Today, they’ve lit up the streets of Makati. Saw it on TV. It brought back beautiful memories of my Dad driving us along Ayala/Paseo de Roxas in our good old VW Beetle when we were little.
Back then, we never shopped in Makati. Christmas shopping was done in Cubao (then later on SM City – now North Edsa). But the folks made it a point to drive us through the bright lights. It made me feel even more “Christmassy”.
I can still vividly recall how the whole experience felt as I stuck my neck out, head peeking thru the car window from behind Daddy’s seat. Ah, all was well.
Maybe Hubby and I can bring along the 3 little ones for a “drive-thru” one night.
Showing posts with label kids. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kids. Show all posts
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
Dearest A,
Driving to L_____ this morning gave me much time to pause and think. I realize how increasingly difficult it has become to discipline our three kids. Each has his or her own unique personality, and for reasons that are still unclear to me, they seem to put on their worst behavior whenever we are around. An attempt at catching our attention? Probably.
I also thought about what happened last night when the kids were noisily playing on our bed and they woke you up from your sleep, causing you to kick the Big Boy’s toys off the bed. I know you did not mean to do it. Please bear with me as I share with you some of my thoughts. I admit I am far from being a patient mother myself. Just an hour before that incident, I threw the empty alcohol bottle to show how displeased I was that Little One played with and wasted my stuff again. I have huge planks in my eye that need to be weeded out. I write this because we are a team. And as a team, our aim is to raise and love our kids the best way we can.
I found the incident a very sad moment. When the toys flew off of the bed and landed on the floor, the Big Boy did not show any change in the expression on his face. He had spent a considerable amount of time arranging those toys to make them look like a ship… you know how fond he is of building things. After the incident, he neither showed anger nor hurt, not even surprise. I found it very sad that he simply went about picking up his toys and rearranging them as if having toys thrown off beds was a most natural and ordinary occurrence in our home.
You and I both work very hard to give them the best and most comfortable life we can give. Sometimes, it makes us too tired to listen to their tiny and mundane concerns and, I speak for myself here hon, I admit that most days it is easier to just lie in bed and read my book or Facebook than to listen or spend time with them. You’re better off as I can see your effort in taking time to read them storybooks. I am guilty and today I pray to the Lord that He would send all the help we need so we can be the parents that He has meant us to be. As I’ve read somewhere, no amount of success can compensate for failure in the home. If I become a successful ______gist but turn out to be a bad mother, I would consider my life a complete waste. May God bless us both and teach us always. I love you so much.
K
I also thought about what happened last night when the kids were noisily playing on our bed and they woke you up from your sleep, causing you to kick the Big Boy’s toys off the bed. I know you did not mean to do it. Please bear with me as I share with you some of my thoughts. I admit I am far from being a patient mother myself. Just an hour before that incident, I threw the empty alcohol bottle to show how displeased I was that Little One played with and wasted my stuff again. I have huge planks in my eye that need to be weeded out. I write this because we are a team. And as a team, our aim is to raise and love our kids the best way we can.
I found the incident a very sad moment. When the toys flew off of the bed and landed on the floor, the Big Boy did not show any change in the expression on his face. He had spent a considerable amount of time arranging those toys to make them look like a ship… you know how fond he is of building things. After the incident, he neither showed anger nor hurt, not even surprise. I found it very sad that he simply went about picking up his toys and rearranging them as if having toys thrown off beds was a most natural and ordinary occurrence in our home.
You and I both work very hard to give them the best and most comfortable life we can give. Sometimes, it makes us too tired to listen to their tiny and mundane concerns and, I speak for myself here hon, I admit that most days it is easier to just lie in bed and read my book or Facebook than to listen or spend time with them. You’re better off as I can see your effort in taking time to read them storybooks. I am guilty and today I pray to the Lord that He would send all the help we need so we can be the parents that He has meant us to be. As I’ve read somewhere, no amount of success can compensate for failure in the home. If I become a successful ______gist but turn out to be a bad mother, I would consider my life a complete waste. May God bless us both and teach us always. I love you so much.
K
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Loving Thy Neighbor
I have decided to make good use of my time at home. I set out to teach our youngest her ABCs, and to help our 4-year-old to master writing her name.
It’s embarrassing. Our youngest, now three, does not know her ABCs. Her Kuya knew all 26 letters by heart at that age. I do not remember consciously teaching him the alphabet because two years ago, I was buried deep in work/training, hospital duty, and innumerable other tasks. But I surrounded him with a lot of books on the alphabet, and flashcards.
The flashcards are now long gone, hapless victims of the kids’ rough-handling. The books I very well remember. One of those was exactly the same as the one I had when I was little.
When I was very young, parents and titas showered me with gifts of books. I will never forget my big, hardboard set of Froebel-Kan books. As a little kid, I remember staring endlessly at the pretty, very detailed pictures of the frog and the princess and their sumptuous royal dinner. The same set of books were also very useful as shelter for my teddy bear and dolls; because they were very stiff, I would make the books stand up as walls, and I could manage to put another book as roof on the top. As I learned how to read, I discovered my insatiable appetite for books and read them countless times.
Imagine how delighted I was when I chanced upon exactly the same set of hardboard books at a Goodwill bookstore a few years ago. And they were on sale! I grabbed as many as my budget allowed. As soon as I got home, I stuck a sticker that bore my kids’ names (two, at that time) on each of the books’ cover. I’d like to think the two elder kids enjoyed them. I got a kick out of reading to them or simply seeing them staring at the pictures.
Now, we had a helper for almost two years whose sister lived in the same compound, just two doors away from us. This sister had a son, and later a daughter, just a bit younger than our kids. (Can you now see where I am going?). Last year, one of the yayas reported that she could not cut the kids’ nails because the small nailclipper was missing. It made me very angry to discover that the yaya had to go to the other house whenever one of our kids had to have their nails clipped to “borrow” what was rightfully ours. I confronted the helper… it was ugly, and after that the nailclipper magically reappeared.
Later on, hubby found out the same helper had been bringing food out of the house. Now, now… I know we were better off than her sister’s family; the husband worked for a hardware store and was probably earning minimum wage. But that did not give them reason to take what was not rightfully theirs. Also, we regularly shared food (cake, sweets) and old but still decently usable kids’ clothes and shoes for the sister’s kids.
Fast forward to the present. The helper is, thankfully, no longer with us. As soon as she left, we found out that a lot of Kuya’s beloved toy cars were gone. Some of their other toys are missing. Miraculously, our groceries now last much, much, much longer than before. We couldn’t help but notice. The detergent, which before lasted not longer than a week, now can sustain us up to two weeks! Even the oil, produce, rice… everything lasted longer than before. This confirmed our suspicions. And one of our yayas allegedly saw some of the kids’ toys and books in the other house. They were all battered up and when the yaya dared to ask the sister why those books were there, she said, “Itatapon na ang mga ‘yan ni ___ (helper’s name)”.
I was very angry but decided against confronting them. One never wins such arguments. They will always be defensive and feel “api”. For a while I stopped smiling at the sister, stopped acknowledging her when we ran into each other in the compound. But later, I again started giving her small smiles.
Today, with the exam over, I began looking for the kids’ alphabet books, particularly the hardboard one. It was gone! I was very mad (again). Mad at the helper who’s long gone. Mad at the neighbor. And mad at myself. Did I think that our youngest will just learn the alphabet all by herself? She is very smart and has a vocabulary that never ceases to amaze me, but sadly, does not know A from B from C.
This afternoon, I will be going out on a much-anticipated date with my sister. I will make sure to drop by the bookstore to replenish our stocks. And order Robee stickers to label them with the kids’ names, hoping that this time, the labels will work.
Loving one’s neighbors is not a very easy thing to do.
It’s embarrassing. Our youngest, now three, does not know her ABCs. Her Kuya knew all 26 letters by heart at that age. I do not remember consciously teaching him the alphabet because two years ago, I was buried deep in work/training, hospital duty, and innumerable other tasks. But I surrounded him with a lot of books on the alphabet, and flashcards.
The flashcards are now long gone, hapless victims of the kids’ rough-handling. The books I very well remember. One of those was exactly the same as the one I had when I was little.
When I was very young, parents and titas showered me with gifts of books. I will never forget my big, hardboard set of Froebel-Kan books. As a little kid, I remember staring endlessly at the pretty, very detailed pictures of the frog and the princess and their sumptuous royal dinner. The same set of books were also very useful as shelter for my teddy bear and dolls; because they were very stiff, I would make the books stand up as walls, and I could manage to put another book as roof on the top. As I learned how to read, I discovered my insatiable appetite for books and read them countless times.
Imagine how delighted I was when I chanced upon exactly the same set of hardboard books at a Goodwill bookstore a few years ago. And they were on sale! I grabbed as many as my budget allowed. As soon as I got home, I stuck a sticker that bore my kids’ names (two, at that time) on each of the books’ cover. I’d like to think the two elder kids enjoyed them. I got a kick out of reading to them or simply seeing them staring at the pictures.
Now, we had a helper for almost two years whose sister lived in the same compound, just two doors away from us. This sister had a son, and later a daughter, just a bit younger than our kids. (Can you now see where I am going?). Last year, one of the yayas reported that she could not cut the kids’ nails because the small nailclipper was missing. It made me very angry to discover that the yaya had to go to the other house whenever one of our kids had to have their nails clipped to “borrow” what was rightfully ours. I confronted the helper… it was ugly, and after that the nailclipper magically reappeared.
Later on, hubby found out the same helper had been bringing food out of the house. Now, now… I know we were better off than her sister’s family; the husband worked for a hardware store and was probably earning minimum wage. But that did not give them reason to take what was not rightfully theirs. Also, we regularly shared food (cake, sweets) and old but still decently usable kids’ clothes and shoes for the sister’s kids.
Fast forward to the present. The helper is, thankfully, no longer with us. As soon as she left, we found out that a lot of Kuya’s beloved toy cars were gone. Some of their other toys are missing. Miraculously, our groceries now last much, much, much longer than before. We couldn’t help but notice. The detergent, which before lasted not longer than a week, now can sustain us up to two weeks! Even the oil, produce, rice… everything lasted longer than before. This confirmed our suspicions. And one of our yayas allegedly saw some of the kids’ toys and books in the other house. They were all battered up and when the yaya dared to ask the sister why those books were there, she said, “Itatapon na ang mga ‘yan ni ___ (helper’s name)”.
I was very angry but decided against confronting them. One never wins such arguments. They will always be defensive and feel “api”. For a while I stopped smiling at the sister, stopped acknowledging her when we ran into each other in the compound. But later, I again started giving her small smiles.
Today, with the exam over, I began looking for the kids’ alphabet books, particularly the hardboard one. It was gone! I was very mad (again). Mad at the helper who’s long gone. Mad at the neighbor. And mad at myself. Did I think that our youngest will just learn the alphabet all by herself? She is very smart and has a vocabulary that never ceases to amaze me, but sadly, does not know A from B from C.
This afternoon, I will be going out on a much-anticipated date with my sister. I will make sure to drop by the bookstore to replenish our stocks. And order Robee stickers to label them with the kids’ names, hoping that this time, the labels will work.
Loving one’s neighbors is not a very easy thing to do.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Flowers. So soon.
A strange thing happened today. When the kids came home from school at noon, the yaya came up to me and said, “Ate, dalaga na po ang anak n’yo”. My first thought was… what? She had her menses?! Then she handed me a bouquet of 3 pink roses, in full bloom. Normally, the sight of flowers would have elicited feelings of happiness and pleasure. Definitely not this time. The next thing that came to my mind was - what the? I found this strange because the first ever bouquet of flowers I got was at age 22… and it had come from my now hubby.
Our 4-year-old is very pretty. I knew it the first time I laid eyes on her at the nursery the day after I had given birth. She had thick, shiny, dark hair; big, round eyes; and, very pink, dainty lips. Wish I could say she got these from me. She actually took after my mother. Mommy has always been a looker. I remember feeling elated when people say we look alike, and this did not happen very often. More often, I get - oh, you’re mom is prettier than you. My sister and I have gotten used to remarks like these and take no offense.
Anyway, I always knew our Little Girl would be breaking some hearts when she grows up. Countless times, I’ve teased her father about it, warning him, saying he better start bracing himself for the time when guys come knocking on the door because of his two daughters (I pray that that - knocking on the parents’ door - would be still the norm). But, one big BUT, I never thought that this would happen this soon! I thought, what in the world were this boy’s parents thinking? Apparently, the boy’s yaya told our yaya that last night, he cried and insisted that his parents bring him to the mall so he could pick flowers for our girl. And they did exactly that.
Trying my best to act as normally as possible, I told our Little Girl that the flowers were nice and matter-of-factly asked who the giver was. She said she didn’t know. She looked unhappy, even miserable. I asked why she was given flowers and she said she didn’t know. Minutes later, she told me that she was scared and didn’t want to go back to school. Why, did they tease you? She said no. The yaya said that as they stood outside the classroom and the boy came out, our Little Girl looked scared and pulled at her and said ‘Let’s go’.
It bothered me a bit that it affected her this way. Maybe the extra attention, the way she was being singled out, frightened her. But I am also quite relieved. Had she looked thrilled or flattered like a teenager, I would be pulling my hair right now and beating on my chest. Her reaction was a reminder to me that my girl is still the innocent baby that she’s always been. Minutes later, I heard her characteristic loud, hearty laugh from the other room; a cartoon cracked her up. Big sigh of relief.
There. I have gotten over it. Now, I can’t wait to see her Daddy’s face when he comes home tonight.
Our 4-year-old is very pretty. I knew it the first time I laid eyes on her at the nursery the day after I had given birth. She had thick, shiny, dark hair; big, round eyes; and, very pink, dainty lips. Wish I could say she got these from me. She actually took after my mother. Mommy has always been a looker. I remember feeling elated when people say we look alike, and this did not happen very often. More often, I get - oh, you’re mom is prettier than you. My sister and I have gotten used to remarks like these and take no offense.
Anyway, I always knew our Little Girl would be breaking some hearts when she grows up. Countless times, I’ve teased her father about it, warning him, saying he better start bracing himself for the time when guys come knocking on the door because of his two daughters (I pray that that - knocking on the parents’ door - would be still the norm). But, one big BUT, I never thought that this would happen this soon! I thought, what in the world were this boy’s parents thinking? Apparently, the boy’s yaya told our yaya that last night, he cried and insisted that his parents bring him to the mall so he could pick flowers for our girl. And they did exactly that.
Trying my best to act as normally as possible, I told our Little Girl that the flowers were nice and matter-of-factly asked who the giver was. She said she didn’t know. She looked unhappy, even miserable. I asked why she was given flowers and she said she didn’t know. Minutes later, she told me that she was scared and didn’t want to go back to school. Why, did they tease you? She said no. The yaya said that as they stood outside the classroom and the boy came out, our Little Girl looked scared and pulled at her and said ‘Let’s go’.
It bothered me a bit that it affected her this way. Maybe the extra attention, the way she was being singled out, frightened her. But I am also quite relieved. Had she looked thrilled or flattered like a teenager, I would be pulling my hair right now and beating on my chest. Her reaction was a reminder to me that my girl is still the innocent baby that she’s always been. Minutes later, I heard her characteristic loud, hearty laugh from the other room; a cartoon cracked her up. Big sigh of relief.
There. I have gotten over it. Now, I can’t wait to see her Daddy’s face when he comes home tonight.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Yesterday, Teacher M asked to speak to us about our 4-year-old Ate. She told hubby na medyo maingay daw sa klase. And nahihirapan pa sa pagsulat ng pangalan n’ya. Nababaliktad (jumbled) yung mga letra. And she still stammers occasionally when she gets too excited (we almost do not see this at home anymore... a big improvement).
So we will try to be more diligent abut her practicing her writing. I noticed a couple months ago that she gets her letters mixed up; I was getting worried about dyslexia but friends say she’s too young to be expected to write her name consistently. (Kuya was an exception; his language skills lagged behind but his writing skills were far advanced).
After a few weeks of practice, if she still shows no improvement, we might have to do some serious intervention such as writing tutorial (care of a SPED or an OT... maybe at the center in Makati where she and her Kuya used to go for their speech therapy). If it still doesn’t work… and I hope we wouldn’t reach that point, we might have to get a professional help/evaluation.
So we will try to be more diligent abut her practicing her writing. I noticed a couple months ago that she gets her letters mixed up; I was getting worried about dyslexia but friends say she’s too young to be expected to write her name consistently. (Kuya was an exception; his language skills lagged behind but his writing skills were far advanced).
After a few weeks of practice, if she still shows no improvement, we might have to do some serious intervention such as writing tutorial (care of a SPED or an OT... maybe at the center in Makati where she and her Kuya used to go for their speech therapy). If it still doesn’t work… and I hope we wouldn’t reach that point, we might have to get a professional help/evaluation.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Kids Speak
Our 4-year-old: Mommy, (looking intently at my ear) I think maybe you should not let your friends see your ear.
Me: Why?
Our 4-year-old: Cause maybe they will think it’s dirty but it’s not dirty… it’s sugat.
Few days ago, over dinner...
Our 5-year-old: Daddy, your van is making the air dirty because it’s old. Maybe we should buy a new one.
Me: Why?
Our 4-year-old: Cause maybe they will think it’s dirty but it’s not dirty… it’s sugat.
Few days ago, over dinner...
Our 5-year-old: Daddy, your van is making the air dirty because it’s old. Maybe we should buy a new one.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
It's a beatiful morning!
I took a nap from midnight to 3 AM, and then stayed up until 6:30 AM to read and study some, to surf the net, and be with the little boy - meds, spongebath, plenty of water, some biscuits, and gave in to every whim. He wanted his pillow turned every so often as he said they become too hot for his head, and requested for the fan, then the aircon, then the fan again… he asked for his blanket to wrapped around his feet, etc. I then gargled warm saline as I have begun sneezing and my throat felt sore and, then went back to bed and heard the rain pouring hard as I slept.
At 9 AM, the sun came out as I ate my breakfast and took my medications. The two girls have finished their breakfast and were up and bright, sharing a pack of Super Thins while watching Nick Jr. The little boy was able to eat and keep down his breakfast, and has agreed to wash up. Hubby was downstairs working on his computer, contemplating whether he should go to the office to get some important files or not, while we delegated cooking assignments. I have been tasked to cook tinola for lunch and he volunteered to take charge of supper. The tinnitus still keeps me company but I have gotten quite accustomed to it; it becomes more tolerable when I am relaxed.
Thank You, Lord. Now I am off to study. Have to read as much as I can before the viral infection manifests all out. Paspaaaas! ☺
At 9 AM, the sun came out as I ate my breakfast and took my medications. The two girls have finished their breakfast and were up and bright, sharing a pack of Super Thins while watching Nick Jr. The little boy was able to eat and keep down his breakfast, and has agreed to wash up. Hubby was downstairs working on his computer, contemplating whether he should go to the office to get some important files or not, while we delegated cooking assignments. I have been tasked to cook tinola for lunch and he volunteered to take charge of supper. The tinnitus still keeps me company but I have gotten quite accustomed to it; it becomes more tolerable when I am relaxed.
Thank You, Lord. Now I am off to study. Have to read as much as I can before the viral infection manifests all out. Paspaaaas! ☺
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Too Much TV
I do realize now that I let the kids watch too much TV. Tonight, at the dinner table, I was asking my son how his day at school went. He refused to answer the query and said, “Later, Mommy. I will be right back”.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Precious Gift
Today, while looking at Ate as she was puttering around, barefoot, with her toys and siblings, I couldn’t help but notice how pretty she is. Her face was sweaty and her baby hairs stuck to her forehead. What a precious gift! What precious gifts these children are.
Friday, May 22, 2009
On American Idol, favorite vegetable, and St. Paul
I am so behind everybody. This morning, the finale of American Idol was on TV live. Didn’t bother to wake up and tune in that early… not that into it.
Now I watch the episode before the finale (a replay, onviously) and I am dying to know who wins. I am totally for Kris… just cannot take Adam’s screaming… it drives me crazy. His screaming + the jackhammer drilling on at our next door neighbor’s = this headache and muscle tension I feel around my nape! Glad I have one more Myonal tablet in my purse.
OVERHEARD:
I was making some chit-chat with the two girls, trying to make up for my being distracted and wrapped up in my review. I asked Kat what her favorite vegetable was. Answer: “Hmmm, sibuyas!”. LOL.
Yesterday, was the first time after quite a while that I actually knelt down, kept quiet and prayed to God. The peace that comes from bonding with Him is priceless and I am truly grateful that He is always, always available to me even if I do not often make myself available to Him.
I have been reading Scripture… short bits and pieces… everyday for the past month or so. God’s Word never ceases to amaze me. I am so sick of hearing the word ‘amazing’ as it has been overused and über-abused, but right now I cannot find any other word that would most aptly describe how I feel about it. His Word rings true and I feel honored and privileged to be able to read it and ponder it. I especially love King David’s Psalms and the books written by St. Paul. When he (St. Paul) speaks, I feel like he knows how I feel and he knows where I’m coming from. I feel his empathy. God has been blessing me with this insatiable appetite for His Word and I am really thankful.
Now I watch the episode before the finale (a replay, onviously) and I am dying to know who wins. I am totally for Kris… just cannot take Adam’s screaming… it drives me crazy. His screaming + the jackhammer drilling on at our next door neighbor’s = this headache and muscle tension I feel around my nape! Glad I have one more Myonal tablet in my purse.
OVERHEARD:
I was making some chit-chat with the two girls, trying to make up for my being distracted and wrapped up in my review. I asked Kat what her favorite vegetable was. Answer: “Hmmm, sibuyas!”. LOL.
Yesterday, was the first time after quite a while that I actually knelt down, kept quiet and prayed to God. The peace that comes from bonding with Him is priceless and I am truly grateful that He is always, always available to me even if I do not often make myself available to Him.
I have been reading Scripture… short bits and pieces… everyday for the past month or so. God’s Word never ceases to amaze me. I am so sick of hearing the word ‘amazing’ as it has been overused and über-abused, but right now I cannot find any other word that would most aptly describe how I feel about it. His Word rings true and I feel honored and privileged to be able to read it and ponder it. I especially love King David’s Psalms and the books written by St. Paul. When he (St. Paul) speaks, I feel like he knows how I feel and he knows where I’m coming from. I feel his empathy. God has been blessing me with this insatiable appetite for His Word and I am really thankful.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Kids say the darnest things!
Happy birthday to Mommy dear!
Last night, hubby and Kuya went to the wake of a friend’s dad.
When they got there, Kuya said, “Daddy, where are the hand-clips?” He was looking for the stand for the mass cards. Now that tells us we’ve been to far too many wakes since late last year.
And as they were saying their goodbyes to the bereaved, Kuya said to the friend, “Bye! Thank you. Have fun!”
Hahaha.
Last night, hubby and Kuya went to the wake of a friend’s dad.
When they got there, Kuya said, “Daddy, where are the hand-clips?” He was looking for the stand for the mass cards. Now that tells us we’ve been to far too many wakes since late last year.
And as they were saying their goodbyes to the bereaved, Kuya said to the friend, “Bye! Thank you. Have fun!”
Hahaha.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Missing Two Front Teeth
Today I realized that there really is no use worrying. None at all!
The girl was scheduled for her first dental extraction.
The dentist had to pull out her two front teeth. I was worried sick that she might cry or feel awful about having lost her teeth. I prepared her for the inevitable, “The dentist needs to take out the big germ and the sick tooth”.
When we got home and she woke up from her sleep, the Little One and I waited anxiously as the girl took the mirror from my hand and saw herself for the first time. I braced myself as she looked… and then she laughed out loud, saying “Look, I have no teeth!” Her little sister and I laughed out loud, too, as I sighed this big sigh of relief.
Later during the day, when her Dad asked how she was feeling, she gave him this big grin and said, “I look like a lola!”. Wish I could be as big a sport as she has been today.
Kids. Sometimes they do a better job of teaching us grown-ups than vice versa.
The girl was scheduled for her first dental extraction.
The dentist had to pull out her two front teeth. I was worried sick that she might cry or feel awful about having lost her teeth. I prepared her for the inevitable, “The dentist needs to take out the big germ and the sick tooth”.
When we got home and she woke up from her sleep, the Little One and I waited anxiously as the girl took the mirror from my hand and saw herself for the first time. I braced myself as she looked… and then she laughed out loud, saying “Look, I have no teeth!” Her little sister and I laughed out loud, too, as I sighed this big sigh of relief.
Later during the day, when her Dad asked how she was feeling, she gave him this big grin and said, “I look like a lola!”. Wish I could be as big a sport as she has been today.
Kids. Sometimes they do a better job of teaching us grown-ups than vice versa.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Overheard
Ate: Mommy, why does Barney have no ears, ha? Why?
Me: Uhmm… (stumped)
Kuya: Because he’s a dinosaur!
Kids. They ask the simplest and toughest questions. And they give out the answers to these, too. Ba’t nga ba walang tenga ang tabachoy na dinosaur na yun?
Speaking of ‘tabachoy’, Kuya & I were going over some 3-letter words from a game that my friend gave the kids. When it came to ‘fat’ there was this drawing of a, well, a fat lady with very wide hips.
Kuya’s guess when it came to that picture: “Uhmm… hippo?”. I couldn’t help laughing.
By the way, we are guilty of making fun of Kuya’s difficulty speaking Tagalog. Yesterday, his dev ped said that it was high time we practiced his Tagalog since his English is now fluent. He would definitely need it for school (and I agree). He can comprehend but, unlike his little sisters who can easily switch from one to the other (most of the time), he has much difficulty expressing himself. I tell him – pag Tagalog ka kinausap, Tagalog ang sagot. This morning I asked him, “Asan mga kapatid mo?”. He paused, hesitated and then said, “In the other room po.” Funny that he thought adding a ‘po’ would make it Tagalog.
I got a wake up jolt though about how hard this really must be for him when his Dad asked him why he didn’t want to speak in Tagalog. He said, “Because I’m scared”. I felt sorry for him and remembered times when I was a little girl and got too scared of speaking in English for fear of making a mistake (and being laughed at). He hears us laughing at his mistakes. I know now that what we find amusing is actually embarrassing on his part. Poor thing! Hubby thinks we should continue to speak to him in English. I think we should start talking to him more in Tagalog but not force him nor pressure him into answering in Tagalog. Doing so might cause him to clam up, talk less, and we’ll end up where we started. Hay.
Me: Uhmm… (stumped)
Kuya: Because he’s a dinosaur!
Kids. They ask the simplest and toughest questions. And they give out the answers to these, too. Ba’t nga ba walang tenga ang tabachoy na dinosaur na yun?
Speaking of ‘tabachoy’, Kuya & I were going over some 3-letter words from a game that my friend gave the kids. When it came to ‘fat’ there was this drawing of a, well, a fat lady with very wide hips.
Kuya’s guess when it came to that picture: “Uhmm… hippo?”. I couldn’t help laughing.
By the way, we are guilty of making fun of Kuya’s difficulty speaking Tagalog. Yesterday, his dev ped said that it was high time we practiced his Tagalog since his English is now fluent. He would definitely need it for school (and I agree). He can comprehend but, unlike his little sisters who can easily switch from one to the other (most of the time), he has much difficulty expressing himself. I tell him – pag Tagalog ka kinausap, Tagalog ang sagot. This morning I asked him, “Asan mga kapatid mo?”. He paused, hesitated and then said, “In the other room po.” Funny that he thought adding a ‘po’ would make it Tagalog.
I got a wake up jolt though about how hard this really must be for him when his Dad asked him why he didn’t want to speak in Tagalog. He said, “Because I’m scared”. I felt sorry for him and remembered times when I was a little girl and got too scared of speaking in English for fear of making a mistake (and being laughed at). He hears us laughing at his mistakes. I know now that what we find amusing is actually embarrassing on his part. Poor thing! Hubby thinks we should continue to speak to him in English. I think we should start talking to him more in Tagalog but not force him nor pressure him into answering in Tagalog. Doing so might cause him to clam up, talk less, and we’ll end up where we started. Hay.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Glass Half-Full/Belly Laugh
I am feeling grouchy right now because I am tired and sleep-deprived. We spent the morning queuing up at the hospital for the nanny’s menorrhagia. With a friend’s help, we were able to accomplish everything in half the time. It’s AUB r/o PCOD. I feel relieved and will wait for her ultrasound scheduled on April 21.
Time to concentrate on the positive…
The afternoon we spent in UE for Kuya’s reevaluation with his developmental pedia. Turns out this is his last! Yehey! He has finally graduated from his speech therapy. Hubby and I are very happy. It’s not just the money that’s saved. Personally, I could not believe how we have finally come to this place. It seems like only yesterday when I sat in the doctor’s office, crying in disbelief after being told that my son has autism. It felt like my hopes and dreams for him all crashed down on me. What's worse: I had to take the bad news all by myself because hubby was out of the country on a business trip. Fast forward to today. After two years of innumerable therapy sessions, doctor visits and, not to mention, hundreds of thousands of pesos’ worth of fees and taxi cab fare… we finally made it. Our little Kuya is no different from his classmates, one of the “normal” kids in school. He talks a lot, is very inquisitive and curious, and has learned to answer ‘why’ questions and relay events. Praised be God for making all of this possible!
Overheard: As the Little One reached out for her newly-opened Yakult, she said to her nanny – “Yatult o. ‘To mo?” (Yakult, o. Gusto mo?). And when she saw that it was frozen, she said, “Hindi soup o”, which probably meant that it wasn’t liquid.
Ate has changed a lot. We now see less of her tantrums and often catch her sitting quietly, reading a book or playing with her dolls or her small kitchen. She proudly told me that she was cleaning her kitchen as she wiped it with her, uh, wipes. When I asked if she wanted to clean our kitchen, she asked, “the big kitchen?” while raising her arms out wide. I said yes. She said, “Um, no.” Haha.
Hubby is busy, busy, busy this week. Badminton late nights 4 days a week, up to past midnight mostly. Meetings – PTA, conference calls, etc. Boss’ surprise birthday party. When he comes home I am either too sleepy to talk or so engrossed in my book (or facebook). At least we had a little bonding time while he watched Judy Ann’s ‘Esperanza’ on Cinema One last night, with who else but Wowie de Guzman and Spencer what’s-his-name on the side. Saya. (Cringe).
Have to go.
Addendum (8 hours later):
It feels great to have a belly laugh! One that brings tears to my eyes. I do not get these things often, maybe once in 4 to 6 weeks? (uh-oh, not good). Anyway, the kids and I chanced upon this show ‘Wipeout’ which is pretty much like Takeshi Castle but funnier because of the very witty narration minus the guilt of having to laugh at fellow Asians (read: Japanese).
Now I feel relaxed and have managed to totally forget about my exam for an hour. Simply put – I feel happier! ‘Yo, awesome, dude!’ as the Little One would say it (I overheard her saying this to herself as she was going up the stairs. Kids watched Finding Nemo today).
Time to concentrate on the positive…
The afternoon we spent in UE for Kuya’s reevaluation with his developmental pedia. Turns out this is his last! Yehey! He has finally graduated from his speech therapy. Hubby and I are very happy. It’s not just the money that’s saved. Personally, I could not believe how we have finally come to this place. It seems like only yesterday when I sat in the doctor’s office, crying in disbelief after being told that my son has autism. It felt like my hopes and dreams for him all crashed down on me. What's worse: I had to take the bad news all by myself because hubby was out of the country on a business trip. Fast forward to today. After two years of innumerable therapy sessions, doctor visits and, not to mention, hundreds of thousands of pesos’ worth of fees and taxi cab fare… we finally made it. Our little Kuya is no different from his classmates, one of the “normal” kids in school. He talks a lot, is very inquisitive and curious, and has learned to answer ‘why’ questions and relay events. Praised be God for making all of this possible!
Overheard: As the Little One reached out for her newly-opened Yakult, she said to her nanny – “Yatult o. ‘To mo?” (Yakult, o. Gusto mo?). And when she saw that it was frozen, she said, “Hindi soup o”, which probably meant that it wasn’t liquid.
Ate has changed a lot. We now see less of her tantrums and often catch her sitting quietly, reading a book or playing with her dolls or her small kitchen. She proudly told me that she was cleaning her kitchen as she wiped it with her, uh, wipes. When I asked if she wanted to clean our kitchen, she asked, “the big kitchen?” while raising her arms out wide. I said yes. She said, “Um, no.” Haha.
Hubby is busy, busy, busy this week. Badminton late nights 4 days a week, up to past midnight mostly. Meetings – PTA, conference calls, etc. Boss’ surprise birthday party. When he comes home I am either too sleepy to talk or so engrossed in my book (or facebook). At least we had a little bonding time while he watched Judy Ann’s ‘Esperanza’ on Cinema One last night, with who else but Wowie de Guzman and Spencer what’s-his-name on the side. Saya. (Cringe).
Have to go.
Addendum (8 hours later):
It feels great to have a belly laugh! One that brings tears to my eyes. I do not get these things often, maybe once in 4 to 6 weeks? (uh-oh, not good). Anyway, the kids and I chanced upon this show ‘Wipeout’ which is pretty much like Takeshi Castle but funnier because of the very witty narration minus the guilt of having to laugh at fellow Asians (read: Japanese).
Now I feel relaxed and have managed to totally forget about my exam for an hour. Simply put – I feel happier! ‘Yo, awesome, dude!’ as the Little One would say it (I overheard her saying this to herself as she was going up the stairs. Kids watched Finding Nemo today).
Monday, November 3, 2008
A work in progress, indeed
Today has been a good one. Finally, we were able to take the time to buy the kids new school bags. Kuya's (elder brother's) bag has become too small and is breaking apart. Ate's (elder sister) is also old and scratched and cannot manage to fit the toys she manages to sneak out of the house and into the schoolroom.
We spent the early afternoon taking a nap while Kuya & Ate watched Dora. Bunso (our youngest daughter) fell asleep on my legs. We then had some snacks - chips, cornicks, candied tamarind (very healthy, I might add) before we got dressed, heard Sunday mass, then rushed to the mall.
Bought the bags, rubber shoes for the Bunso, casual flats for Ate, some new school socks, and shirts for an upcoming family reunion where we all had to wear "christmas green" (don't ask why).
We then had spaghetti, pizza, & chicken. It was fun and for the first time, I realized, that the kids have begun to interact with each other. I mean really interact. They tease & bug each other, call each other names, hug, push, hit... they're growing up really fast. Indeed, the days are long but the years are short. (http://www.happiness-project.com/). But that's an entirely different blog.
The kids then had so much fun riding this teeny weeny carousel (while the nannies & I tried not to throw up our dinner). Hubby then bought me this plastic box (the long one that is meant to be kept under your bed) that I plan to use for storage of some of my notes/books so I can free up some of the clutter on my desk. The kids then had fun playing with balloons (freebies from a shoestore) and shrieking and running around the mall. Finally, we stopped for some donuts and headed for home.
When we got home, I was feeling pretty good about myself and what we've accomplished as I moved their school stuff from the old bags to the new ones when I realized that, to my horror, they have not finished their homework. So there we were... Hubby sitting at the dinner table with Kuya & Ate, cramming homework the night before the first day of school after a week-long semestral break. The kids got to sleep at 10:30. So much for being good parents.
Which made me realize that I should get myself to start this blog. I really am a work in progress.
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