Healthy Mommas Retreat - Momma 'N Manila

I’ve always loved the time I spend in the kitchen with Sabrina Go.

Together, we have found a synchronicity that affords us the ability to share the joy we find in the kitchen with other like minded Mommas.

This is how Mothers Who Brunch came about exactly one year ago.

We wanted to get together with some friends. Cook on superior equipment, and FEAST on what we made. Hence, our motto:

GATHER, INSPIRE, FEAST.

It is through our interaction and the blessing of other mommas that we are inspired to share more of ourselves, our kitchen hacks, the things we have learned along the way which brings joy to our families.

To say that we look forward to our events with Mothers Who Brunch would be an understatement.

We enjoy the time we spend working with clients to bring awareness to their products that have made our lives easier. As I have said before many of times, in many different ways, Mommas need as much help as we can get.

We get that help from people and products which make it easier for us to spend our time more efficiently in the kitchen so we can enjoy our children and entertain at home.

For our Healthy Mommas Retreat, we both envisioned whisking our friends away from the hustle and bustle of the city. We wanted to give them an opportunity to pause and take care of themselves in mind, body, and spirit before returning to their children, responsibilities, and the busy parts of their lives.

We wanted our friends to feel refreshed and armed with new healthy recipes to feed their families. We wanted to pamper them for a brief moment and give them the opportunity to recharge while we treated them to some of our favorite things.

Many of the mommas chose to avail of the transportation that we provided for them. A comfortable ride in our coaster, a healthy snack and drink, to start their day allowed the ladies to sit back and relax as they proceeded to Cintai Corito’s Garden.

So excited!!! ??? But first, #breakfast ? @thejuicebarista agua fresca and a granola bar from @thelittlewhiskph! #MWBHealthyMommasRetreat @motherswhobrunch

A photo posted by 80 Breakfasts (@chichajo) on May 27, 2016 at 5:02pm PDT

When the ladies arrived at the resort, they were welcomed with a refreshing drink before entering our function room which, like the rest of the resort, is Balinese inspired, providing both peace and tranquility to even the most harried of travelers. Indy, from She Dreams in Ink, provided added to the ambiance of our retreat by styling our guest and demo tables in accordance with the theme.

One very important part of Mothers Who Brunch gatherings is the time we take to get to know one another at the start of our event. Sabrina and I usually ask each of the guests to share something about themselves. We do this to nurture the sense of community that we feel even amongst the smallest number of mommas who gather.

Women like to talk.

Ladies like to share.

Mommas like to learn from one another. We do this, because we also know there is power in numbers. We do this because this is the time we get to learn from our friends as well.

We asked our mommas to share a healthy tip or hack that they use at home. Some shared hacks for their kids. Some shared tips for cooking. Others shared where to find only the best of ingredients. And still others divulged their secrets to feeling refreshed and beautiful.

Pattie Pointente from Cintai is a health advocate that many of us could learn loads from. She’s a yogini who prepares healthy dishes for her family, and lives a life of wellness through her yoga studio and Saddle Row. She has been drinking Kombucha for years now, and has taken the passion for healthy and wellness a step further by providing Kombucha in the retail market.

During her talk, she created an understanding of the healthy benefits of brewing and drinking Kombucha on a daily basis.

BENEFITS OF DRINKING KOMBUCHA

Boosts the immune system
Natural detoxifier
Rich in vitamins and enzymes
Energy booster
Increases metabolism
Can help with the following:

acid reflux
acne
anxiety
arthritis
colitis
depression
diabetes
excess weight
hangover
headaches
hypertension
indigestion
PMS
rheumatism
sluggish metabolism
tonsillitis

After Pattie’s talk on Kombucha, we were able to share smoothie recipes with our friends which can offer many health benefits as well. These health benefits come from the raw ingredients themselves, and from the added powders and supplements which The Superfood Grocer provided us with.

Making these smoothies is easy when you have the right equipment, and Sabrina and I were lucky to be able to work with Colombo Merchants to introduce their newest product on the market for such a task.

I love that this set is easy to use, and comes with an individual take away container to sip on my smoothie when I leave the house. It’s size generous size ensures that I will have what I need to start my day. I usually make shakes and smoothies in the morning not just for myself, but also for the kids. It’s an easy way to provide the kids all the right nutrition, vitamins, and minerals, they need to be ready for school and the day ahead.

Fresh local strawberries and almond milk because it’s time for smoothies!! Quick and (very importantly) quiet in this #severinph blender ❤️?❤️?❤️ I am loving all the smoothies @mommanmanila and @sinfullysabrina are churning out! ??? I’m sure if I had this blender I would be making smoothies *all* the time ? #MWBHealthyMommasRetreat #MothersWhoBrunch #braunph @colombophils @motherswhobrunch

A photo posted by 80 Breakfasts (@chichajo) on May 27, 2016 at 9:19pm PDT

Because we are back to school already, I am back to making my usual dips and spreads like hummus and pesto. When making small batches of these favorites for my kids, I like to use my Braun Hand Mixer. The hummus recipe was a hit with the mommas, and I’m sure that this will be a recipe which they will replicate and even adapt to their families’ tastes when they do it at home.

Aside from sharing ways we can further health and wellness by the food we take in, Sabrina and I also know that we aren’t getting any younger. (OK. Me more than her because I’m just a LITTLE older…hehehehe) Part of ageing gracefully, means lots of things to me. It means taking better care of my body. It also means making time for myself to recharge and replenish my cup. After all, I cannot fill anyone’s cup if mine is running low or even on empty.

The other part of aging gracefully, is feeling good about how I look. I’m 42 years old. I’ve birthed and breastfed 4 kids. I run a foundation. I represent different brands which find what I do, valuable in my sharing here on the blog.

I want to feel good about how I look and sometimes, I need a little help. While I cannot imagine myself going for any major procedures to fight the signs of aging, I do feel like I can utilize beauty products which help me feel and look good.

Truth is, I’ve become more aware of my lack of beauty regimen once I hit forty. I feel like forty was a magic number for me for a few different reasons, but I promise not to digress.

When I found Up & Up through a friend’s feed on Facebook, I immediately started asking questions. I wanted to know more about the product, it’s ingredients, and how I can use it in my daily routine to help in make up application, or even on the days when I’m not wearing a full face…just to feel and look fresh.

After meeting with Ria and learning more about the Korean products that she offers, I knew that I wanted to share this little gem with my friends.

Ria shared the all natural ingredients used in this revolutionary new concept in skin rejuvenation from Korea. She shared how it can help with many of the signs of ageing as a non surgical solution to sagging eyelids, eye bags, inelastic cheeks, crow’s feet, enlarged pores, and hidden neckline. It can revilatize damaged skin by regenerating elasticity and repair wrinkles while whitening.

BENEFITS of using Up & Up

Instant anti-wrinkle solution
Improves skin elasticity
Whitens and brightens skin
Reduces Pore Size
Smoothes and evens skin tone
Can be used as a primer
Non-invasive/Non-surgical
Natural & Painless

For the last part of our organized program for the day, we had asked two of our favorite people to come in and share something inspiring with our mommas.

Danah and Stacy Gutierrez are the fab duo behind www.plump.ph. I first met these girls during the 2nd Avenue #WeAreBraver campaign which included the launch of a journal of women who are brave.

Brave in their work. Brave in their lives and personal fights. Brave in their advocacies. Brave in their careers. #WeAreBraver featured the twins because of their #BodyPositive advocacy, and Sab and I have been looking for an excuse to get together with these girls for a long time.

Incidentally, both Sabrina and I have been featured in their online magazine for different pieces that we have written.

What did the Mommas LOVE about listening to what the girls had to share?

They loved that they were listening to two daughters speak candidly about their experiences growing up and how it affected their sense of body image and sense of self. I am grateful that Danah and Stacy spoke so openly about their experiences and their childhood, because it caused all of the mommas to take inventory of the different ways we speak to our children.

Here are some of the major points that I took away from their talk:

You are what you praise, so focus on the characteristics and the virtues your child possesses. NOT their physical appearance.
Do NOT body bash. (Not yourself. Not others.) Nip this in the bud NOW.
Beauty is diverse.
Don’t limit their activity because they will get dark.
Don’t make them change their bodies…stand up to body bashers!
Healthy choices can be made at every size…FOCUS on health centric…not thin centric
Don’t be afraid of the word fat
Monitor the media they consume

Remember: You define what beauty is for your children. You define what health is.

Part of inviting other mommas to celebrate motherhood (and sisterhood) to our events includes sharing parts of ourselves and providing a community where they can share of themselves as well. This means asking other ladies to offer what they know to us in a way that we can all benefit from their expertise.

Our goal for our Healthy Mommas Retreat was to not only share healthy recipes and provide inspiration in making our lives easier and more beautiful as mothers. It was also our goal to give our friends the gift of health and wellness while getting out of the city, if only for a day, to recharge, refresh, and invigorate them so they could return to their families afterwards with new purpose.