bless you!

This post is brought to you by BLIMS.

Truly Rich and Blessed on CBCP News Conversations

February 15, 2018 by Tina

I always say that Truly Rich and Blessed is not my blog because it is really the Lord’s, and He never fails to amaze me with His surprises for this simple online space that He led me to create (which, I hope, is sort of like your home too. After all, that’s what this blog is all about).

Actually, I just realized again that Mama Mary also has a great role to play in the “growth” (for lack of a better word) of this blog. In fact, it was after my first Marian Consecration in December 2014 that I was invited to host The Truly Rich Mom Show (you can view all the uploaded episodes below—there are actually 10 more that haven’t been uploaded! 😛 )

I had no idea what I was doing then, but I do believe that it was Mama Mary who wanted me to be on the show, to bring greater glory to her Son. I don’t know if , the producer of the show, will continue with it, or even upload the remaining episodes.

Nevertheless, doing the show (writing the script and hosting it) was a great learning experience for me, and I hope the episodes that did come out online were a blessing to others somehow, someway.

I believe that it was Mama Mary again who led me to be interviewed by CBCP News earlier this year, about Truly Rich and Blessed. Again, not for my honor, but for His greater glory!

To be perfectly honest with you, I was really nervous about going on the show, even if I knew the team who was behind it, and even I had been told that it would just be like a chat among friends. So I purposely arrived early at the place where I had been told to go, and dropped by the Adoration Chapel first to pray.

Armed with God’s confidence, I proceeded to the Areopagus studio and went for the interview (after having my hair blowdried and my eyebrows shaped—for P90! Ha, ha!).

You can watch the interview below, via the . Listen to the first part carefully if you don’t want to miss my special surprise announcement about the latest blessing that our family has received from the Lord! 😉 (More on that in another post!)

You know, after the interview, I realized something:

I may still feel unworthy at times to be called a “media missionary,” but I won’t stop doing what I have been trying to do through this blog and my other online endeavors—i.e. to share God’s message of love, forgiveness, mercy, and healing. These are all part of the “riches” that He offers us.

All we need to do is accept them.

All we need to do is accept Him into our hearts and lives.

Then we will really, authentically be “truly rich and blessed.”

How about you? How do you share God’s word with others? What challenges do you face in doing so? Let’s pray for each other!