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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. 🙂

Doing Laundry Made Easier with Nature to Nurture Liquid Laundry Detergent

February 28, 2018 by Tina

I’ve mentioned a few times before that Our Discoveries and Experiences are part of the “riches” that we discuss here on Truly Rich and Blessed. I personally believe that there are products and services out there that can help “enrich” our lives—we just need to look carefully for them!

Nature to Nurture Liquid Laundry Detergent—like the Nature to Nurture Multi-Surface Cleaner—is one such product. Now, you may think it’s silly that laundry detergent can help “enrich” one’s life, but believe me—if you’re someone who needs to make sure that your laundry not only smells clean but is thoroughly yet gently cleaned, you’d totally agree that Nature to Nurture’s Liquid Laundry Detergent does make your life somewhat “richer”! 😉

Think about it—when it’s easier to do your laundry, you have more time to do other things like be with your loved ones, have some “me-time” (which is really enriching, right?) or even earn extra cash (time = money, as they say!). And Nature to Nurture Liquid Laundry Detergent does make washing your clothes easier, plus it’s safer for the environment. Here’s the breakdown of how this detergent helps make doing laundry easier:

1. It’s effective and safe.

Nature to Nurture Liquid Laundry Detergent effectively removes stains and odour in our clothes, and is packed with baking soda, which regulates the pH level of water. Baking soda acts as a “balance” to suspend detergent and mineral deposits in water, which, in turn, can make clothes feel stiff. So if you use this detergent, your clothes will feel soft even if you don’t use any synthetic fabric softeners (which we have stopped using for years already!). It leaves no residue, and actually naturally softens clothes.

**2. It prevents your clothes from having a “kulob” smell.**

The true measure of a laundry detergent is when you strip it of its unnecessary harmful ingredients (such as synthetic fragrances, optical brighteners, phosphates) and clothes still come out smelling fresh and clean. This is what Nature to Nurture’s Liquid Laundry Detergent is all about—it’s natural, soft and gentle to the skin, and even prevents the growth of germs that causes that “kulob” smell that we all hate, especially when clothes are left to soak overnight or not dried under the sun. (I know I’m not the only one who hates that smell, right? My husband, for one, absolutely detests it!)

3. It’s more economical.

Nature to Nurture Liquid Laundry Detergent is suitable for all types of laundry, even cloth diapers and delicates—so you don’t need to use different kinds of laundry soap or detergent for your different “categories” of clothes! It easily rinses out, which means you’ll get to save on water, too. Plus, it’s two times more concentrated than regular laundry detergents, making it more economical in the long run. As a frugal wife and mother who believes that Our Resources (including our finances) are part of our “riches,” this is super important to me!

Nature to Nurture actually also has laundry powder, and both the liquid detergent and laundry powder have NO nasty chemicals, and are truly safe and effective!

So, if you’re looking for laundry detergent that is effective, safe for you, your family, and the environment, and plus help you save money, I highly recommend Nature to Nurture Liquid Laundry Detergent! Give it a try by ordering it online—easy, peasy—here. If you live near or are willing to travel to New Manila, you can also visit The Parenting Emporium to check out Nature to Nurture’s products in person (and to look at the other items available there, ha, ha!).

This is a sponsored post.

Caring for Our Resources: 3 Tips For Maintaining Your Car

January 29, 2018 by Tina

*Sponsored Post*

I’ve mentioned before that our resources are considered part of “the riches we already have” while here on earth. Material things like the homes we live in, the clothes we wear, the cars we drive, and so on and so forth are all resources that the Lord has given us. So we must do our best to take care of these things, especially if we want to be good stewards of our “riches.”

When it comes to maintaining your car—which can be used not just for personal purposes but even for the Lord’s work like going to Church, attending prayer meetings, doing outreach activities, and the like—here are a few tips that you can follow:

Check your engine oil.

This should be done as regularly as possible. If your car is in good condition, check the engine oil monthly. If it has an oil leak or you seem to be adding oil often, check it more often. Of course, if you notice that your car seems to be leaking oil, get it checked and fix the leak as soon as possible to avoid further damage—and to be safe, too, especially if you’re driving with kids in the backseat!

Check the air pressure of your car’s tires.

This is best done once a month and before you go on any long road trips. You should also check your car tires to see if there are any cuts, abnormal wear, or visible buldges in the sidewalls.

Wash your car.

This may seem like an obvious thing to do but there are car owners who still don’t do this as often as needed. If possible, wash your car every week. Don’t just wash the body—try to remove dirt from the fender walls and undercarriage, too.

There are actually more things you can do to keep your car well-maintained—the three tips above are certainly just the “tip of the iceberg,” so to speak. If you’re looking for more tips, Cars.com is a good resource—it has a special section called “Service & Repair,” which contains tips for maintaining your car. God bless us as we strive to take care of the riches we already have! 🙂

Our Discoveries: Nature to Nurture Multi-Surface Cleaner

January 17, 2018 by Tina

In the About page of this site, I mentioned that being “Truly Rich and Blessed” is all about:

GROWING OUR FAITH, LOVING OUR SELF, STRENGTHENING OUR RELATIONSHIPS, MAXIMIZING OUR RESOURCES, AND DELIGHTING IN OUR DISCOVERIES AND EXPERIENCES.

When it comes to Our Discoveries and Experiences, my aim is to look at different products, services, and other matters that help “enrich” our lives. One such “discovery” is Nature to Nurture Multi-Surface Cleaner, one of my new favorite natural cleaners. (I’ll share why in a bit!)

But first, let me explain a bit… you may be wondering how something like a multi-surface cleaner helps “enrich” our lives. Sounds kinda weird, doesn’t it? Or does it?

Well, personally, when I use the word “enrich,” I mean my life is made a bit better and even a bit “easier”. And using Nature to Nurture’s Multi-Surface Cleaner has certainly made my life better and easier. Here’s why:

1. It’s plant-based and safe even for little hands to use.

Nature to Nurture’s Multi-Surface Cleaner uses tea tree essential oil as its anti-bacterial agent. You can use it so safely clean high chairs, toys, cribs, countertops, walls, furniture, appliances, electronics, outdoor toy sets, gears on bikes, and even saint statues! (See below. 🙂 Our toddler loves to help me clean up, especially when I let him spray surfaces and objects with Nature to Nurture’s Multi-Surface Cleaner! I don’t have to worry about nasty chemicals getting onto his skin either—we just wash his hands afterwards, easy peasy!)

You can also use the cleaner on surfaces like granite, sealed stone, glass, painted surfaces, stainless steel, porcelain, floors (hardwood, tile, laminate)—doesn’t that make your life oh-so-much easier (and thus, your life is “enriched” a bit)?

2. It makes cleaning up hassle-free.

Nature to Nurture’s Multi-Surface Cleaner automatically comes in a spray bottle, which makes for easy clean-ups. It effectively removes grease and deep-seated dirt on different surfaces. We use it all the time on our Comflor playmat (which I’ve written about before), and because we use our playmat all the time, we need to make sure it’s always clean.

Our daughters are usually the ones assigned to help keep the playmat clean (though the toddler often tries to grab the Multi-Surface Cleaner spray bottle from them when they are cleaning it! Ha, ha!). I make sure they use a dry, clean cloth with the Cleaner—otherwise, they’d be spreading dirt on the playmat if the cloth used is dirty. I ask them to clean the mat in the morning and before we use it for other purposes, like preparing vegetables for cooking (yup, we really use our playmat in different ways!).

3. It’s economical, effective, and environment-friendly.

For only P199.00 for a 510-ml spray bottle, the Multi-Surface Cleaner really provides value for your money. I’m sure even non-parents will find it super useful and economical, and the bonus is it’s not just safe to use but it’s super effective, too! Tea tree oil, one of its main ingredients, is known for its “antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties.” It’s also biodegradable, so you can be sure that you are not spreading any bad chemicals into the environment.

All of these factors combined really make Nature to Nurture’s Multi-Surface Cleaner “worthy” to be on “Our Discoveries and Experiences” list. Because, again, whatever helps make our lives better and “easier” is something that can enrich us! (Catch my upcoming posts about Nature to Nurture’s other products coming up soon. Honestly, all of their products are really worth recommending! And I’m not just saying that because this post and the upcoming ones are a collaboration between me and Nature to Nurture—we’ve been using their products even before this collaboration!)

Find out more about Nature to Nurture via their website. Or check out their products in person when you visit The Parenting Emporium, your one-stop shop for all things parenting-related!

3 Ways to Make Family Gatherings More Memorable

December 11, 2017 by Tina

The holidays are upon us, and we all know what that means… ’tis the season for bonding with our loved ones, especially for family gatherings! 🙂

Personally, I love family gatherings (that’s my extrovert self speaking, I think). There is something about being with those near and dear to us that just, well, warms my heart!

However, we all know that not all family reunions end up great and stored in our memory banks. Personally, there have been countless times in the past when I have felt saddened or hurt or angered (or a combination of emotions) during family gatherings. Sometimes, this has been due to misunderstandings or well-meaning but insensitive comments by relatives (you know the ones! 😉 ), or other reasons. Still, these are not things that we should dwell on, right? After all, Christmas is all about HIM, and not about us nor our relatives.

Having said that, I think it would help to keep some things in mind when it comes to making family gatherings memorable. Here are just a few of them:

1. Focus on the relationships.

This can be easier said than done because of the “hustle and bustle” that is usually associated with the holidays. But, but, but we must always remember that our relationships with our family members (and those beyond our family, too) are more important than how fancy or “complicated” our family gatherings are. There is no need to hold reunions at big-time venues like hotels or resorts — what is important is the quality of time you spend together. (Of course, if your family can afford to do so, there is no problem with that!)

2. Prepare yourself (and your loved ones, too).

If you’re the type who can be overwhelmed by big crowds (hello, dear introvert friends!), big family gatherings may be a bit too much for you. So prepare yourself by psyching yourself up mentally and emotionally to face your relatives. Focus on your relationships (see number 1).

Also, since holiday gatherings can be overwhelming to the younger members of your family, i.e. your kids if you have them, it’s best to prepare them ahead of time by explaining to them where you’re going, what you’ll be doing, who you’ll be meeting, and the like. This will help all of you make more meaningful connections with loved ones, especially extended family whom you may not have seen in a long time.

3. Look for meaning in the ordinary.

The “holiday rush” can sometimes make us forget to look beyond the “ordinary” and see beauty and meaning. I don’t know, maybe it’s the spirit of Christmas and all, but even simple shopping trips can make me feel sentimental lately.

Actually, preparing for Christmas always makes me extra sentimental, because it’s really the time for family reunions and making meaningful memories with our loved ones. Even this video of my friend Beng of The Parenting Emporium and her mom checking out sofas made me feel a bit emotional… it brings back memories of my mom… and our whole family, actually… spending time together, bonding together as a family… *sigh* (Get me some tissue please!)

I will actually be extra happy during the upcoming holidays, because we will be spending even more time together as a family. I pray that you will be able to do so too, friend. After all, the holidays are all about our loved ones, right? Especially our Greatest Love of all — Jesus, the Reason for the season!

P.S. Don’t the sofas featured in the video above look so comfy and cozy? One day, when we get our own family home, I hope and pray we can get one of them for our living room! In the meantime, I will drool over them and place these photos in our family’s dream board. 😉 Which one do you think is best? (You can check out more great choice for furniture on the BLIMS website — they have an ongoing holiday sale!)