Paint. Sip. Laugh

I came across an article on High-Pressure parents and tried to evaluate myself if I have become one.   Two years ago, I already took a couple of step back in terms of monitoring D's school homework and stuff.  I trust that ever since she started schooling, we have already imparted with her essential study skills to be able to perform well.  I have always believed in making the whole learning process fun for my daughter.

High grades are great but I prefer a balance between academics and non-academics.  And of course, whatever would make my daughter be a happier child.

Happy artist-wanna be

 And since we've already covered swimming for her physical activities, I was searching for something that would unleash her creativity side for the weekend.  I had to cancel our initial reservations with Sip & Gogh weeks ago and resolved to make it happen this month.  And so we did, yey!

Blending the colors

Almost done!

Drinks and snacks included

Now where to hang?

Review: The Missing Piece Meets the Big O

The Missing Piece Meets the Big O by Shel Silverstein

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The little girl and I have read this book countless of times.  I've learned from the book that I have the power to make myself happy and complete. Fill your cup. Inspire to be the Big O and be your own person. I hope these lessons will stick to her as she deals with human relationship in various stages of her life.


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Found these nice videos of The Missing Piece and The Missing Piece Meets the Big O.  A bit old school but nothing beats reading a real book.

It's tonsillitis.. again!

Sick
Originally uploaded by kitakitts
Based from her records, last time she was treated for tonsillitis was in March. The pedia advised to continue giving her paracetamol only if her temperature is 37.8 or higher. For the next seven days, she has to take antibiotics for her swollen tonsils.

I've read that if the inflammation is caused by a virus, antibiotics won't work and that the body will fight off the infection on its own.

I wonder if we should've taken a rapid strep test to check if antibiotics are necessary. For now, I'll trust our doctor and see if the little girl will improve. Have any of you guys heard of/used a Rapid Strep A Kit at home?

Generation Texters

Generation Z
Originally uploaded by kitakitts
It has been months since the little girl inherited my old unit. We were thinking it'll help the little girl improve her reading and spelling skills all the while encouraging her to express her thoughts and feelings via text messages. Really, it's not a status symbol kind of thing otherwise we would've given her an iPhone haha.

For practical reasons, we bought a prepaid sim card from the same network. Her phonebook contains numbers from people we know and mostly family members. We specifically instructed her to only send and reply to the ones in her phonebook and never accept calls from numbers only.

She sends around 2-3 messages a day. Most of the times I had to help her spell some words but she has a great recall and won't need the word to be spelled out again next time. On lazy days, she'll just send generic messages like "I love you" or "I miss you". (we have yet to teach her the templates feature). At times she'd share that she has guessed correctly the side from a toss coin game. It was kind of sweet-- receiving random and simple messages from the little girl.

Big Kid Sleeping Aid: Eye Mask

Eye Mask
Originally uploaded by kitakitts
Originally, I bought this eye mask for me. Recently I find myself having a hard time falling asleep even with the vaguest of light. I want total darkness.

One lazy afternoon, even when I know the little girl was sleepy already she just couldn't keep her eyes closed. So I asked her to put on the mask and try not to think of anything. If she can't clear her mind I asked her to imagine what I am about to tell her.

A meadow surrounded by beautiful flowers.
The soft sound of the water flowing by the stream.
The ruffling sound of the green grass blown by the wind.

Minutes after, I'll be hearing her snoozing away. Sometimes it backfires on me when her imagination runs away with her and she gets wind up again :D Kids.

Review: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



While I was reading this book to my 5 year old little girl, I sensed she was curious about the story. From the cover itself, she knows that the character is not in a good mood.

Later, I asked her if she ever had a bad day like Alexander. She said to me: "I never had a bad day. I have good luck."

I thought about her best friend in school, Alex, and what would my daughter feel if she's not Alex's first best friend anymore. She said, "It's ok, I'm still her friend naman."

I guess that's my Little Miss Sunshine right there.

Though she wasn't able to empathize with the character, I liked the message of the book to the readers. Sometimes, and only sometimes, it's normal to be grumpy and cranky when things don't go the way you want to. Because some days are like that. After acknowledging such, one should focus more on staying positive and look forward to a better day tomorrow.



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Curious Dani

Red One! Green Two!
Originally uploaded by kitakitts

I'm guess the little girl hasn't gotten over the romance between Rapunzel and Eugene yet, so one night she asked me.

D: Where did you meet daddy and when did you fall in love with him?
K: Like, how did I fall in love with him?
D: Yes.
K: Diba I told you I met daddy at work..
D: In your old office? Where I got my puzzle? (The one she received when we visited her Ninang in our previous company)
K: Yes. I met him at work, we became friends and I fell in love with him.
D: Me, I haven't met my husband yet.
K: Yes, because..
D: I'm too young pa eh. Diba I'm too young to fall in love pa. I don't know who I will marry.
K: Yes, you'll just have to wait and just have fun growing up.

And like all small talks, we proceeded to another topic which I now forgot. Kinuwento ko kay hubby, and he said to me: Dapat na ba kong kabahan? Hindi naman ako babaero ah. As if to reassure himself that he didn't do wrong on any girl/s from him past haha. Oh well, ganun talaga ang role ng tatay :D I'm predicting he has a lot more to worry than knowing how to get rid of dark circles hehe

Nurturing Imagination

What do you tell a child when she says that the grass is color blue?  If I correct her and say that the grass is green, am I not limiting her imagination?  So I just say, the grass is green but yes, sometimes it is blue.  

Pwede na ba yun or will that confuse her in the future? :D

Potty Trained @ 27 Months

dani blue dress1
Originally uploaded by kitakitts

No more diaper bumps on her dress, yey!

Yes, we rarely have accidents now as she knows when she'll do No.1 and No.2. She still wears diaper during her daytime and nightime sleep though but immediately takes them off when she wakes up.

She has a potty trainer but didn't get to use to as she prefer to do her thing in the bathroom itself. Good thing we were able to buy a toddler toilet seat for her :)

Next thing we know toddler computer desks naman :)

Working Mom Guilt Trip

I has been two mornings when we left the house with the little girl still sound asleep. Just this morning she woke up just before we were about to leave from work. Usually, after a couple of minutes stretching here and there she will say "Watch little einsteins" or whatever cd is her current fave. However, this time, she wants us to go outside and stroll with her on her bike. I was trying to recall our recent bonding moments and I am sort of missing her right now. On weekends, we usually start the day with a morning walk to the playground, settle ourselves on a swing and sing some songs for a good 30mins. We will then walk back to the house and ready ourselves for breakfast.

I'm window shopping online for toys or stuffs that are appropriate for her age. It would be nice for her to be more active rather than watch cds the whole day. Im kind of stuck as what to do with her next. She knows how to sing the ABCs, knows how to count from 1-10 in english and spanish. She can count with you up to twenty. Seems to me though that it has been a long time since we took a serious look at our Alphabeth chart and I'm thinking maybe I should buy a Number chart as well. I'm not sure if she can recall the letters she seemed to have already "memorized" before. She still gets confused about colors :) However, I'm not really bent on teaching her all these stuffs yet as I just wanted to know how else I could play with her and the learning stuffs will be just be a "bonus" for me. We tried puzzles, but with her temperament, I think mas gusto nyang magkalat kesa magbuo :p Maybe stickers and sticker book will work and throw some strings and glue. I will have to buy her new crayons also. I think we will have some progress in arts and crafts ;) Still it doesn't address me wanting us to have more physical activities. Maybe I ought to buy her a basketball set kaya? She likes to play with balls din naman eh :p

I'm suddenly feeling restless at work, the weekdays just wont end any faster. Parang gusto ko na rin magenroll kami sa TLG Alabang :p Will have to raise this again with hubby later.

~~
No time for Cobra golf

Home Schooling

Minnie forwarded me a link about 10 Principles of Schooling written by Bo Sanchez. Naisip ko na yan eh pero hindi ko pa lang masyadong sineseryoso. Napagusapan na rin yan ng mga Misis sometime ago.

First of, I'm currently employed so masyado yatang challenging sakin ang time management pag nagkataon. Eh I'm planning to work pa naman until I'm 35yo so that's five years from now eh di 6yo na si Dani non, gusto ko sana pag 4yo na sya start na kami.

I'm actually planning to enroll Dani in TLG Alabang this year (kelly yan po sana yung tatanungin ko sayo hehe) pero i've yet to discuss it with Hubby. Akala nya yata as in sa school ko sya ie-enroll :D Also, kelangan magbudget-budget muna hehe

In any case, I'll do more research on home schooling. I have an inkling this is something for me and Dani. We'll see baka naman ako lang ang may gusto haha

Alphabet for Parents

By: Sister M. Benedict, O.S.U.
St. Claire School, Cleveland Ohio

*A* sk your child daily about his day at school – activities, play, problems

*B* elieve that corrections made are in the best interests of your child

*C* onsult with the teacher about your child's progress, character, attitudes

*D* emand respect and obedience at home and your child's success is guaranteed

*E* ncourage your child to prompt acts of generosity, self-sacrifice, self-forgetfulness. "What else may I do" should be your child's motto

*F* amiliarize your child with the best in literature, television, recreation

*G* ather your child's associates together and get to know them well

*H* ave high, but realistic ideals for your child; respect and develop his talent

*I* nspire your child by your own example and through heart-to-heart talks

*J* udge a situation only after listening to both sides of the story

*K* now where your child is after school and on weekends

*L* earn with your child through your selective reading and personal study

*M* anage your home schedule – chores, television, etc. – for your child. Don't let these activities do the managing

*N* otice changes in your child's attitudes, emotions, interests, appearance

*O* pen new doors of experience for your child by encouraging lessons in art, music, athletics, foreign language, typing, domestic and mechanical arts

*P* ray with your child. The family that prays together, stays together.

*Q* uiz your child before tests or other competitive events

*R* efrain from open criticism of any type of authority in the presence of your child

*S* eek for yourself the kingdom of God, and your child will follow you

*T* each your child the art of self-control, the beauty of inner virtues, the honor of patriotic service, and the social graces of refined people

*U* se all the available opportunities your city and nation offer to develop and perfect the talents of your child

*V* enerate your religion: the sacred liturgy, the sacraments, the things of God. Your child is "another you": he will do the same

*W* elcome suggestions, both laudatory and critical, with an open mind

*X* Examine your child's work with interest, encouragement, and recommendations

*Y* ield to your child's requests for exceptions or favors only when the best interests of your child will be served.

*Z* ip into this privileged task of rearing your child in the image of God with hope, zeal, confidence, and with gratitude in the One whose creative power you share.

--
posting for future use :D got it from N@W group

Evening

Just finished Claire Danes' "Evening" and yes admittedly there were some waterworks every now and then. Though it will not be included in my must-see again list, here's something I got out of it:

on parenting:
no matter what we do, whether we work or stay at home, we will still make mistakes. some mistakes they (our children) will instantly forget or still talk about even when we're already on our death bed.
good point when considering being a SAHM.

daughter to mother:
sometimes i hate you when you wear that dress because it means you're going to work.
makes me wonder what dani thinks whenever she see's me wearing my office uniform.

new lullaby song:
I See The Moon (Greg Brown)

I see the moon and the moon sees me
and the moon sees the one that I long to see.
So God bless the moon and God bless me
and God bless the one that I long to see.
I was able to grab Jim Brickman's version, an instant fave :D
Stargazers in YouTube

I am currently checking the thread to see what stuffs I missed or just to see the other viewers reaction to the said movie :D if you want heavy drama, great cinematography and love stories without the usual proper happy ending then go ahead, see this movie ;) Personally, I'm just glad for the characters as each had their own closure :)

Dirty by the Dozen

Got this question tag from Abie:

How many kids do you plan to have?

Hmm.. It would be a riot to have a dozen tots to go home to. One is enough challenge for me for now but we're hoping to have a baby boy next time. If God willing then baby making stops there :D otherwise, we'll see maybe He has other plans for me :D

Thanks Abie! I wonder how many you guys plan to have? :D

Getting softer

i wish i'm talking about my skin but no, i'm talking about my heart. i'm getting softer by the day. i mean, even before i am a cry baby whenever watching sappy movies but motherhood has this effect on me. either i can relate or scared or hopeful that such things will happen to my family.

anyways, i watched the movie: in the land of women last night and i swear my eyes swelled. there's this scene where sofia (meg ryan) told carter that she has to go inside now because her daughter might give her the look that says she's the most embarrassing person in the world. she hates that look coz prolly she gave the same look to her mother. i guess with all the drama my mother and i had during my teenage years, i can so relate :D it made me wonder how my relationship with dani will turn out. i sure as hell will try to make it better though and be there for her as much as i can.

it really is true that parents, even though they are not always right, are only looking out for our best interest. i appreciate my parents more now that i myself am a parent.

in lieu of flashcards

nung minsan kasabay namin sa byahe ang nanay at tatay ko at tinanong ako kung ano daw ang tinuturo ko kay dani. habang kandong ko si dani ang sagot ko, "dani nakikita mo yun, (billboard), yan si judy ann santos. yun naman si kris aquino. yung lalaking yun baby, si piolo pascual un. pogi no!" hehe pakilala daw ba mga celebrities sa anak :p