Posts from — October 2008

At some point, children go into a cycle of collecting something. Some collect bottle caps, game cards, stickers and so on. A few weeks back, our eldest daughter RD started with some stamp collections. This week, our little CN started collecting something unusual. It turned out she is doing some box collection. Right now, she is proud to have a Dora doll box, an ice cream cone box, and chicken broth box in her collection!

I know a lot of people who have and are still wanting to migrate to Canada. Well, I do hear of a lot of nice stories about that place. I actually have some family and friends who are already living there. In any case, it is definitely good to touch base with everyone. Maybe an ontario phone book will help.

One of the “must have” at our home is a sticky tape. Having children inclined in doing various kinds of arts and crafts, we always make a point to have a few rolls in stock at home. Obviously, the tape dispenser, gets as busy as it can get. Good that little CN has already worked out how to ‘safely’ use it. But we certainly have to remind her every now and then to be careful. A lot of the tape usually end up in the bin. But I think it has done its job cultivating the creativity of my little one.

The season is definitely heating up making it the perfect time to go outdoors. There’s just a lot to enjoy out there. Just the other day, we found this bird’s nest way up the tree. We could hear the chirping of the young ones. My daughters are actually keen on getting them since they could not really see them well. If only we have a set of binoculars. That would surely make them have a good experience of these opportunities. Well, I figured out there is this Nikon Nikon ATB Promotion
which gives a bonus of gift cards for Nikon Pro Gear.

Almost every week, we get a number of shop catalogues in our mail. Printed in full color pages, shops send out these flyers to promote household appliances, furniture, electronics, mobile phones, groceries, vitamins, and so on. We do give it a browse to see if there is something we plan on purchasing soon which we can get on a bargain. Nowadays, every dollar saved is good for the family budget. Anyway, if we end up not buying anything from the catalogues (which is most of the case), these papers will still not go to waste. They are still useful as they will end up in the recycling bins.

I have two young and active daughters. And I simply enjoy every bit of the experience seeing them grow up. To kids like them, anything and everything can probably be turned into some toy, play, or game. Or probably it does not even have to be something. Children are just creative. The moment they pop out into the backyard, they would be able to find something to do. But of course it does not mean that they don’t get bored at times. I know they do. But sooner or later, they would be able to cook up something and be back into an active spin.

As I mentioned earlier, they can probably use anything and convert it into some activity. Especially to my daughters, the ordinary dandelions can potentially keep them busy for some time. Though I have to admit that sometimes, they want ‘real’ toys. And even if they are girls, they don’t necessarily go with the girly stuff such as dolls, kitchen toys, or play house. For example, both of them are happy to do some golf putting with their dad. And I’m sure they would even be glad to get Baseball Gloves
from the sports shop and have a go with it with the entire family. Let’s just say that as far as kids are concerned, it is easy to say ‘anything goes’.

Children are precious. I could not think of anyone can provide a valid reasoning refuting that. Well, at least, that is my opinion. And I believe it is shared by a lot of parents out there. From the moment they are conceived, it is a ‘reflex’ for a mom to be that extra careful for the welfare of the unborn child. And then comes the moment of birthing. While moms may have their stories of childbirth pains, I am sure it is easily overshadowed by the joy of having a child.

Of course the joy for this precious gift goes on. And despite the challenges brought about by raising children, we have great reason to rejoice for being blessed by children. I am still a relatively young parent. But I know that even as time goes on, I will enjoy having my children even if I could not really officially call them ‘kids’.

I think that the importance of children is true even for families faced with separation. While I would encourage each family to really try all means to keep itself intact, the topic of child custody would sometimes be inevitably raised up. And if separation has already happened, I would be glad for parents showing how much they love their children despite the odds.

This is a common question my kids ask me. Is it night time? It’s definitely an indication of how most kids love daytime. So does that mean they don’t like night time? Maybe yes. It could be due to the associated mood darkness brings. Or maybe because it signals the time for these active bodies to take a break. For us, we try to make night time exciting for our children and make it something they can look forward to. Even at an early age, we emphasize to them the importance of just being with the family. So the next time they ask ‘is it night time?’, I know it would bear a whole new meaning.

Tagalog Translation:
Ito ay palagiang tanong ng mga anak ko sa akin. Gabi na po ba? Tiyak na indikasyon ito kung gaano kagusto ng karamihang bata ang umaga. Ibig sabihin ba nito na ayaw nila ang gabi? Marahil oo. Maaaring ito rin ay dahil sa kalakip na ‘mood’ na dala ng kadiliman. O maaaring dahil ito ay naghuhudyat ng oras para magpahinga na ang mga aktibong katawan nila. Para sa amin, sinusubukan naming gawing ‘exciting’ para sa mga anak namin ang gabi at gawin itong isang panahon na kanilang hihintayin. Kahit sa murang edad, pinapaalala namin lagi sa kanila ang kahalagahan ng pagsasama-sama ng pamilya. Kaya sa susunod na tatanungin nila ‘gabi na po ba?’, alam ko na mayroon na itong panibagong kahulugan.

Are all family cars made equal? Probably not. While I am not a motoring guru, my personal experiences as a mom (both as driver and passenger) tell me that perhaps some cars would fit families better than others would. Depending on a family’s lifestyle or traveling routines, certain cars would just be a better match.

For example, a mom acting like a school bus driver bringing kids to and from school is probably better off with a small car. However, come weekends or long trips, then it probably would be somewhat lacking.

I could still recall our trip to the Snowy Mountains. When doing such long haul trips, it is easy to wish to have a Freelander than a small sedan. Its on and off-road capabilities will certainly provide that needed comfort especially when tugging along kids (who, in most cases, tend to be impatient during long trips… well, I can’t really blame them). The safety offered by 4 wheel drives such as that of a Land Rover is perfect for various situations.

The comfort offered by a Freelander is further emphasized when we talk about that family luggage when going out on a trip. The dilemma of either squeezing belongings in the car boot or simply pack light should be cleared up with a family Land Rover Freelander. With all these potentials, it looks like everyone in the family will be happy to look into taking a ride on a Freelander.

Children not only outgrow clothes or things. They also outgrow toys, shows and other likes… their favorite ones. My daughter RD has outgrown a lot of shows or characters which we know she really liked a few years back. She admits having liked them before but emphasizes that that was the past. Of course I won’t force her to like them again. The realization that she liked them before is enough reward to know how we as parents were able to provide some of her favorite ones once.

We had lunch with some friends after going to church last Sunday.  The group decided to just get some roast chicken from a not-so-distant shop.  My husband went with the ‘team’ who went out to ‘hunt’ for this famous chicken.  Anyway, my husband told me a story about how, on their way, they saw a couple of new trailer homes about to be delivered.  One of the kids in the group commented out how he would like to live in one of those mobile houses.  I thought that it sure would be interesting especially for the adventurous.  But for a mom like me, my dream home is not in that league.  I have bits and pieces of what I hope we can have, and the Schumacher Homes Ohio is definitely one good guide.

We went to Bondi Beach last Saturday together with some friends. We really intended to go there to see the Sculpture by the Sea. Though, we already anticipated that our kids won’t be so delighted viewing sculptures. So before anything else, we let the kids take the beach and get a quick dip. There were no clouds so the sun really shone bright throughout. We then stopped for lunch before heading for uphill climb to the sculpture exhibition. If there is something the kids enjoyed most in the exhibition, it would definitely be the ice cream we all had after that tiring walk up the hill. Well, I enjoyed it, too!

It was a great sunny day so we, together with some friends, went for a quick trip to Bondi Beach. We also took the chance to take my mother out and see this Australian ‘landmark’. We arrived just shortly after lunch and while there was a good number of people on the beach, the count was not exactly what I was expecting. With the popularity of this beach, I thought more people would have come out to enjoy the day out in the sun. Anyway, a couple of hours later, I realized that my initial impression was not that accurate. Just a few moments after lunch, the beach was full of action. Perhaps people were just after for the sun to really warm up. I should say the move was probably wise for some as the air is still generally cool and not yet fully a ‘day in summer’.

Perhaps there will be more people coming out as we progress closer to the hot days of summer. It is a common knowledge that a lot of people try to shed off a few kilos as a ‘preparation’ for this busy season. Perhaps workout gyms are one of the busy spots at this stage. Or maybe some would prefer the peace and quiet in a sauna as a way of trimming. Whatever the strategy is, the countdown is definitely on for the summer up ahead.

My kids love books. Though as kids’ attention tend to be rather short, they would tend to grab a book but after sometime, they shift their attention on something else. But I’m glad that soon enough, they would be back flipping the pages of the book and either continue from where they left off or simply read it all over again. That encourages me to have a good supply ready to be pulled out of our bookshelves.

A bright sunny day is a good ingredient for a nice day out with the family. It signals a great time to go out to the beach or park. However, too much light often pose a challenge in capturing those moments on camera. Especially at high noon, getting great colors and contrast is not so easy. But if you’re out to have some fun with loved ones with the sun way up, just enjoy the moments… it should be ok to flick that camera mode to automatic. Just keep on shooting. Hopefully a couple of shots will come out fine and beautiful.

Tagalog Translation:
Ang isang maliwanag at maaraw na araw ay isang mahalagang sangkap para magkaroon ng magandang araw sa labas kasama ang buong pamilya. Ito ay humuhudyat ng panahon upang pumunta sa dalampasigan o sa park. Yun nga lang, ang matinding liwanag ay kadalasang nagbibigay ng hamon sa pagkuha ng mga pagkakataong yaon sa kamera. Lalu na kung tanghaling tapat, ang pagkuha ng magandag kulay at ‘contrast’ ay hindi ganung kadali. Kaya nga kung kayo ay lumabas para magsaya kasama ang mga mahal sa buhay at mataas ang araw, i-enjoy nyo na lamang ang mga pagkakataon… ok lang na i-set ang camera mode sa automatic. Kuha lang nang kuha. Umasa na lamang na may ilang mga kuha na lalabas ng maayos at maganda.