Wifely Steps Archives - Truly Rich and Blessed

Happy Monday, everyone! 🙂

I’m sure all of you are enjoying the long weekend so far. 🙂 (If not, cheer up, friends! There is SO MUCH to be thankful for and rejoice over!)

As for me, although this long weekend isn’t much different from other weekends/weekdays (since I work from home Monday to Wednesday and we homeschool), well, I am still psyched because:

1. Our homeschool interview for ABS-CBN’s News Channel (ANC) is airing later — the first of a series of interviews featuring different homeschool families. 🙂 Praise the LORD! 🙂 Hope you guys can catch it on ANC, 5pm Top Story. (We don’t have cable so we’ll just wait for the reporter to send us the link to the video after the airing, hahaha!) Let me know if I do look like a raccoon during the interview, OK? Hehe!

Photo from

By the way, as of now, the other schedules of the homeschooling stories on ANC are as follows:

The Benefits of Homeschooling Preschool: Featuring Mariel Uyquiengco and family + Maricel Cua and family — August 22, Wednesday, 12noon Dateline Philippines
Homeschooling High School: Featuring Michelle Padrelanan and family + and her son 🙂 — August 24, Friday, 5pm, Top Story

FYI, the features are very short, though in fairness, the shoot/interviews took SUPERRR looong! Haha! Nevertheless, we pray that God will be glorified through each segment, and that more and more parents will be open to the concept of homeschooling! 🙂

So anyway, another reason to be happy today (at least for me! Haha!) is:

2. My guest post over at Wifely Steps is finally up! 🙂 Yipeeee! 🙂

Photo from .

Thanks sooo much to Toni for posting it! 🙂 Please do go over and read it if you guys can — I shared a bit about how my husband and I got together after a “whirlwind” romance; the lessons I learned about marriage and motherhood from being on mission; and how H.O.T. my hubby is (and how H.O.T. I’d like to be, too)! 😉

Click here to read the post. 😉 And check out Toni’s award-winning blog while you’re at it! She’s also on and if you want to connect with her. 🙂

(By the way, in case you missed it, Toni did an inspiring guest post over here a while ago, on The Gift of Simple Living. Do check it out if you haven’t yet! 🙂

Enjoy the rest of the long weekend, folks! 🙂

If you’ve read my “Enriching Sites” page, you’ll probably know that Dainty Mom Martine’s blog is one of my most favorite mom blogs – she’s a Catholic, work-at-home, homeschooled mom who is also a great freelance writer, editor and blogger – and a wonderful, supportive friend as well. We’ve gotten to know each other mostly online but I feel like I can open up to her about anything and everything (yes, she’s THAT nice!)

Anyway, one of her most recent blog posts was a “meme” inspired by Toni (who incidentally is my fellow blogger for Philstar.com’s unBLOGGED Family and Parenting section) – and I don’t usually do memes. (Heck, I didn’t even know what a “meme” was until recently, when I did one for BC Bloggers, nor did I even bother to find out! In case you’re wondering though, there’s a pretty good definition here.)

However, I just couldn’t help answering this one.

So, here goes. Welcome to my second (and maybe last, hehe, we’ll see!) meme (thanks again, Martine, and Toni for the idea!):

IF YOU COULD ONLY HAVE ONE_______ FOR LIFE, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

1. City to live in…

Photo from here

Even if part of my heart still remains in Timor Leste (we were on mission there for 5 years after all) and even if Brunei will always be what I consider my childhood “home,” I think I would go for Vancouver, BC in Canada. Aside from its lovely scenery and pleasant sights to see, there are many people there whom I also consider family, like my childhood BFF Jodie, and many beloved members from Couples for Christ (CFC) Brunei who migrated to Canada, PLUS cool CFC missionaries from Canada as well.

Also, my dearest cousin Vanessa is there along with her husband Eric (who is also a Catholic lay missionary!) and their lovely kids too. The health care and education in Canada is pretty awesome too I heard (after finishing secondary school in Brunei, my parents gave me the option of going to university in Canada, but I chose to go to the Philippines instead. After reading this article, I do have some regrets, but still, I believe it was all part of God’s plan!) 😉

2. Place to vacation at…

The Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth. Photo from here.

The Holy Land. Yes, I’d LOVE to have a family vacation / pilgrimage to all the places that are of significance in the life of Jesus! (Incidentally, my parents are blessed to be going there this November 20, pls. do pray for them and all the other pilgrims!)

My second choice would be Europe. (To include all the cool Catholic places like Rome, Lourdes, Medjugorje, Fatima and all the other Marian apparition sites!) Wouldn’t it be wonderful for the kids (and us parents too!) to go on a “Catholic Adventure” or something in Europe?!

3. Color to wear…

Photo from my Glam-O-Mamas makeover

White. I don’t own a lot of white pieces of clothing, but I think I would like to. It just seems so clean and fresh and classic. (But I would have to make sure I don’t gain any more pounds, as they would be oh-so-much-harder-to-hide in white clothes! hehe!)

4. Celebrity crush…

I first “fell” for him as an elf…

Photo from here

Then, as a pirate…

Photo from here

And now as a loving, supportive husband to a breastfeeding wife..

Photo from here

AND, he’s a babywearing daddy too!

Photo from here

YOU ROCK, ORLANDO BLOOM! 😉
Love, Tina 😉

(I guess Jenny and I have a LOT more common than breastfeeding and babywearing, LOL!)

5. Dessert to eat…

Blueberry cheesecake! My brother and I used to make this often with my mom when we were still growing up in Brunei. Lots of good, yummy memories! Cream cheese is quite pricey here in the Philippines, and hubby and I certainly are not earning as much as my OFW parents used to so… yeah.. I don’t make this at all now! But whenever I do get to have a slice of this cake, HEAVEN in each bite it is! 😉

6. Book to read…

The Bible. Yeah, it may seem corny to some people, but it’s true. It IS God’s “love letter” to humankind after all! 😉

7. Movie to watch…

The Sound of Music!
I could watch this over and over and over – and I absolutely LOVE that my kids have learned to love it too! 😉 It’s about finding one’s life purpose/vocation; love for country and family; overcoming obstacles and so much more! Plus who doesn’t love its wonderful, timeless song and dance numbers?!
(Incidentally, the Sound of Music – the Musical is showing at Resorts World Manila! Waaahhhh! Please Lord, make a way for us to watch it!)

8. Cartoon character as a roommate (Martine used “Celebrity character, but Tony used “Cartoon character”)

Yes, Mother Teresa was depicted as a cartoon character! Don’t believe me? Check out my post about her Feast Day here for the video! 😉 I would have loved to be her roommate – if only I could be as selfless and caring and thoughtful and wise as she was! 😉

9. Type of food to eat:

Steamed..

Or roasted…

Hainanese (or Singapore) chicken rice would be my best bet! 😉 Again, blame it on my Bruneian childhood!

10. TV show:

Martine and I have this in common! 😉 This show (values aside) never fails to crack me up, and is another common denominator among me and my siblings. I even brought all ten seasons along on our mission to Timor (thanks to hubby who bought all the DVDs!).

I am tagging Jenny, Jen, Mec, Frances (feeling close, haha!) and anyone else who’d like to answer these questions – just for the fun of it! 😉

Happy blessed Sunday to all! 😉

If I could have only one.. (a meme inspired by Dainty Mom and Wifely Steps!)

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