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Why Kids (and Adults) Should Be Encouraged to Write

August 24, 2016 by Tina

write

When I was a child, I would write regularly in my diary. I wrote about each day’s events, about the TV shows I watched, about my adventures with friends, and even wrote my own stories. I loved my English classes at school because they gave me the opportunity to write.

When I was a teenager, I did not write that much anymore, except for school assignments. Still, I knew that writing had become a great part of my life.

When I was about to finish secondary school (that’s what they call high school in Brunei), I wanted to apply for university courses related to writing but chose one in the medical field instead (Physical Therapy, one of the most popular pre-med choices back then). I loved my parents (still do!) more than I loved writing, so I chose to pursue medicine and become a doctor one day.

In U.P., I still loved writing. I loved our English classes. I wrote for the organizations that I was part of (I didn’t realize it then but I was actually writing “copy” for the events we would organize!).

I thought I would become a doctor who writes on the side.

But then God intervened. (Remind me to tell you more about that in another post!)

Fast forward to today.

I’m now a writer/editor. Writing is my passion and my profession.

Which brings me to the whole point of this post: Why should kids (and adults) be encouraged to write?

Here are three important reasons:

1. Writing helps us tell our stories.

Every person has a story to tell — yes, even young kids! And the world is in need of storytellers; not just any storytellers but those who pursue and promote truth, goodness and beauty.

2. Writing can be healing to one’s soul.

I’ve experienced this time and time again, as a child, as a teen, and now, as an adult. When one writes about one’s need for healing, for encouragement, for inspiration, it can be a cathartic, restorative experience.

3. Writing can be one way to bless the world.

Think of a book or a story that has blessed or inspired you in one way or another. Now imagine if the person who wrote it didn’t write it. Get my point? When kids write, when adults write, we have the opportunity to help, love, serve, encourage, tickle the imagination, make people laugh, etc.

Recently, the kids who attended Educasian Learning, Inc.’s Kids Writeshop program were able to “publish” their own books, after completing another module which focused on persuasive and opinion writing (which I only learned about in secondary school, I think!). I applaud the organizers for helping these kids become good storytellers! 🙂

write write write write

If you are someone with kids in your life who need encouragement, guidance, and information on how to be good storytellers through writing, please do check out the upcoming Kids Writeshop module, which is set to begin on September 3. You can find more details here.

Do you like writing? Even if you don’t, I encourage you to write something every day.

*This post is brought to you by EducAsian Learning, Inc. Thanking God for them; for being a blessing to our family! 🙂

Filed Under: Our Discoveries & Experiences, Our Resources, WORK AND EDUCATION Tagged With: EducAsian Learning, Kids Workshops, Kids WriteShop

3 Things You Can Do to Improve Your Family’s Finances

July 28, 2016 by Tina

philstar.com-first

I’m not a financial expert but I would like to believe that our family’s finances are in a much better “place” now compared to six years ago. You see, when my husband and I were still fulltime lay missionaries we had the wrong beliefs about money. We were not able to save much because our missionary allowance back then was just enough for our growing family’s needs, though I must admit there were “lean” days.

Back then, we had no idea that Filipinos like us could invest in mutual funds and stocks, and that it is important to build a strong financial foundation. We were clueless as to what phrases like “build your emergency fund” and “make your money work for you, not you work for money” meant. We didn’t know that you could combine the words “millionaire” and “missionary,” and that becoming a “millionaire missionary” (or a “missionary millionaire”) was a fine and worthy goal.

That’s why we are so grateful to God for the people He has sent our way, the learning events He has allowed us to attend, and the books and articles He has allowed us to read. Slowly but surely, He is helping us improve our family’s finances. (We claim it in Jesus’ name!)

But it doesn’t stop here. I believe God wants all families to experience His abundance and provision, so that more people may be blessed to bless others. So, if you think you need help with your financial situation right now, head on over to Philstar.com, where I share three simple but significant things you can to improve your family’ finances. (I also invite you to the Family and Finance Conference 2016, so go ahead and click here!)

philstar.com-Official Poster

Filed Under: FAMILY MATTERS, FINANCES, Our Relationships, Our Resources, Uncategorized Tagged With: family and finance conference

The Ultimate Purpose of Wealth (And How The Truly Rich Club Can Bless You and Your Loved Ones.)

July 18, 2016 by Tina

truly rich club

Some of you may already know that my husband and I consider Kuya/Bro. Bo Sanchez as one of our “mentors” in life — for our spiritual life, family life, and even our financial life. His books, 8 Secrets of the Truly Rich, Simplify and Live the Good Life, and Simplify and Create Abundance, are actually the inspiration behind this blog’s origins (when it was still known as “Truly Rich Mom”).

Because of Kuya Bo’s guidance and inspired by his passion for the Lord, life and learning, we, too, are committed to learn and invest so that we can bless not just our family members, but other people too. We are not “truly rich” in the financial aspect yet but we can say that we are slowly getting there, by God’s grace.

truly rich club

With Kuya Bo during the Sales Letter-Writing Workshop he conducted way back in 2013. I learned a lot from him then, and I still learn a lot from him now!

Yes, we are grateful to God for using people like Kuya Bo to teach people like us — “ordinary,” hardworking (at least I’d like to think so! 😉 ) people — to have the proper mindset when it comes to earning, saving, spending and investing money, and to keep this in mind at all times:

The ultimate purpose of wealth is to love others.

So contrary to what others may say about him, he is not preaching a “Prosperity Gospel.” He is actually preaching what Jesus also preached: It’s all about LOVE. Becoming “truly rich” (and blessed, in our case!) primarily involves loving God and loving others.

And if you don’t believe me, then you have GOT to watch the video where Kuya Bo invites people to the Truly Rich Club and explains why it is so powerful, and how it can bless you and your loved ones! (Then come back here so we can continue our conversation. OK? OK!)

Click here to watch the video!

So, are you ready to join the Truly Rich Club and learn more about the ultimate purpose of wealth?

Are you ready to be blessed and bless others, including your family and friends?

Are you ready to be mentored by Kuya Bo Sanchez, his team behind Truly Rich Club, and his financial mentors?

Yes, I know you are! Just click here to do so. See you on the other side! 😉

*Image from Pixabay.com

Filed Under: FINANCES, Our Resources Tagged With: Bo Sanchez, Truly Rich Club, Truly Rich Club 2.0

3 Simple Ways to Support Your Child’s Dreams

June 9, 2016 by Tina

your child's dreams

Are you a parent like me, who wants to do whatever it takes to support my children’s dreams and hopes for the future? If your answer is “yes,” here are a few tips for doing just that:

1. Tell your child you believe in him or her.

Some of us may think this comes naturally to every parent but in the midst of everyday routines and the busyness of our lives, we sometimes forget to do this — affirm our kids of their abilities, and tell them that we believe in them.

This is probably one of the most important things you can do to support your child’s dreams. Children feel empowered knowing they have people around them who believe they can accomplish their dreams.

2. Help your child discover what he or she is good at.

No one can be good at everything, so it’s important for us to help our kids discover what they are good at. We can do this by exposing them to different activities — they don’t have to be good or great at all of them, but they should be encouraged to do their best.

To cite a concrete example, recently, some parents enrolled their children in EducAsian Learning’s Kids WriteShop*, because their kids dream of becoming authors. They invested time and treasure in giving their kids the training they needed, plus the opportunity to have a whole publishing experience through the writeshop.

your child's dreams your child's dreams

The “fruit” of their investment? Their children participated in a “Publishing Party” last May 28, complete with read-aloud presentations wherein they launched their first published books, a compilation of their written outputs from previous sessions composed of poems, letters, short stories and other works. They even had their own ribbon-cutting ceremonies!

your child's dreams

your child's dreams

These young authors’ families were there to support them, and the parents and grandparents present had mixed emotions, feeling happy and teary-eyed at the same time, but most of all feeling proud of their kids. What an awesome way to support your child’s dreams, don’t you think?

3. Pray for your child — including your child’s dreams.

A parent’s prayer is powerful, so we must never fail to pray for our kids. Pray for their good health in mind, body and spirit; pray for the company they keep; pray for their dreams and hopes — pray for every aspect of their lives!

Now, I want to hear from YOU! In addition to what has already been discussed, what do you think we can do support our children’s dreams? Let’s talk in the comments!

P.S. If you’re interested in having your child join the next module of the Kids’ WriteShop, enrollment is still ongoing. 🙂 Just e-mail for more information. Below is the schedule for the remaining modules:

June-July 2016

June 11

Introduction to Reading and Writing for new enrollees / Next Level: Reading and Writing for continuing enrollees

 June 25

Opinion Writing

July 9

Persuasive Writing

July 23

Publishing Party

3RD MODULE

August-October 2016

August 27

Introduction to Reading and Writing for new enrollees / Next Level: Reading and Writing for continuing enrollees

September 10

Journal Writing

September 24

Informational Writing / Cultural Writing

October 8

Publishing Party

4TH MODULE

October-December 2016

October 22

Introduction to Reading and Writing for new enrollees / Next Level: Reading and Writing for continuing enrollees

November 12

Math Literature

November 26

Science Literature

December 3

Publishing Party

5TH MODULE

December-February 2017

December 17

Introduction to Reading and Writing for new enrollees / Next Level: Reading and Writing for continuing enrollees

2017

January 7

Procedural Writing

January 21

Book Making/Shaping Literature

February 4

Publishing Party

SPECIAL MODULE

February-April 2017

February 18

Patricia Pollaco and Maurice Sendak Author Study

March 4

Holiday Celebrations Around the World Literature

March 18

Additional Genre/ Bonus Genre Lesson

April 1

Publishing Party/ Culmination

This post is brought to you by EducAsian Learning, Inc.

Filed Under: FAMILY MATTERS, MARRIAGE, Our Relationships, Our Resources, WORK AND EDUCATION Tagged With: Parenting

What Does Being “Truly Rich and Blessed” Mean to You?

June 3, 2016 by Tina

truly rich

I’m taking a short break from all the work I need to do to ask you, dear readers, to help me out. All you need to do is answer the question stated in this post’s title:

“What does being ‘truly rich and blessed’ mean to you?”

Why? Well, I want to know how to serve you better.

You see, when I felt called to “rebrand” from being just a “mommy blog” to something else, I had this dream of building a community. A community of people who lead imperfect lives but are still inspired to be “rich” in what truly matters.

Some of you already know that I was inspired to use the term “truly rich” from reading Bro. Bo Sanchez’s books, and learning from his teachings on faith, relationships and personal finance. I even became a Truly Rich Club member to learn more about how to enrich our family’s finances, particularly via stock market investments.

This is because I believe that part of being “truly rich and blessed” — at least when it comes to our finances — is realizing and acknowledging the fact that:

(1) money is not the root of all evil, but the love of money is;

(2) whether we like it or not, we need money for certain purposes in this world;

(3) God is the true source of ALL our riches and material resources, including our money/finances;

(4) He can use our money/finances to bless others; and

(5) we need to learn how to manage our money/finances well, and how to make it “work” for us.

There is more to it than that, of course, which is why this site isn’t just about finances. I know that people can interpret the term “truly rich and blessed” in so many ways. That’s why I am really interested to know what YOU think of it.

I really, really want this site to be more than just a blog, and knowing what being “truly rich and blessed” means to you will help me know how to build our community. So, if you’re ready to share your thoughts, please feel free to leave a comment below! 🙂

 

Filed Under: Our Resources Tagged With: Blogging Purpose, Truly Rich Club

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Hi! I'm Tina Santiago Rodriguez, a Catholic wife, homeschool mom, and self-professed "media missionary." Welcome to Truly Rich and Blessed, a unique lifestyle blog about appreciating the "riches" that we have — our faith, self, relationships, resources, discoveries and experiences. I hope you'll enjoy your time here, and come away encouraged and inspired somehow!

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Truly Rich and Blessed contains paid advertising banners and some contextual affiliate links. An affiliate link means that I receive a commission on sales of the products or membership sites that are linked in some of my posts. So, if you click on a link and make a purchase from or become a member of an affiliate site, then I may make a commission from that purchase — at no added cost to you! Thank you for supporting Truly Rich and Blessed this way.

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