Truly Rich and Blessed

Truly Rich Recommendations {Events}: Babypalooza Bazaar + A Giveaway by Mommy’s Little Boss! :)

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I blogged about the Babypalooza Bazaar last year, and was even privileged enough to host a giveaway by Mommy and Baby Essentials. I was able to drop by the bazaar with the kids and browse through the booths and chitchat with some of the vendors (a few of whom were fellow mom bloggers, like Cai, Fleur and the ladies of The Soshal Network).

I also met some mompreneurs from the that I’m part of, and that Martine founded. 🙂 It was a FUN afternoon for me (though not so much for the kids, ha, ha! 🙂 They were obsessed at that time with looking for a copy of one of the Madeline books, so they wanted to go to a bookshop!)

Well, the ladies behind Babypalooza have another treat in store for everyone! 🙂 They’re having another bazaar — this time for two days — on February 16 and 17, 2013, at the Walter Hogan Conference Center in Ateneo de Manila (same venue as last time).

Shoppers will again get to choose among both preloved and brand new premium items from widely-trusted local and imported brands.

According to the organizers, there will also be special function rooms for breastfeeding moms and their babies, and for diaper changes. Toddlers will also have a special play area, and there’s even a waiting lounge for the daddies who will be going with the mommies! 🙂

Another treat in store for everyone are special talks on early childhood development, to be given by none other than my good friend and fellow homeschooling mom Mariel of The Learning Basket, who also happens to be a licensed educator (she is our son’s teacher for the Young Child program)! 🙂 The talks are FREE of charge, but pre-registration is required.

For more information, please visit Babypalooza’s website here or email . You can also contact them through the numbers indicated in the photo above. 🙂

BUT WAIT! 

That’s not all! 🙂 The Babypalooza ladies, along with one of their vendors, ,  have so generously offered to sponsor a giveaway, exclusively for Truly Rich Mom readers! 🙂

Here’s what’s up for grabs:

Mommy’s Little Boss Gift Pack 
consisting of:

Stony Angel feeding bowl with fork & spoon
Stony Angel 3-compartment  plate with spoon & fork

Stony Angel drinking cup

(The winner gets to choose from one of the designs below 🙂


Tiny Buds bottle & utensil wash 1-week pouch

Tiny  Buds Rice baby powder

Tiny Buds In a Rash – rash bite cream

Tiny Buds Scratch Off – anti-itch bite cream

Giveaway guidelines and mechanics:
  • The giveaway is open to everyone with a Philippine shipping address. 
  • The prize can be claimed at the Babypalooza Bazaar but can also be shipped to the winner.
  • The giveaway will run for two weeks and the winner will be notified via e-mail. I’ll also announce the winner on .
  • Joining is easy — just follow the steps in the Rafflecopter widget. Please take note: the FIRST FIVE steps are a must! 🙂

1. Like the Mommy’s Little Boss FB page: https://
2. Like the Babypalooza Bazaar community page: 

3. Click “Join” on the Babypalooza Bazaar Event page: 

4. Like Truly Rich Mom on FB: 

5. Leave your name and email address on the Comments section of this blog post. 🙂

You can earn more entries by doing the other steps as well! 🙂 Have fun and God bless, everyone! We’re off to Malolos now, then Baguio tomorrow for our couples retreat (though the kids will be with us, so good luck! Ha, ha!) 🙂 “See” you when I get back!

Truly Rich Recommendations {Events}: Baby Carnival Bazaar at the Filipinas Heritage Library and The Learning Basket’s Preschool Homeschool Seminar

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There are two events happening this week that you guys might be interested in attending. Especially if you’re a parent. 🙂

First up is the Baby Carnival Pre-Christmas Bazaar by Online Mommy Sellers organized by Mommy Sellers Events Management. This will be on Friday, November 9, 4 to 10 pm, at the in Makati City.

Tickets will be sold at P100 and will be used to buy gifts to be donated to charity. Items on sale will include both pre-loved and brand new items, including breastfeeding covers, cloth and disposable diapers, feeding bottles, hair accessories and more. There will also be booths by service providers like photo studios for babies and event stylists. My friends from ,  and will be there — please do drop by their booths! 🙂

Kids who will be attending with their parents will also enjoy the activity booths, which include balloon darts, face painting, costume fitting and FREE cotton candy! (Maybe the parents will enjoy it too?! Ha, ha!) You can also buy snacks, meals and drinks from the different food concessionaires that will be there.

The Baby Carnival event is sponsored by , , Ton of Fun, and Make Believe Productions. 🙂

For more information, please go to http://bazaarphilippines.com. You can also “Like” their Facebook page for updates.

The next event I’m recommending this week is The Learning Basket’s seminar titled, “Preschool Homeschool —You Can Do It Too!” This will be on Saturday, November 10, 2-4 pm, at the Studio at Capitol Green Street, Capitol Hills, Quezon City.

Preschool homeschool moms Mariel Uyquiengco (of The Learning Basket), Kim Espartero, Cathy Salvador and yours truly will be speaking and sharing our experiences. 🙂 Slots are limited though, and priority will be given to Kindermusik parents. A fee of P100 will be charged for venue expenses and snacks. 🙂 If you’re interested, please email mariel (at) thelearningbasket (dot) com ASAP! 🙂

I won’t be able to attend the Baby Carnival as I have work on Friday (and Makati is too far for this commuting preggy mama, haha!) but I’ll be at the Homeschool Seminar on Saturday of course! 🙂 Hope to see some of you there! 🙂

Freebie Friday: Free Unit Studies from the Learning Basket!

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If you’re wondering what a unit study is, here’s a definition from CurriculumShare.com:

Unit Study
This method of instruction allows students to learn about all subjects through the study of one topic. For example a unit study about Egypt might include language arts through reading Egyptian-themed literature or history, writing a story about an Egyptian Pharaoh, learning about archaeology or hieroglyphics through investigating Egyptian pyramids, listening to Egyptian music, eating Egyptian food, checking out Egyptian artifacts at a museum, etc.

Whether you’re a homeschooler or not, I’m sure you’ll delight in these free unit studies from The Learning Basket, that are available for download for FREE! 🙂 The unit studies are one-of-a-kind because they use Philippine Children’s Picture Books! 🙂

For our lessons prior to All Souls’ Day on November 2, we plan to use the unit study on the book The Mats, which I purchased through The Learning Basket’s online shop. 🙂

To download the unit studies, please go to The Learning Basket’s page here. If you want to purchase any of the books mentioned or just browse through the selection of books available, doing so is easy-peasy — just go to The Learning Basket’s Facebook page . 🙂

Enjoy, friends! 🙂 And remember:

“Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.”

Filed Under: All Souls' Day, Free Homeschool Resources, Free Unit Studies, Freebie Friday, Freebies, Philippine Children's Books, The Learning Basket, Unit Studies

Truly Rich Tips: How to Make Reading an Effective and Lasting Habit (Tips from the Free Parenting Seminar by The Learning Basket and The Learning Library)

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A few weekends ago, the kids and I were blessed to have attended a free parenting seminar organized by The Learning Library and The Learning Basket. It was titled “Make Reading an Effective and Lasting Habit.” I meant to post this earlier on my homeschool blog (it was just in my drafts folder, waiting to be edited), but I decided to post it here instead. 🙂 (I really need to update that blog, though! LOL!)

Anyway, during the seminar, Mrs. Vanessa Bicomong of the Learning Library gave the talk.

She was a very good speaker — energetic and engaging with the audience. 🙂 I’ll try to explain what we learned through the photo captions (sorry, I’m not much of a photographer, so do forgive the dark, blurry pics — I turned off the flash so as not to be distracting). 🙂


The seminar had three main points:
1. Choosing the right book for your child
2. Read to and with your child
3. Make it part of your routine.
Choosing the Right Books for Your Child
Consider the child’s reading ability and comprehension level, including too, his age and interests.
DON’T let your child choose his own books all the time.
DO read the book yourselves first, to assess whether the book is suitable for your child.



Consider the length of the story and the type of book. Chapter books or novel-type books may be too long for both YOU and your child. Make sure you will be willing to read the story, no matter how long it is.
Studies show most boys prefer books on dinosaurs, cars, etc.
Most girls prefer books on princesses, fairies, etc.
THEREFORE, make sure you choose other books, too.
When choosing books that your child will read by himself, consider his ability to read by looking at the sentence length per page. 
Consider, too, the word difficulty within sentences. Take the five finger test! 🙂
I tried researching a bit on it and this is what I found via Google: click here, here and here.
The way Ms. Vanessa explained it was a bit different from what is written in the articles noted above.
1. Place your hand on the lines of one of the pages of the book.
2. Make sure that you place one finger on each line.
3. Check what words “fall” under each finger.
4. If your child is unable to read the words indicated under each finger, the book may be too difficult for him.
(Please correct me if I’m wrong, Ms. Vanessa! Teehee!)
Also, www.LEXILE.com is a great resource to help you determine if the books you want to buy or already have are ok for your child. 🙂 You can just enter the book’s name (if it was published in the US) and you can find out the book’s Lexile score. 🙂 You can use the Lexile score to “match” books to your child’s reading ability/level.
Consider also your child’s experiences and background knowledge. For example, Ms. Vanessa said she personally doesn’t buy a lot of books that talk about snow, since we in the Philippines have never experienced snow. 🙂 Of course, it’s up to you to decide. 
Ms. Vanessa reads Drummer Hoff. 🙂 
I must get a copy for the kids! 🙂
When buying baby books, look for simple text and art, repetition and bouncy rhymes. Kids will LOVE it, too, if you read with “feelings”! 🙂 The David series is good, according to Ms. Vanessa. (We got the “No, David!” book from The Learning Basket and Tim loves it!)
Babies also should have books that have photos of actual objects, not illustrations. 
Of course, if you want your books to last till your child grows, choose books that are sturdy, the right size and shape for your baby’s hands and those that YOU will enjoy reading, too. 🙂
Some of our favorites are Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny, the board book versions.
For preschoolers, choose books that clearly cover the concept you are trying to teach. For example, if you want to teach him about Philippine Independence Day, you can look for books related to it (like the ones here!)
We love Mercer Mayer’s Little Critter books!
We also enjoy reading “Click, Clack, Moo” and books by Dr. Seuss.
Ms. Vanessa recommends books by Shel Silverstein, too, for fun poetry books for kids, and more!
Other tips for choosing books for preschoolers:
Choose books with: 
What to look for when buying picture books
Don’t force your child to “enjoy” the stories you enjoyed as a child, though! You should BOTH enjoy reading the books together! 🙂
Tip: Buy leveled readers that will challenge NOT intimidate your child. Most readers are already classified by level or Lexile score.
More tips on buying leveled readers. 🙂 You can also buy books on non-fiction subjects if your child is interested in them. 🙂



We have BOTH these books! 🙂 From Book Sale. 🙂 VERY nice!
We were able to talk about Africa, myths, legends, etc. 🙂
This is THE MOST IMPORTANT tip of all! 🙂
AMEN! 🙂
The importance of reading to your child. Ms. Vanessa said that FATHERS play a crucial role in developing good reading habits, especially among BOYS. 🙂
Tips for reading to your child. 🙂 
Track from Left to Right. 🙂 Use punctuation marks to emphasize statements as needed. 🙂 Make sure you read books you are willing to read all the way. 🙂 (And that your child is willing to listen to!)
This slide is self-explanatory. 🙂
AMEN! 🙂 Hehe!
Parents should incorporate reading time in their children’s schedule.
A suggestion is to take turns selecting what book to read. 🙂 
LOVE this quote! 🙂 LOVE Roald Dahl! 😉
Everyone swarmed over to The Learning Basket’s booth afterwards to get their own quality children’s books! 🙂 It’s a good thing I didn’t bring any money with me; else I would have spent it all! LOL!
You can find more photos of the seminar .

Well, I hope y’all learned a thing or two from my sorry attempt at documenting the seminar! 🙂 In case you missed it and would like to attend a similar event, there’s a second round coming up this Saturday, with an additional talk on raising bilingual children. 🙂

Here are details from :
Good news! To those who missed the first run of our event MAKE READING AN EFFECTIVE AND LASTING HABIT, we have another one scheduled on August 25, 1 to 3PM, at THE LEARNING LIBRARY in Loyola Heights. This time, we have an additional talk on
 HOW TO RAISE TRULY BILINGUAL CHILDREN AT HOME.

Email us at with your name, and ages of your kids.

We hope you can share this and also tag your friends who might be interested to join. See you there!

Truly Rich Recommendations {Events}: Make Reading An Effective And Lasting Habit: A Free Parenting Seminar by The Learning Basket and The Learning Library!

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If you scroll down to view this blog’s sidebar, you’ll see that I have another new blog partner this month — , an online shop that sells quality, pre-loved children’s books (and one of the reasons why I am going bankrupt — I just can’t help hoard buy their books! Our favorites are the !). The moms behind it, Mariel and Sanne, are homeschooling moms, too, and mompreneurs in their own right. I was actually blessed to feature them on Smart Parenting a while back (you can read that here).

Well, guess what, dear friends! The Learning Basket has partnered with The Learning Library for a FREE PARENTING SEMINAR, and it’s all about reading! *Yipeeee!* Book-lovers and reading enthusiasts unite! 🙂

Image from The Learning Basket.

For more details, please go to The Learning Basket’s blog page here. You can also email directly. 🙂 Slots are very limited so go, go, go register now!

Hope to see you there! (I hope the kids and I can make it! Still working out our sked. Teehee!)

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