Anything goes...

That is just the most awful part, the phrase that says I can't draw. To think that my daughter did not get any training or any help from any of us regarding her drawing skills is but an amazement to us all. She can draw, very well, and she even won First Place in the Poster Making Contest of their school, and she's just 7.  I wonder where she got the talent in making use of lines and curves and she can even make one that's seen as an aerial view of a resort like the above picture for that matter. There's a playground, a pool with slides and bridges to make it more interesting. She has a mind that's amazing, really, and I believe she can do more when she grows up. But I am sure that she's taken after the father who is a computer engineer and has great and amazing creative skills as well, from computer graphics to plotting CADD in 3D.  That's why I am supporting all her needs from crayons to paints and pastels and sketch pads, it's not everyday tha...

4 days including the weekend and we already call it the long weekend, but it is not as long as you thought it is. You see, it just zoomed by. And I already miss it. July and August have been very good months for me, and I am considering 2011 as a year of blessings for me and my family, more so for me personally. The 4 days of no work, and nothing to think of, seemed so short a time for me and my family. So at a friend's invitation, last Monday, we headed to the beach with some friends. We were there from 8 till 3 in the afternoon, but I swear, it was a superb weekend. We left all troubles at home, thought nothing but food, bonded with kids and friends, and we counted nothing but the blessings that came our way. It was a nice respite from the hustle and bustle of everyday activities, and it was then that i enjoyed the sea breeze and slept at the grass with my mat spread on it. What glorious day. But it's September now, and I can only wish for more relaxing days. But the...

Okey, I'm getting really nervous now with a lot of stuffs. Things have been on and off, way too busy for me, work and more work, and an online work, and kids, and husband, and many other extras. I can barely breathe, but sometimes God works in many ways that you can only be happy of the things that arrive knocking at your doorstep. My sister just got promoted as Labor and Employment Officer 2, and her post as Admin Aide 6 is vacant, since I have been on the eye for vacant positions, I couldn't stop asking myself if this is another sign for me to stay on and apply for her item. Truth be told, I have been making good with my performance and I know I still have a lot to prove. But then again, I cannot help thinking about the future. I need this work for my kids. It's the kids 1st Pre-final exams this week, and I am just so tired to teach them anything. It is such a good thing that my kids pick up what I said being able to review before exams. I see them surrounded by books spr...

And yes, 5 more days and it's time to fix kids' breakfast, school needs, baon, prepare school uniforms, wake them up before time, assignments and the list goes on. There's a lot of things you can do when in June. It may regarded as one of the busiest months of the year aside from December. But thank God for June, it reminds me that kids are growing up. A grade 5 and a Kinder 2, how cool can that be? So, what's special with June? Nothing. Except that you will be driven crazy by all the things included in the list i mentioned and it will, one way or another, exhaust you. Are you ready for June? Because I think I am ... NOT! And migraine visits on the first day of June, gah!

We always stay with the husband's oldies at MIL's place some 15 kilometers away from our very own house. It is because these olds, 4 of them all senior citizens, have no one to be with them and look after them, so as very responsible children, we shouldered the task of looking after them and being with them during the weekdays, only going home to our very own house during the weekends, sometimes, even only once a month. So the long weekend of Lent made us go home, have a small getaway to our very own abode, and enjoy the silent of no senior-citizen-whining. I opened the small box that happen to hold the kids' rubber pool. We had this rubber pool for more than three years already and get to enjoy once a year, only during the Holy Week. As you can see, our simple getaway to home, and not from home is satisfying. It made the husband and me rest, did a movie-marathon finishing at least 5 movies a day that we all enjoyed, when it is Dad's choice, the kids go to their rooms ...

Nothing beats the happiness of a mother who walks up the stage and pins her children ribbons of excellence. Proud as I may of my children, I still want them to be enjoying life in a balanced state. There must be work and play, education and some fun. And despite their staying in the honors list, I want them to stay as humble and as low profile as possible. That is happiness for me. To God be the glory for all things HE has done! Tabebs, First Honors in Kinder 1 Biboy, Academic Honors in Grade 4 Now, what to do this summer? Hmmm... Suggestions please.

The kids are finally here. I have not told you this because the two weeks swiftly went, but my kids went to a short vacation in Iloilo City with their grandmother. And it was a heavy decision to make to let them enjoy vacation without us, since we could not give them the time they want for vacation. I could not leave work because as you can see, I am still earning good points to get a regular post, and the husband also has work to do, what with graduations and his day job too, so I have to ask MIL to join them. So off they went last March 13, we sent them off to Davao and they were quite enjoying every minute until last Wednesday, when MIL texted me the daughter has fever and the son vomits. I was panicky, and I could not settle down, not knowing the situation they are in. It was not until Thursday afternoon that the bad turned to worse and Tabebs was admitted to the hospital. It was not until 8pm when the son was diagnosed with amoebiasis and the daughter could be infected with the sa...

Well, they did it again. I am so proud of my kids. The son who placed 4th last grading period improved this time placing third honors of their class. I was not expecting this because he seems non-cognizant of my rants and reminders of his assignments and studies. Aside from that, the kid has been absent for a while because of fever and some cough. Now, he's made it even a notch higher, just cool! And the daughter, well, I am sorry if I was also mis-informed but she placed second only in their class. But she has also improved her grades, from the first grading's 94.33 to the second grading's 95.16. The first honors topping it with 95.33. Just a few points higher than the daughter's average grade. Oh well, so much for competition, haha. Well, although I really am super happy because of their eagerness and their passion for education, I just want them to enjoy their studies as not everything in this world is a competition. All the same, this makes us proud parents of two b...

What a weekend we had. Last Saturday, it was time for me to do the laundries, and on Sunday, the husband gave me an idea of re-arranging the master’s bedroom, so I gave in after I put off my reading. With a little push and pull, and vacuuming here and there, we managed to squeeze in some fresher air into the bedroom, and the space was kinda’ relaxing already. So I laid down and closed my eyes, until… The kids saw the bedroom and requested theirs to be re-arranged as well, so, again, armed with the broom, vacuum, rags and Lysol, we had to clean their bedroom and re-arrange it too. Until I saw the grin on my kids, a grin of happiness for the nice new way their room was arranged. Until I saw my husband trying to maneuver the living room. Accckkk! So I was forced to clean the sala too, until he got to switch the TV places, and I found myself re-arranging the kitchen. Only this Sunday. One day of supposedly restful sleep and eat, the husband and I made the house a little more excit...

Ngayon lang ako magyayabang, eto po ang aking mga anak, Biboy, 9 and Tabebs, 4. They're into school na, and doing well in their studies. In fact, this Friday, I will be pinning their ribbons again, for doing great! This was taken during the culmination of their Buwan ng Wika, Biboy was part of a chorale recitation while Tabebs was part of the kids' choir. May binata at dalaga na ako in a few years, hayyyyy. Kaya ngayon pa lang, todo bonding na kami, kasi ang bilis ng panahon. I take great pride in my kids, and I want to share them with you. Kayo, what's your greatest pride?

This is my 4 year old daughter. Tabebs as she is called. She's our baby. And she's SHY! NOT! Tabebs, our baby model While we were having a photo shoot for a blog anniversary contest, we made her pose for the dad who was busy with the shutter. And look how she has displayed her poses, and she has all the faces that could melt a heart. She is just a darling. Everything is her own display of character, her own actions, no cue from me or the dad. She's done it with poise and carried herself well in front of the camera, methinks. So, do you think I have a model in the making?

What can be more fascinating than after a day's work, you close your eyes and think of what you have accomplished, count how many people you made happy and how many people made you smile. Each day, when I arrive home, I ask her what achievements she did in school, and she'd just close her mouth and say nothing. She wouldn't tell me the things that kept her busy and activities they had in school. One day, I surprised her in school while they had their lunch break and found she was wearing a medal. I asked the teacher what the medal was for, and she told me that my daughter's been the most behaved girl during the day. And funny thing is, she's been wearing the medal for days already for different reasons at all, like she was the only one who answered the teacher's questions or she was the only one who was quiet that day. These simple joys, after a long tiring day, makes my heart leap. She's me. Physically. She's dad's. Behaviorally. Well, to those who...

I'm kinda' queasy today, for tomorrow, my daughter will be heading to school already. This is her first ever formal schooling, we had enrolled her on summer classes before, Vacation Bible classes too, and the teacher who dealt with her in school recommended her to mid-morning session (the A section). Tomorrow is my daughter's first day of school. Tabebs is entering Kinder 1, we have decided not to enroll her on Nursery because we decided on teaching Tabebs everything that they teach in Nursery. We gave her books and at 3, she already knows how to write her name, better than those who have passed Nursery. She can already count from 1 to 20, and has memorized every color in the color wheel, and even knows a little of addition. But why am I anxious for tomorrow? Because for the first time, Tabebs will be settling for school. And she, being our youngest is still a baby for us. Biboy is entering Grade 4 tomorrow. Look how fast time has sped. In due time, I will be guarding him, ...

God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers. ~Jewish Proverb Dear Biboy and Tabebs, I miss you. While you are only 45 minutes away from me vacationing with your grandmother, I feel an empty space in my heart. It was only Thursday when you left, but I already feel the drowning silence inside our house. You wished for a vacation to meet your friends, one you don't always meet on regular days because of your parent's works. And now that I allowed you to go, it seems as if a hole is tearing me apart, I miss your laughters and shouts. I miss your kisses and hugs, and I miss reading bedtime stories to you. I miss cooking for you, I miss everything about you including you nasty acts. I just want you to know that I may never be the perfect mom for you, but I swear I am doing everything I can to give you the best things life can offer you. When you were still babies, I have kept you softly and securely in my arms, never allowing a single insect to come near you. Now ...

My Ode to the Sea And with a stroke of luck I am handed a few extras, i will surely want to stay for a day or two by the sea, to be content with only you and me. The good sea, in all its majesty, Awaits for me patiently. But for now it cannot be, since the 2 of our offsprings, to school they will be. This June, it's the 2 of them I mind, I cannot dig up my pocket as deep as I can find. So the good sea will remain to me, one desire my heart longs for, But when the kids are fine and God opens the door, The sea I will conquer and maybe even more. Days of rest are days of best, When I am with you, the kids in our nest. These happy days are here to stay, and will bring to me the better pay... You, me, and them...just living, simply happy. And with the good sea, I mean: 1) Coron, Palawan 2) Bantayan Island, Cebu 3) Boracay Island, Aklan So, soonest as I hope, i will conten...

The Holy Week went through unnoticed. It was too fast-paced that we hadn't really experienced a satisfying rest. A lot of unexpected things came, some happy, mostly sad. First off, one precious thing left us, one I cannot disclose here on my blog because I promised my eldest son, none of it will be posted. It hurts him that much. So during the Holy Thursday and Good Friday, we were just home, having a DVD marathon and playing Uno with the kids. We ate and slept as we decided not to fast, but to feast in order to recover lost stamina during the lengthy days we were working overtime for graduation needs. Last Saturday, we went home to MIL's place, we stayed there until Sunday but that Saturday night was a nightmare. Tabebs woke up in the middle of the night crying heaps and complaining about a painful chest. I didn't know what to do, she was having mild fever and coughs, but the pain near the chest area was something I did not understand. I had a sleepless Saturday, I took to...

Dear Kuya, When you were born, I could not explain the joy I felt. You have made me and Dad the happiest people in the world that time. It was your first cry that led me to the realization that life is beautiful and I must live it to the fullest. it was your first smile that gave us utmost happiness, and it was your first pain that gave us the worst fear. Now that you're 9, I have never felt so proud of myself for rearing you to be a good, industrious and handsome boy. Although there are times you disobey me, and you fail to make your assignments on time, I know those were times you test my patience. And it is but normal that kids like you give their moms some slight headache. Now that you're 9, and some girls now call you on the phone, I just pray that the Lord make you a channel of His blessings to others. I just want you to shine to the best of your ability, not to make me and Dad happy but to make life easy for you when you grow up. There's nothing more I can ask from...

Tabebs and her many faces! Isn't she adorable?

One with birds and animals are one of my kids' favorite places to go to for their leisurely travels, so with this in mind, hubby and I ended the summer with a blast in going to this place, Dolores Farm Resort, in Polomolok, South Cotabato. Birds with different colors, some parrots and pigeons are displayed there in their cages. And the kids were so amazed at what they saw. Deers are there too, and they look so at peace. I dunno what this bird is called but I was thinking they may be family of the emu. Nicely combed hair eh? And the playground too, this is where we stayed longer because the kids enjoyed playing in the see-saw, the swing too. Nice style no? I bet you would want to make use of your wine bottles now, and do them up like the way this is done. Go now, save Mother Earth. There's this pond where some Pangaseus fishes are cared for. And what nice recipe for Pangaseus, Dolores has them in store in their resto. This is the resto, and we had lunch here. Lovely place, alth...