yaya on leave

today is the start of my yaya's two week leave. nope, not in the panic mode. didn't even hold my breath when she asked permission about a month ago :) the things that came into my mind were: wow im alone with the kids! bonding time. time to catch up. spend more time with them. time to manage my time wisely. learn! play! eat!

last friday, i bought white board and colored white board markers and books. i also went to the grocery and filled up raya's snack box and our cupboard with food.

i asked somebody to fill in yaya's shoes while she is away. so the reliever, handles the household duties and the kids have me to themselves. they're a handful. i really think two kids is enough! :)

anyway, so we started the day by waking up late. ;)

raya practiced her artistic skills using her new pink marker. ill post pics next time when i remember to take pics before she makes another masterpiece. we also practiced writing number and letter. we read books. i also let raya read to her sister. that way, she can also practice her reading and also be familiarized with numbers and letters. most importantly, its a bonding time between sisters.

i have a lot of plans this summer whether yaya is here or not. main focus is to spend more time with the kids. i plan to teach raya independence by letting her do the things on her own like feed herself, take bath, dress up, clean up/pack away, and so on, and time management -- eat if it's eating time, play if its play time ... and sleep on time. not so late and not early like a school night. don't want to be a party pooper. ;)

big words for a small child, huh? independence and time management. hmmm, better instill in them good values while they're young.

time to be creative to make it "look more fun"!

a wake up call

i am worried, frustrated, and guilty :(

worried because: 1) raya still needs a lot of catching up to do in counting from 25 onwards (teachers from her school said that at her age, she should be able to count up to 300); 2) raya needs also to learn the alphabet & its sounds; 3) robin doesn't know a word yet.

true that all kids develop at different stages, but still, i am frustrated. not on them but on myself. as i've mentioned in my previous post, their weakness is also my weakness. it is my responsibility to teach them. there shouldn't be an excuse for it because i am stay-at-home-mom! :'(

this is a wake up call for me. 

can God be mad?

with all the things that's been happening all over the world lately, i can't help but wonder if God is mad. but then, can He, our forgiving God, be mad? all of us are sinners and God will forgive us if we asked for it and repent. but i think it doesn't spare us from being responsible for the consequences. like for the illegal logging, which is the main reason for the ondoy that happened in the philippines back in 2009. its so sad that a lot of innocent victims have been affected. it's not just the illegal loggers that are responsible, but each one of us is. how about the earthquake that hit new zealand last month? or the eathquake and tsunami in japan? all natural calamities and you can't put a blame on anyone on that. not unlike the war in libya and bahrain.

so what is happening? is this God's way to punish us for our sins? is this just a test? a warning?

i don't know... but i am sure that: 1) we have a responsibility to our Church, our family and the community; and that 2) God's love for us is so great.

summer is here!

summer is here and yes, it has begun! aside from allowing raya (robin is still on sched) to sleep a bit late at night, she can eat chips and iced tea (on moderation) on weekdays. and ofcourse wake up late. aahhh, the best part. hehe! she can also watch her favorite cds, for the most part, its BEN10. i am not sure if i totally like BEN10. he is a typical cynical boy so me and hubby kinda want her to limit watching it since we don't want her to be like BEN10. good thing is that BEN10 is a "superhero" and so he saves people in danger. so in a way its ok. but not too much of it. what i do is i try to re-introduce other classic shows such as cinderalla, sleeping beauty and high school musical 1-3 and shrek. she likes shrek and find it funny. good! she also like sleeping beauty wherein the beast "was a bad prince at first and then he became good" and that "his friend belle helps him because other people hurt him". at least she learns from this and thats what we want. i let raya and robin watch high school musical so they can learn how to sing and dance. robin dances. but raya doesn't show any interest. uh-oh! but i want her to be interested! especially in cheerleading &/or dancing! ok fine, i won't force it on my kids just because its my frustation! hehe. so let them discover for themselves! ;)

for the meantime lets all enjoy summer! woot! woot!

first taste of chocolate

robin was playing with her ate raya's things and happen to see the chocolate. sorry, i was busy watching tv. hehe. when i noticed that it was quiet, that was when i saw how she was enjoying what she found.

not yet

i think i would have to put off summer class for raya for now. not this summer. not yet. i also don't think she would be deprived of learning since the "classroom" is not the only venue for learning.  instead, i want her to enjoy her first summer vacation. she has found new friends in the neighborhood. there are a lot of things she enjoy doing after she takes her afternoon naps. she loves to play outdoors and i would want her to explore more on it. she loves to play soccer ball and baseball. she loves to ride her bike. she loves to play bubbles while riding in the side car. she loves to play pretend wherein she is a superhero and that she has buttons on her chest for her powers. these are used to save peoples' lives. lately, i've also noticed that she is starting to develop her creativity by building her "house" or by taking care of her "baby". there's still a lot lot more that she is learning and can learn even without the classroom set up. let's let her enjoy this summer. also, we are planning to go to the beach since this is what summer is all about. she kept on saying that she wants to go to the beach and swim and build sand castle. she also has an inflatable pool (care of grammy...grammy is the best!) which she can enjoy every single day of the summer. we've also been meaning to go to enchanted kingdom or booked ourselves in a hotel (she loves hotels!!) or go to the la mesa eco park. there are many plans and options. even if all won't push through, i'll make sure that one or two will. some things, like staying in a hotel, could be done even if it's not summer. i just want my kids to enjoy and explore and learn. most importantly to bond with friends, cousins and most importantly with family.  

my very first rest day

i can't believe it! after three years of being a full time mom, i will be able to have my very first rest day!! yahoo! Praise God!!

it hasn't happened yet but i am near it. i made the first step. i've booked a ticket to seoul for june. see?

it has to happen. it will. i want to. i'm excited becuase i've been meaning to travel alone. i'll be with my girl friends and my family won't be with me. and that means freeeedddooooom!! hehe. no chores, no kids and husband to take care of, no schedule to follow, i can wake up anytime i want to (and perhaps have my first 8+ hours of uninterrupted sleep!!), go anywhere i want to (and take lots of pictures), no chores, etc. in short, the time is FOR ME. i love my family dearly, but hey, i'm just human who gets tired too and wants to have a ME time. its for my sanity. besides, how can i take care of my family if i don't know how to take care of myself, right? i need to recharge. i want to do this for myself for a lot of reasons.

1. to rest
2. do as what pleases me
3. discover myself
4. discover the world
5. to recharge
6. for my independence
7. for my family's independence
8. fulfilling one of my bucket's list ;)
9. renew old ties with good friends jeanne, boomy, and nics
10. to take care of myself

and so much more. i can't wait!

sweet lover

countless of times, i've mentioned that i love sweets ever since i was in grade school. and that's when my desire to learn how to bake started. up to this day, i want to learn more. i actually want to enroll in a culinary school and have formal education. maybe someday. i want to be good at what i do. so for the meantime, i practice ;)

every now and then, i bake and i also make chocolates. it kind of distresses me. that's good. anyway, for the past weeks, i was on high making valentine cupcakes for our clients at the laundry shop, cupcakes for my daughter robin's birthday party and chocolates for my sister's pre-wedding preparation. she plans to send the chocolates and cupcakes together with her save-the-date-card.

here's some of my creations.

the only photo i have of the birthday cupcakes

the valentine chocolate cupcakes with marshmallow frosting

R&R because my sister's name and her fiance's name starts with R

chocolate cupcakes with chocolate R as topper

dark chocolate letter R on top of a white square chocolate

heart shaped dark chocolate

*heart symbolizes love :)

pineapple shaped milk chocolate

*pineapple because it also reminds the couple of hawaii where the wedding will be held

milk chocolate swirls with macademia nut inside

*macademia also symbolizes hawaii

four different chocolates in a box

*a sweet token that resembles the upcoming wedding

the package

*maroon is the color motif for the wedding

**for Ria & Rodel

i liked what i have created. hope the people who receives it will like it too. i already received good feedback from friends. i'm glad.

new learnings

books, friends and most of all, experiences really does teach us a lot. despite the chores and errands that i have to do, i can squeeze reading in my daily routine. it either relaxes me or gives me information that keeps my mind working. i am blessed to be surrounded by honest friends who share with me their own learnings and words of wisdom which helps me cope and understand life especially motherhood. and these talks are shared over lunch, dinner or coffee. yipee! my experiences are presented by God, of course. the best tool to convey His messages and a great way to teach me well. ;)

i've learned three things lately and i try to keep it on my mind.

• "her convictions are not your convictions"

there was a time that i worry (well, i atill am) about my good friend's relationship with her present boyfriend. i know she thinks that i disapprove of it, but i just don't believe that there is something worthy to keep the relationship. they are not friends in the first place. no relationship with God. the guy does not even have a stable religion.  and lastly, age and social status are way to big a gap. perhaps i don't know the guy completely, but hey, he does not give us the opportunity to know him more. he does not even try. we do. there is just no connection. he might be shy. but it's been more than a year. and my goodness, we are his GF's childhood friends! we are like sisters! as my friend says, her convictions are not your convictions. so if my friend thinks that the relationship is worth trying, or he is the one for her, so be it. even if it is far from her ideal kind of relationship. let her be. if she makes a mistake, then let her experience it and learn from it. and i'll still be here for her as a friend.

• "just because something is fun for someone else doesn't mean it is fun for ME as well, and vice versa"

true. nobody has to conform. you don't have to like some things just because other people enjoys it. a sport, a hobby, a collection of things, fashion, etc. however, it is different if doing something fun with your loved ones is at stake here. i don't really enjoy watching cartoons and violent movies. but i would watch cartoons with my daughters and be on a movie date with my husband. i might not enjoy the movie, but definitely, i enjoy the company. i love sweets especially cakes. my husband doesn't. and i don't force him to like it too. he enjoys giving it to me though. aaawww. now, that is fun! one just have to accept that we each have different likes and dislikes. different stokes for different folks. deal with it.

• "you must strive to find sources of feeling good"

we all must not forget ourselves. we need this to keep on going. I need it to find fulfillment. it's a different kind of high. because for me, it is important that i maximize my time. i am at a quest to find my gifts. it is the challenge. the learnings. and at the end of it, the reward will be unbelievable, i know. and so we must find what we really love to do and just be ourselves. simple plesures to big things, we must not forget to feel good. anyway, life is short. life is hard. why make it harder? ;) 

and remember that no matter what, you are who you are, or i am ME,  and know that God will love me for who and what i am.