Author: MomTraNeur

MomTraNeur - Mom. Traveler. Entrepreneur. 💞a homeschooling mom ✈️ who loves to travel 👩🏻‍💻and works from anywhere I’m a hyper-tasking mom, sassy traveler, and adventurous, location-independent entrepreneur. All I want ever since is to share my stories to hopefully impact and inspire others to thrive in their lives and not just endure. I’m a lady from the East who makes simple dreams come true — no to 9-5 jobs, wants to always be with my family, likes to explore different places, buy or harvest and roast our very own farm-produced coffee I can brew. I like beach bumming, exploring new places, planting herbs and vegetables, doing homemade soaps and beaded accessories especially when I have the extra time; I used to help out at the farm, now I help manage the resort we own, indulge in tarot reading, meditation, and positive spells, so I can feel sublime. I believe that life is beautiful if we put God at the center and only choose to always see the good. And that there’s always more than enough blessings for everybody including the occasional luxury travels and extravagant food. Moreover, I am a middle-aged Filipina who decided to become a mom in my late 30’s after the failure of my first marriage. I am raising my smart & handsome young son with my guy best friend who became my husband after almost a decade of life partnership. Together we’re doing everything we can to provide a better life for our family, and hopefully change the world little by little as we do our best to live meaningfully. This is my personal journal as a mother, a traveler and an entrepreneur. I believe in second chances at love and at life. I stand for living your true self no matter how hard. Feel free to read my posts (both old and new) hoping I can spark some inspiration in living the best and authentic life for you.
tiny pad

TINY PAD – LIVING SMALL IN A BIG CITY AND THE REASONS WE DO IT

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I mentioned a few times here on my blog how we are living in a tiny pad down the mountains in Northern Mindanao. I first mentioned it here (THE BIG MOVE PART 1) when we left my big townhouse in Alabang, Muntinlupa to try our agricultural luck in the land of martial law down south of the Philippines. Then I mentioned it again in one of my most recent posts (#MYGREENCDO – IN SUPPORT OF CDO BLOGGERS 2019 SOCIAL MEDIA ADVOCACY).

Living in a tiny pad has its pros and cons. And sometimes, when my hormones are in haywire and pictures of my beautiful home in Alabang show up on Facebook Memories, I develop a negative state of mind which I really do my best to avoid or get over with because for the most part, we are living in abundance even if we are not rich – yet. After all, real wealth is not all about how much money or material things you have or how big your house is… wealth, in its truest sense of the word, is having a happy state of mind. Like what Rhonda Byrnes wrote on the sand at the end of the movie, The Secret, —> FEEL GOOD. Continue reading →

believe

How to Believe What You Want is Possible

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When I started this blog, sharing about what I learned in Jack Canfield‘s book THE SUCCESS PRINCIPLES has been one of those topics I really want to tackle chapter by chapter and dig into.  It still is. And because I want to practice the principles I’ve gone through before putting them here, it usually takes a while before I get to write my thoughts.

So far, I’ve already told you the first three fundamental principles of success according to Jack Canfield:

  1. Take 100% Responsibility for Your Life
  2. Be Clear Why You’re Here
  3. Decide What You Want

Now, let me share with you the next principle I learned in this favorite book of mine.

The Fundamentals of Success #4: Believe It’s Possible Continue reading →

Seven Seas Vlog

Seven Seas Waterpark – The Biggest in the Philippines – A Vlog!

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I first blogged about the Seven Seas Waterpark last May and I said there that I was going to make a vlog about it so that you’ll get a better understanding on how it really feels like to be there inside their water theme park, riding the various heart-stopping rides and just simply enjoying the scenery. The Seven Seas, located in Bara, Opo, Misamis Oriental, may I reiterate, is the biggest in the Philippines and certified world-class. So, if you are visiting Cagayan de Oro soon, you might want to enjoy summer any time of the year by heading to the Seven Seas Waterpark! Again, it’s the biggest in the country and certified world-class! They even offer night swimming now!

For a more detailed post about the Seven Seas Waterpark of Cagayan de Oro, please read my blog post: https://momtraneur.com/2019/05/18/seven-seas-waterpark-of-cagayan-de-oro-a-review/

To watch the vlog, you may head to my Youtube channel or watch it below. Continue reading →

#MyGReenCDO

#MyGreenCDO – In Support of CDO Bloggers 2019 Social Media Advocacy

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This will be a very short and sweet blog post as I am running a little fever today. I guess all those sleepless nights have caught up with my poor human body and realized that I am not a robot, that I get drained too. I actually should be resting right now. I really did go to bed 4 hours ago after sending an email to my client saying I’m sick because I was already shivering. I was so looking forward to slumber and waking up feeling all better and refreshed because I got a ton of work to do but our 3-year-old kept rolling all over me urging me to play with him. I, of course, reprimanded him, several times, to no avail. I didn’t want to be stressed further and I didn’t want my toddler to get sick too so I got up, sat here in my little office where he usually leaves me in peace when he knows I’m on work mode. I turned my Kenko back massager on and was planning to sleep upright but then I couldn’t sleep. You know that feeling when you’re so very tired, your bones feel like they’re shaking from overfatigue but you could not sleep? It’s such a bummer! So I thought I might as well do something a little productive. I did promise myself that day I ranted about being a sleep-deprived mom that I’ll blog every day no matter how short. This is after all my online diary and more than a blogger, I am a diarist.

So having said that, I just want to share here with you the CDO Bloggers Group’s latest social media advocacy for 2019 — #MyGreenCDO, which I am really happy and excited about! Continue reading →

Homeschool

Homeschooling in the Philippines – A General Overview

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We attended a homeschooling seminar here in Cagayan de Oro sometime last November 2018 before Tuz turned 3. It was the very first time we attended such an event as we have begun thinking about homeschooling Tuz instead of enrolling him in a traditional school.

I remember way back in 2013, when I was traveling here in Cagayan de Oro with my then “bessy” (Mahal), and we were watching this celebrity show on TV. It was showing Brooke Burk, building her new house at that time, including an area in their basement where she could homeschool her kids. That was the first time the thought of having a kid quickly crossed my mind and I thought “If I am going to have a kid in another life, maybe I will homeschool him/her.” I guess the thought of being with one’s child was just so attractive to me because I grew up with my mom working all the time and other caregivers were left to take care of me. I would have loved it if my mom was there for me 24/7. I don’t blame her though. She had to work because my dad was jobless and was the one left at home to take care of our needs.

Anyway, going back to that CDO Homeschooling event we attended, we learned that there are 3 general styles of homeschooling: Continue reading →

dream catcher

Rants of a Sleep-Deprived Mom

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Hello Monday!

As usual, when I haven’t been blogging for several weeks, it just means that the next time I will, I have to rant my way into blogging first as a form of catharsis before I get on with my regular programming. It’s part of my OCness. I have to recognize in written form what have I been up to the past month so I can let it all go in my head and happily blog again.

So… the past month since I last posted here has been nothing but super busy. I always tell myself that I’ll blog tomorrow, or I’ll finish that vlog entry this coming weekend… until 4 weeks have passed and I’m still where I left myself.

I can’t believe it’s been a month of mostly just 2-3 hours of interrupted sleep every day. How did I survive??? I’ve been handling more and more tasks for my clients (which means more pay so for that I am grateful, more money to save and set aside for our farm business) and Tuz has been so much needier and hyperactive from the time he wakes up until the time he falls asleep. He has no downtimes at all. It’s either 10-12 hours of sleep when I also do most of my work and 10-12 hours of hyperactivity and neediness! When do I get to fully rest??? Either I sacrifice my work, I sacrifice my time with Tuz, or I sacrifice my sleep! Yeah, you guessed it right. My sleep is the one that’s taking the most hit. No more peaceful slumber for this overfatigued mom and it’s been basically going on since the time I gave birth to him 3 years ago. OMG! Continue reading →

Seven Seas

Seven Seas Waterpark of Cagayan de Oro – a Review

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Seven Seas Waterpark has always been one of my top dream destinations ever since our transfer (A.K.A. The Big Leap) here in Cagayan de Oro City in September 2017. Our son was still a baby then and we thought it might not yet be the right time for us to enjoy what this world-class waterpark has to offer.

So we waited another year until Tuz was already a little old enough to be able to enjoy kiddie water slides and shallow swimming pools. Then Mahal and I can just take turns in taking care of Tuz and enjoying those scary water slides and rides I’ve been hearing about. That was the plan. So last year, a day after Tuz turned three, we headed to Seven Seas Waterpark. Yey!!! And just a week ago, I was here again with my fellow CDO Bloggers. Double yey!!!

On this blog post, I’ll be sharing with you my review of Seven Seas Waterpark based on my experiences in this world-class tourist destination. Read on…

Continue reading →

Seda Centrio Hotel

Seda Centrio Hotel in Cagayan de Oro – Everything You Need to Know (VLOG)

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As promised, I made a vlog about my visits at Seda Hotel Centrio here in Cagayan de Oro City. The first time I experienced Seda was last Dec. 31, 2018, to Jan. 1, 2019 when Mahal, Tuz and I availed of their New Year’s Check-in Package. We had so much fun that I promised to come back here as soon as possible. So when the CDO Bloggers Group held their GTKY meeting here last April 30, 2019, I, of course, confirmed my attendance. It was also the day I became an official member of this awesome group of bloggers, truly, CDO’s friendliest!

Here’s my vlog. You can watch it here or head to my Youtube Channel (please subscribe!)

It’s as complete as it can be. All the details you will need if you want to know what Seda has to offer is in this vlog. I labored it with love, just like all my other written and video recorded works so I hope you’ll like what you see.

Remember the Seda Hotel when you visit Cagayan de Oro next!

Enjoy! Continue reading →

CDO Bloggers Group Featured In BusinessWeek Mindanao

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How timely it is that after I became a member of the CDO Bloggers Group, the GTKY event we did in Seda Centrio when their new Misto food offerings were presented to us for tasting, was featured in BusinessWeek Mindanao (May 15, 2019). If I hadn’t attended the interview for newbie CDO Bloggers, I won’t be in this picture. I’m just so happy to be part of this group and to be included in the photo of the news feature!

Continue reading →

Seda Centrio

Seda Centrio Hotel in Cagayan de Oro – Misto Restaurant Food Offerings, Hotel Rooms, Promos, and More!

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It wasn’t a long time ago when I brought my family to Seda Centrio Hotel here in Cagayan de Oro City for an overnight stay and to celebrate the New Year. Has it been 4 months already since then? It felt like it was only yesterday. Where did the time go?  Time does quickly pass by when you are oh so busy and having fun!!!

And have I told you that the first few months of this year has been like a roller coaster of a ride for me which was why we jet-setted to Boracay for more than 2 weeks?!

Thank God, April has been a blessing and May looks very promising.

So this blog post will be all about Seda Centrio Hotel, my recent visit there for the CDO Blogger’s GTKY Event (which was sponsored by Seda Centrio), and my family’s overnight stay there last New Year’s (which was not sponsored by Seda Centrio).

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Green Coffee

How to Make Green Coffee Bean Drink for Weight Loss

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Before I share with you how to drink your green coffee beans, let me give you a background first how our coffee at Tuscany Highlands Organic Farm came to be. I mentioned in my previous post that coffee is one of those products we are growing and harvesting at the farm this year.

But even before we started setting up Tuscany Highlands way back in Sept. 2017, coffee has always been grown here for more than 40 years. It is originally Mahal’s parents’ farm after all (it still is), and we have just begun developing it to include mushrooms, strawberries, corn, and other vegetables if the weather and natural water supply will permit it. You can read more about how farm life came to be here.

Every year, harvest is done at least twice. Well, actually Excelsa coffee bears fruit once a year but Mahal’s farmlands are quite vast that not all trees are harvested all at the same time so it seems like the harvest is done twice a year. People are hired to harvest the coffee beans which are then laid down on the ground to dry, then put into sacks, and brought to the milling station to be milled. From there, they are sold by the tons to ready buyers. It’s a simple process with fairly profitable returns.

Continue reading →