Posts from — June 2009

This is CN’s new Dora the Explorer 48 piece jigsaw puzzle (38 x 28cm). She completed the puzzle on her own in just about a little over 30 minutes.

There are different views as to how far parents should go about protecting their kids. There could be extremes when this topic is brought up. One one hand, there could be those saying that they should let kids be kids and thereby give minimal ‘control’. Meanwhile, there would be some would try to keep kids away from all possible influences including junk food, television, or PS3 players or other video game consoles. So what’s my take on it? Well, I’d say trust your parental reflexes. There is probably no definite answer.

My eldest daughter RD is really fond of doing artwork. Be it drawing, painting, or miscellaneous crafts, she definitely has a great interest. While artwork is generally a ’safe’ hobby, there are still some art tools which are not readily child friendly. For scrapbooks or other paper cutting art, a carving tool or box cutter is indispensable. Good that there are now a lot of products which allow a safer use of such tools. But of course, promoting safe working procedures or routine or behavior with kids could even be better.

I recently heard someone talk about the challenges of looking for a house. Whether one is looking to rent or to buy a home, one will have to go through different ways of searching. A more common method nowadays is by online search like Wilmington NC real estate. This is definitely a good alternative as it offers pictures or even layouts of the property making the ’shortlist’ easier to draft. As ‘renters’ we ourselves faced this situation and are indeed thankful for the available online ‘tools’.

Watching short clips of Sesame Street ’s ‘What’s the WORD on the Street?’ CN definitely is absorbing her new vocabularies. Hosted by furry Murray Monster who loves to search for meanings of fun and interesting words by asking and interviewing whoever he meets on the streets. It is definitely a good tool for kids as CN for one tries applying what she learnt by using the words in communicating with us. A situation for example was when she needs to say sorry. Normally she would say ‘Mama, I’m sorry! I will not do it again’ but this time she would add the ‘apology’ word at the end with a smile in her face.

Words she learnt: gigantic, family, windy, laundromat, apology, frustrated, predicament (not that easy hey!), newspaper, cactus, squid, pumpernickel, compliment…

While driving one evening, I happened to overhear my daughters talk about pets. We do not have pets at home so such discussion does not come as a surprise. My eldest, RD, asked the younger CN: “Where would you buy a cat, in a pound or in a pet shop?” In her usual smarts, CN proudly replied: “In a CAT shop!”. Everybody had a good laugh. RD was quick to explain to CN that there is no cat shop. CN then gave her second answer: “In a VET shop”. After another round of laughter, RD again explained to CN: “They don’t sell pets in vet shop”. Anyway, it is probably obvious that CN’s answer would have been pet shop as she has been into a number of these shops which showcase cats, dogs, fish, as well as their accompanying ‘equipment’ like aquariums, cat toys, dog ramps. Perhaps she does know but I’m sure everyone was thankful to get a good laugh because of a pet shop.

I can still quite recall the kids rhyme ‘Mother, Mother, I am Sick… call the doctor very quick!’ Now that I am a mother myself, I find these words both amusing and interesting. There is truth in it. It is definitely more than a kids rhyme. Whenever the kids catch a cold or get a bruise while playing, they would be quick to call mom or dad for help.

It is for the same reason that some parents go out of their way to make sure that they would know how to provide relief to simple ailments. There are a lot of resources to learn about these simple Cures for Ailments. For more ideas on how to find cures for ailments, ask Dr Daniel Amen founder of the Amen Clinics. Read this informative article by Dr Amen here. On the other hand, in a lot of situations, we would not need these ‘extra’ information. We may have already learned some of the ‘how-to’ from our own parents and are now passing on the quick fixes to our own children.

Weekends are great if spent with the family. One may be quick to interpret this as having to plan and go out for some activity. Well, it may be ideal. But we all know that it would be hard to keep up with such not only because of the price tag associated with it but also for other ‘logistic’ matters.

Weather is probably one of the easiest logistic variable that would create fluctuations on weekend activities. While several would likely prefer to spend a lazy day at the park with family, we all know that sometimes, mother nature just would not let it happen. So instead of spending a day at a resort like la Estancia Puerto Vallarta, everyone may have to stay at home if the rains say so. If you ask me, it is actually good to have such variations. Besides a weekend spent with the family should be great wherever it is spent. And who would not want to snuggle up in bed with the family on a lazy Saturday morning?

I believe that it is natural for parents to want the best for their children. This may be manifested in a variety of ways. Sometimes, it comes as a ‘reflex’ and therefore tend to be unnoticed. It may happen on day-to-day activities. Though some situations would require more thinking or planning.

From the moment a child is conceived, parents begin to plan out different things. Months before the delivery date, parents would typically stack up baby stuff: crib, bedding, clothing, and of course, diapers! Then as the kid grows up, other things that parents would want to be ‘best’ would include school or extra-curricular activities.

Others would take things to a different level. I’m referring to preparations for the unplanned. Educational plans, or even life insurance are some things parents to plan out to ensure that their child is given the best opportunities possible. Wills are simple but great way to plan things out in the event of the unplanned. For wills and trusts, it may be a good idea to consult with professionals like Living Trust Attorney in San Diego, CA. While we parents could attempt to think of all things to plan for, I’m sure that we can’t do everything on our own. We can, however, pray to the Lord that He would bless our children. God is our Father and surely, He would want only the best.

Have you ever watched kids doing some imaginative play? You’ll see them come up with different kinds of toys and play out of thin air. He or she could be a doctor, a pirate, or their favorite cartoon character. There is practically no limits. I myself have often paused to look at my kids on imaginative play. I tend to look back saying, yes I did that when I was a kid, too. It would be great if we adults could keep on carrying the power of imagination in ‘real life’. A pastor once preached, ‘you are who you think’. I believe it is true. Oftentimes, it is easier to say than do. But for kids, it seems too easy. Just child’s play.

Photo taken at Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi Beach Australia, 2008)

Tagalog Translation:
Napatigil ka na ba para tingnan ang mga bata na naglalaro gamit lamang ang imahinasyon? Makikita mo sila na naglalaro gamit lamang ang ‘hangin’. Sila rin ay maaring kumilos bilang doktor, pirata, o ang kanilang paboritong karakter. Walang hangganan ang maaaring magawa. Ako man ay napapatigil para tingnan ang aking mga anak sa ganitong uri ng paglalaro. Naalala ko na, oo ginawa ko din ito noong bata ako. Maganda sana kung tayong mga nakakatanda ay makapagpapatuloy sa pag-gamit ng lakas ng imahinasyon sa ‘totoong buhay’. May isang pastor na minsang nagsabi, ‘you are who you think’. Naniniwala ako dito. Kadalasan nga lang, mas madaling sabihin kaysa gawin. Pero para sa mga bata, ito’y parang napakadali.

All the while, I have been making reference to our youngest daughter as ‘little’ CN. Reality is, as time goes on, it gets more difficult to refer to her as such. In a lot of our conversations, she would be quick to give out the statement: “I’m big now mama, isn’t it?”

A mom can only be proud to see the kids grow up. But we also can’t help but be sentimental about it as we think that our little one is not as little as before. Baby Bedding Sets and other ‘baby stuff’ are now kept storage or handed down to friends or family who have new little ones. For me, those moments do come. But I can only be proud to have raised my little ones to how they are right now.

I am sure that the kids themselves are eager to grow up. Whenever her bigger sister RD does an ‘activity for big ones’, CN would be proud to say, “I can do that to when I’m big, isn’t it?”. She is also quite eager to move into the ‘big school’ next year. Gone are days when I would leave her in pre-school with tears rolling off her cheeks. As I pick her up from pre-school, I would normally ask, “Did you cry today?” She would then gladly reply, “No mom, I didn’t cry because I’m big now”.

Whenever you are planning for a holiday trip with the entire family (yes, with small children), there is a need for a lot of preparation to make sure that nothing gets missed. Perhaps the level of preparation that needs to be done has some dependency on the ages of the children who will travel. Regardless of age, one thing which should be seriously considered is travel insurance. While the odds are probably higher that you won’t use them, I think they are still a good idea especially if you can afford it. For parents who are undecided, here’s my take on it. Trust your reflexes!

It’s a no snow year for our family. Due to other plans, we decided not to hit the Snowy Mountains this year. I learned that the bookings for holiday homes this year were quickly filled. So even if we do suddenly have a change of plan, it would be difficult to make things work. Web tools on the Snowy Mountains area (similar to a holiday home search in Outer Banks) is probably the best shot families can take if they do want some late bookings. Well, as for us, looks like there won’t be any change of plan. It’s plain and simple: No snow.

It was about the same time last year when we watched the movie Run Fatboy Run. We watched it at our hotel room while we were on a holiday in Melbourne. The story revolves around a man who tries to win back a loved one by trying to run a marathon. The guy wasn’t really in tip top shape (hence, the title), so doing such long distance run is a sure challenge.

Anyway, the movie was supposed to be a comedy. But I guess there is definitely more than just funny scenes or fat burner pills. Pushing hard to achieve goals is one simple but useful virtue a viewer can pickup. This one’s not really a family movie as there are some scenes not suitable for kids.

Protecting the family is definitely one of the top agenda for parents. Protection can mean a lot of things, physical or emotional. On the physical side, protecting the family residence is probably one thing that is hard to miss. In our case, the neighborhood and the house structure itself are a top criteria when making a decision on renting a house. I am sure that places with proper alarms would be preferred by several families. It may not be entirely fool proof. But as they say, an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.