Mama Miah!

Madiskarte Moms PH Community Celebrates three years of supporting Filipino Mompreneurs with Gawad Madiskarte 2023

The community of women entrepreneurs, Madiskarte Moms PH (MMPH) is bringing back Gawad Madiskarte to honor outstanding mompreneurs with over P1 million worth of prizes including ASUS laptops, PLDT Homebroadband connection, one-year Canva Pro subscriptions, cash, and mentorship.

The awards showcase the success stories of mompreneurs who have subverted conventional expectations to embrace their entrepreneurial spirit. Their businesses are innovative, creative, and run by very hardworking women who do double duty as the glue that holds the family together, runs their household and their business.

Major categories for this year’s Gawad Madiskarte include Diskarteng Angat (Fastest-Growing Business), Diskarteng Digital (Best Multi-Channel Business), and Diskarteng May Puso (Best Social Enterprise). Two major winners per category will be chosen from the Startup Division and Scale Up Division. The former are home or online businesses that recently started and show great potential. At the same time, the latter are businesses that have been running for at least 13 months and are registered with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) or the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

Special awards will also be given to three deserving finalists. These awards are Diskarteng Malikhain (Most Creative Business Branding), Diskarteng Pasulong (Most Innovative Product), and Diskarteng Home Biz (Mompreneurs’ Choice Award).

Chosen by industry luminaries

The judges for this year’s Gawad Madiskarte come from the business, telco, communications, and creative industries. Maxine Loyola, AVP & Head of PLDT Home Marketing Public Relations, Influencer Marketing, and Brand Advocacies, has launched the biggest marketing campaigns for the Philippine Internet—from dial-up to prepaid internet cards, DSL, and finally the Fiber broadband we enjoy today.

Joining her are entrepreneurs Jorge Wieneke and Jenny Wieneke, who are Mr. and Mrs. Negosyo and PLDT Home Biz ambassadors. Jorge is a GoNegosyo Angelpreneur who serves as a consultant to aspiring and starting entrepreneurs all over the country; he also created Kalye Negosyo, a mentoring program for budding entrepreneurs. Jenny is an advertising expert with over 30 years of experience building brands and has been a PCE-GoNegosyo mentor since 2015. Entrepreneur Janine Khazaiealiabady, owner of Massage MNL, started her career at a fast food and moved to marketing and online commerce before founding Massage MNL five years ago.

From the creative and marketing industries, the judges are Donna Nievera-Conda, Maisie Littaua, and Marjorie Barretto. 

Nievera-Conda leads the integrated marketing communications agency Stratworks as President and co-CEO, and ID8, a digital publishing agency.

Littaua is the Head of Growth for Canva Philippines, a free online visual communication and collaboration platform launched in 2013. Today, Canva has grown to over 135 million monthly active users across 190 countries, with more than 200 designs created per second.

Barretto, actress, and entrepreneur, launched her own online home and clothing brand Everything Avery during the pandemic and opened her stunning River Garden Rest House for private rentals—a true-blue madiskarte mom.

Winners of this year’s Gawad Madiskarte will receive a trophy created by sculptor Ram Mallari, who works with discarded metal and forms them into provocative works of art in the steampunk style.

Mallari grew up in an impoverished district of Manila with his mother, whom he describes as “madiskarte,” and dedicates his Gawad Madiskarte design to all mompreneurs and his own mother.

Celebrating three years of supporting Filipino mompreneurs

Gawad Madiskarte also ushers in the third year of Madiskarte Moms PH as it welcomes more members to its current 162,000-strong base. An online community, MMPH manages a Facebook group and YouTube channel that gives valuable insights into finding business opportunities for all moms, whether they are stay-at-home or have day jobs and are looking for a side hustle to augment the family income.

MMPH’s online platforms also showcase the success stories of their members and how they can take advantage of social media to market and sell their products. But beyond digital interactions, MMPH is fostering economic growth in communities by nurturing a generation of mompreneurs who contribute to everyone’s success.

Mompreneurs are doers, a force for positive change and empowerment. Two of the most heartfelt messages from their stories are that opportunities are everywhere and that inspiration can come from one’s experience.

Their stories are all different and the women take different paths to get their businesses off the ground and scale up. But one thing that threads these experiences together is an openness to learn and to be part of a community that celebrates all their efforts and ideas.

“Our small business has become our primary source of income,” one mom said. “With it, we are able to pay our bills every month and even have some savings.”

We all can learn lessons from these inspiring moms, and Gawad Madiskarte urges us to celebrate them all.

Know more about Gawad Madiskarte and the inspiring moms of Madiskarte Moms PH by visiting pldthome.info/GawadMadiskarteAwards2023. 

When the pandemic started, all schools have been closed. It is unwise for kids to go out and have face-to-face classes, so most students have shifted to online learning at home. This experience is new and overwhelming for all educators, students, and parents. 

To make the best of their learning experience from home, here are some Online Learning Tips for Parents to consider:

1. Find a learning space where your child can study and learn

Having their own learning space with minimal distractions will help them concentrate. These might be challenging for some families like us who have a small house, but their designated learning space doesn't have to be huge and fancy. You can use whatever you already have at home as long as they are comfortable with the set-up.

2. Set-up a Schedule

Routines help children learn how to manage their tasks. Try to get your kids on the same schedule they had when they were going into school. Aside from their online class schedule, try to have the same itinerary for their sleeping and wake-up time, meal times, study time, playtime, break time, or snack time. 

Children need a break when things get too stressed for them, so let them play, and organize a  fun activity together. You can be flexible with your schedules and make adjustments if necessary. See what works best for your child. 

3. Reduce Distractions

Children get easily distracted. To keep them focused, remove the toys from their learning space and turn off your TVs or radio. If they have their cellphones or any gaming gadgets, keep them away to avoid distractions during their online class.

4. Set Rules on their Internet and Gadget Usage

These days, children have easy access to internet sites and have learned to use technology for educational and leisure purposes. As much as possible, parents want their kids to stay focused on learning and minimize their exposure to games, social media, and YouTube videos.

Establish a time when the kids can use their gadgets for non-school-related activities and how much time they must spend using them. For example, they can play games or watch their favorite movies/series after accomplishing their homework. Be firm on your rules and stick to them.

5. Be Patient and Supportive

Lastly, be patient with your child. Shifting from traditional school to online learning at home is not easy for them, and some kids are still adjusting. Just be there to support them and let them learn at their own pace. 

Out of the blue, I decided to cut my hair. My hair has grown long already and the last time I cut it was last summer, so I grab a scissor and started cutting my hair in front of the mirror in the bathroom (lol). 

Here is the output of my DIY Haircut. I also decided to dress up so when my daughter saw me with my new hairdo and outgoing clothes, she asked me: "Saan ka punta, Ma?" She's used to seeing me na nakapang-bahay lang since ECQ kaya nagulat at napatanong talaga siya.

I've been cutting my own hair ever since I was single and I still do it now that I am already a mother. I also cut my daughter's hair and my hubby's too with the help of a razor that we borrowed from my sister-in-law. By doing this, we can save money (tipid talaga) and since we are still in quarantine, it's best to just stay at home and do it yourself (DIY). 

It was hard the first time I did this, looking at the mirror while cutting your hair isn't that easy, especially when you can't see the back part of your hair. But, there's a trick to this DIY Haircut at Home and I'll share it with you. 

1. The first thing you'll do is brush your hair and bring it all to the front then tie it with any hair ties or scrunchies you have. 
2. Then, tie your hair again to the part where you want it to be cut, it's up to you on how short do you want it to be. 
3. Then, you can start cutting your hair to that part and you're done! Easy, right? 

As for me, I cut it really short this time it's shoulder-length. I also like my hair to have that layered look, so what I do to get that look is I cut my hair vertically, just a few inches from the tip of my hair and that's it. My layered haircut is done! By the way, I just use a regular scissor. :)

And one last thing, be confident and trust yourself that you can do it! Good luck! ;) 

I hope this is DIY Haircut Tips and Hacks is helpful to you. I don't have a photo or video of myself doing this layered haircut though, but maybe next time I'll record it so it will be much easier to follow the steps. :) 

My daughter is interested in cooking, she's so curious and wants to get involved whenever we prepare and cook our food. She joined the Junior Chef's Club when she was in Grade 1 and they made a lot of no-bake and no-cook foods, most of which are desserts. Before, she would just watch us prepare our meal, and then later on she would volunteer to help prepare the ingredients. Since she's really interested to learn, we taught her how to prepare and cook simple foods like scrambled eggs and pancakes. 

For now, she only knows how to fry but there's this one-time where she got interested in how to cook the rice, so I taught her how to wash the rice first before cooking it. She just did it once and never did it again (LOL). I think she's more interested in making desserts because she enjoyed doing it.

I'm happy that she wants to learn how to cook, not all kids are interested in cooking. When I was her age, I am not interested in cooking that's why most of the food that I know is fried except for my favorite foods: adobo and pasta. Hahaha!

Cooking is a great activity for kids and one of the important life skills that they can learn. We just have to be patient in teaching them how to do it and supervise them during the cooking process for their safety, most especially in operating the stove and handling the knives. :)

We had a fun and learning experience during the NIDO 3+ Todo Expert TIPS (Toddler Indoor Picnic Sessions) held last month. Thanks to NIDO, we really had fun and it was a breather for us parents since we are stuck at home for months since the quarantine started, so glad to experience this unique event and first-ever virtual picnic with other moms and kids from all over the country. It was an afternoon of exciting games, fun activities like AR (augmented reality), and useful toddlerhood tips from nutrition experts. 

Check out our Unboxing video of the Picnic Basket: 

Raising a child is never easy and NIDO® 3+ is one with parents in prioritizing the health and well-being of their kids especially in this new reality where immunity is a prime concern. As a parent, it is helpful to listen to experts who can guide you in protecting and supporting your 3+ toddlers during these unprecedented times. During the event, nutrition experts shared advice on how to provide the right nutrition and health protection to help your 3+ toddlers become a #TodoExplorer. 

Here are some Todo Expert Tips from the event, to guide parents who seek to give the best support for their 3+ toddlers:

Get to know the ins and outs of 3+ toddlerhood years

Challenging yet fulfilling, the journey of toddlerhood may be overwhelming for some parents, that is why NIDO® 3+ gathers expert tips to help parents know more about what goes through a child’s life and know how best to support it. 

3+ toddlerhood is when kids begin to explore, start self-discovery, and a very critical period in their growth and development. During the Todo Expert T.I.P.S event, parents learn from the invited experts what key developments do a 3+ toddler goes through during this stage. From physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development, it is during this time that the toddlers start walking and running, interacting with family and kids, exploring the environment, and learning during active play. To ensure healthy growth and development, parents must support their +3 toddlers’ brain, body, and behavior development by providing them with proper nutrition.

Mind the nutritional gaps 

Based on a global project collaboration between Nestle Research Center and the Philippines’ Food and Nutrition Research Institute, there is an inadequate intake of important vitamins and minerals in all age groups of Filipino children. These nutrients are important to support physical and cognitive growth and development as well as normal immune function during toddlerhood.

As evidenced in scientific studies and dietary surveys, this inadequacy is likely a result of the typical Filipino diet which is heavy on carbohydrates and refined sugars, and not enough vegetables, fruits, and age-appropriate milk. 

Experts constantly remind parents that they play a key role in shaping their +3 toddlers’ diet, and how growing up milk plays a valuable role in meeting the nutritional needs. 

As the true expert in 3+ toddlerhood, NIDO® 3+, the #1 Growing Up Milk, developed the NUTRITODS™ program which is a scientific program specially designed by experts to address the growing up needs of Filipino toddlers through the nutrient it contains. Through the program, the new NIDO® 3+ is developed to be rich in age-appropriate nutrients, such as LACTOBACILLUS PROTECTUS®, 50% More protection nutrients like Vitamins A, C, E, DHA, PREBIO3®, Iron, Zinc, and other essential vitamins & minerals, and has no table sugar added. This is to ensure that our 3+ toddlers are TODO protected and can be #TodoExplorers as they continue to grow and develop.

Be mindful of your toddler’s daily sugar intake

Choosing the right growing up milk is not just about the nutrients, as parents also have to check the label for its sugar content. The typical Filipino diet, which includes many milk products and sweetened beverages, is filled with refined sugars that can lead to problems such as dental issues as well as increased risk of obesity and diabetes.

In fact, the World Health Organization recommends that daily sugar intake should not be more than 7 teaspoons a day. Ensuring that every 3+ toddler gets enough healthy energy to be a #TodoExplorer, NIDO® 3+ uses lactose, a naturally occurring type of sugar, and has no hidden sucrose and may help in the digestion of calcium needed for bone development. 

Parents always want the best for their kids, thankfully NIDO® 3+ finds ways to help parents in providing the best nutrition and support for their kids especially during this uncertain time. 

Learn more about how you can TODO PROTECT your kids as they journey through their healthy 3+ toddler years through this www.momandme.nestle.com.ph/nido3.  

Para todo protected ang 3+ Toddler mo, choose NIDO 3+, the true expert in 3+ toddlerhood. For the latest news and updates, visit www.facebook.com/Nido3PH.