raya has moved up

a few weeks ago, raya had her moving up day and this marks the end of another school year. my heart was about to burst due to all the emotions that i was feeling. i was also actually forcing myself not to let the tears fall. dyahe!! seriously, i am so proud of her. she was awarded as one of the "little doodles" which means that she writes and draws well. this also means that she has excellent fine motor skills (according to the teachers' assessment). we've already noticed the artist in her since mid of last year. she likes to color, paint and draw. i've got tons of her art works already; giving it to me as her "surprise" because she says she loves me. she also gives it to her daddy "so that daddy can place it at his table in the office to show his friends". our walls at home, in the laundry shop, and even at her grammy's house have taped drawings. she did it herself. every picture has a meaning (DO NOT ENTER / NO KIDS ALLOWED HERE / FOR SALE / GOING TO CHURCH / I LOVE YOU,  etc.)  she is a visual type of person. she needs to see pictures to be able to understand and accomplish whatever is needed. in her math class, she draws so she can add or subtract. and not just ordinary shapes or stick people. if the problem says, if there are 5 frogs.... she will actually draw frogs! in reading, it will interest her if there are pictures. it helps her know the words.

little builders classmates: enzo, jk, joaqui, oyayi, calvin

i'm proud when she sang and danced during their presentation. she knows what she was doing. actually, she even teaches me and rob the dance moves and the lyrics of the songs at home ;) she was alyways smiling, a sign that she is enjoying it. with her classmates from little builders class, they sang the songs "da coconut nut" by the smokey mountain, "we're all in this together" from the movie high school musical and "yesterday's dream" by lea salonga. that did it for me. the message of the songs ... "and we need a hand to guide us, helping each other build each other as long as we're together you and me";  "we're all in this together"; "together we're there for each other". i felt for them. they were together for 2 school years learning, playing, attending each other's birthday parties, sharing snacks, toys, stories and experiences that makes them who they are. and that day marked the end of their togetherness since they will go their separate ways as each transfer to other school already. sad.

                          

"when i grow up, i want to be a chef"

but then, they need to learn more to grow and follow their dreams, right? in the program, the students got the chance to voice out what they want to be when they grow up. raya wanted to be a chef. perhaps she got the idea because she helps out everytime i cook and bake. plus her daddy always watch cooking shows. there are many things raya wanted to be. the top three are: 1) painter, 2) chef, 3) firewoman, and ofcourse, being a supehero is still in her list. cute. anyway, we try to support raya in all her interests. we encourage and we always tell her we appreciate everything she does especially her efforts.

during the parent-teacher-conference, i was scared again. this feeling really won't go away. haha. raya is a good kid. very responsible, obedient and patient. kind of oc-oc (obsessive compulsive too). takes her art work seriously. has an eye for detail. perfectionists. she is always willing to try new things. doesn't complain when extra work is given to perfect her writing and reading skills. obedient to teachers. performs tasks such as packing away and cleaning even without being reminded. adjusts easily to her environment and especially since she is the youngest in the class. all these and more according to her teachers ;)

we are so happy and proud. this is such a reward for us parents.

praise God!

scared



taken from Adarna House site

i just have to document this...

the other night, i was reading to raya the book HOW DO YOU FEEL. it is one of the 10 concept books from the collection  READY FOR SCHOOL. we were discussing the different kinds of feelings. for raya to better grasp the concept of feeling, i was giving my own example when i am happy, sad, excited, etc. she was also giving her own. when we were discussing the SCARED feeling, i asked her when is she SCARED. she thought for a while then answered: "i am not scared because i always pray to God."

Amen!

a visit to the province

about a week ago, me and raya went to the province. we've been meaning to visit sorsogon, bicol for the longest time already to visit my lola. i can't remember the last time i was there. i was really young then. it's the hometown of my mom. it's how as i remembered it, just a few changes especially since they are trying to renovate their ancestral house.

even the chairs and tables are still there!
i even have a pic of me here while i was a kid!

it was just me and raya since hubby have an event from work. i didn't bring rob with us since i cannot handle the two kids alone. bringing yaya is not an option :) besides, i don't know what to expect once we get there, and rob still so young, and there is still a land travel of 1.5 hours from legaspi to sorsogon, and then lola is sick, everyone busy, etc. i know there will be a next time.

anyway, its a different trip this time. a different experience especially for raya. it was her first to go to a province. first time to sleep in a different house. first time to see a sick person ...

it must have been the tube and lola being bed ridden that scared raya

first time to meet a special child, in this case, my mom's brother, tito bong (or lolo bong for raya).

we visited a barangay and gave clothes, shoes and candies. it was also a first for raya and so she just stood in a corner and observed.

its true what they say that time is slow in the province. my daughter noticed that and keeps on saying "im bored". good thing i brought her activity book and puzzles to keep her occupied. thanks too that tito rodel is there to play with her while i sleep and sleep and eat and eat. and thank God for grammy's new iphone 4s for her to tinker with.

the bed and the framed Mama Mary are older than my mom

it wasn't that bad. as i've said, naninibago lang. we were there to visit my sick lola and to celebrate her 92nd birthday. raya helped fix flowers and entertain guests.

we also visited some beaches. we didn't swim. just took pics and breathe lots of fresh air.

rizal beach

bulusan lake

some of these might be new to raya. she observes and try the new things. while i on the other hand, relinquished the past, look at old photos, hear stories, met with relatives and enjoyed the food.



fresh fish. laing

puto. suman

pidot, the adoptive son of lola, cooks well



mom's family



till the next adventure. and hopefully we'll be able to go around more and see places such as the magnificent mayon volcano. and next time, i'll bring my hole family.

raya's 5th birthday

it was raya's 5th birthday last week and we celebrated it just the way she wanted it. yup, she now makes her own decision on some matters. she celebrated it at school with her classmates. served them "speti "(spaghetti) and chicken and juice. i baked chocolate cake with sprinkles, also a request from her and she helped make the "pik" (pink) cupcakes. she also prefers to wear her new white pants, despite that it's still a bit big for her, and a long sleeves shirt. she prefers this outfit over a dress "cos dresses are boring!"

after her class, they had games.. and yes, games that she prefers such as the luksong tinik (which she recently learned from class), musical chairs (a.k.a trip to jerusalem), and the longest happy birthday rayaaaaa... game. she gave away cereals and chocolate as giveaways. plus each one got to take home a prize from joining the games.

in the afternoon, we let her play in the "playground" with her sister. she loves it. especially playing with the ipad (uh-oh!), had dinner and ice cream and cap off the night by playing at timezone.

it was a simple celebration and yet, my daughter had fun. she keeps on saying so. after all, we let her decide what she want to do on her birthday :)

i'm glad we made raya's 'wishes' come true. i'm also happy that God made it possible and really did provide despite our tight budget for this month. we didn't have a gift for her either. actually, we don't know what to give her. the kids received lots of clothes and toys over the holidays. we're so blessed. raya actually didn't mind. she asked once why we don't have a gift and we explained to her that she's got lot of stuff already and that spending time with her is enough. i reminded raya to say "thank you" if some of her classmates will give her a gift, if there's none, then it is ok. what's important is that they greeted her and that they had fun on her birthday celebration. she said "ok". i hope she will some day really understand and be grateful for what she have.

i love planning and arranging anything for my kids especially parties of course. plus buying gifts and prizes. having a tight budget is not a problem. in fact, it has helped me maximize what is already available :) like the ingredients for the cake and cupcakes; the cereals and chocolate which we got for free. it has made me think  and be creative. sure i want affordable prizes, but i want the kids to enjoy them and really use it. i'm glad cos after the class, some of the kids played with their prizes right away and i saw them had fun with it.

simple joys... for me and for the birthday girl.



raya's development for SY 2011-2012

i'm proud of my daughter, raya gabrielle! last october, we had a parent-teacher meeting with regards to her development for this semester. of course i was scared again. i even told my husband that he should do it alone. he refused of course, cos he is afraid too. hehe. anyway, so we faced it together.

we couldn't be more proud. :) according to her teachers, she has developed a lot academically. she knows her numbers already. up to 100. also by 10s. she knows how to write her full name by herself. though mathematics is not her strength, raya seems to show more interest in the arts fields. i'll post some of her works next time. we also noticed that since she likes to color a lot and do some arts and crafts even here at home. she loves the show art attack and would always ask me to do whatever she sees on the show. i try since i am not really artistic. anyway, this is perhaps one of the reason why we want to enrol her first in a progressive school so that she could expand her wings and discover herself more.

there's more that her teachers said. but the ones that really stuck to me and almost made me cry was that raya is a well-mannered and well-liked kid. that means a lot to me. i always admire those kids who have good characters and as a parent, i try and pray hard that my kids will grow  up good. i guess my patience is paying off. i thought that all the things i say to them just goes in and out of their ears. you know how we always hate our moms for repeating themselves over and over. hehehe.  i would also like to believe that somehow me and my husband are not just teaching them but showing them some good, right?

i had hopes that raya will get the brains of her dad who went to philippine high school in high school and passed UP as a mechanical engineer (though finished as geodetic engineer) or her aunt (hubby's elder sister) who also went to philippine high school and graduated magna cum laude in her micro biology course also in UP or her other aunt(hubby's youngest sister) who is a cum laude in UP.  well, we don't know yet what her strengths are nor if she's going to change her interest. gelio and i will support her all the way. and the priorities are her faith in God and the building or strengthening her character. because that's whats really important.

we were surprised at her development. sometimes it's different at home. we would try to 'study' or do activities, but most of the time she doesn't like and would want to play instead. i thought i was not teaching her enough. i didn't know that she already knows a lot. :) even when we talk, so much that she knows too. so so proud of her!

such a nice blessing.  

conversations with raya

some conversations with raya for the past months...

• [saw raya touching her breasts and i asked why] raya: because i want it big! (feb 2011)
• raya: mommy, you're harry potter and i'm ben ten and daddy is shrek (may 2011)
• raya: mommy, i want to go to disneyland. (june 2011)
• raya: mommy, i have an idea. after i finish eating, you can go home by yourself and i will stay with grammy, papi, kuya and ninang who are my family, then i'll wait for you here. (june 2011)
• raya: where did you go?    ME: i met up with tito rodel (bil).    raya: mommy, i told you, tell me when you will go to tito rodel!    ME: why?    raya: because i want to play with him.... [then she recalled something that they played months ago about jumping and her tito rodel catching her]
• raya: where are you going?    ME: i'm going to buy shoes.   raya: for me?!?! (with a big and excited smile).   ME: i'll check.   raya: i want pink shoes with light! pleeease!! (june 2011)
• [raya drew a picture of 2 people] ME: wow! this is me and you.   raya: no, that's me and daddy! (june 2011)
• raya: mommy, can i have a dog? (june 2011)
• ME: raya, mommy will go out tonight ok?   raya: are you going to the laundry shop?   ME: no. i'll have a date tonight with daddy.   raya: a date? whats that?   ME: its daddy and mommy time together.    raya: oh, i want to have a date too.  (july 2011)
• raya: mommy, when daddy don't have meeting, can he bring me to school? (july 2011)
• raya: teacher said i can't drink water because we need to save water everyday (july 2011)
• raya: mommy, kuya watched smurfs the movie.    ME: ok, we could watch it too over the weekend.   raya: no, not with you. daddy only. (august 2011)
• raya: mommy, can you buy me boots? so that i can wear it when its raining. (sept 2011)
• raya: mommy, will you marry me?    ME: but i am married to daddy. only mommies and daddies get married.    raya: but i want you to marry me.   ME: why?   raya:  so that you will love me...

the last one, gelio and i kept on explaining to her about marriage and love. hay, ang hirap! :) i just hope and wish that we don't love her less just because "i can't marry her".

conversations with Raya

i've been meaning to write all of the funny & witty conversations i've had with raya but i don't know why i haven't done it yet until hubby mentioned it last night during our date. this is also to have a record and let her read it someday.

here's some of them:

• me: "honey, how's school?"... raya: "mommy, please keep quiet, i'm tired"
• me: "honey, what's the objective of the game?"... raya: "to play!"
• me: "raya, pls come here and take a bath".... raya coming to me says: "yes your majesty?" then she made a bow

this is it for now. i'll just keep on updating this.

superhero raya

i am so proud of my first daughter raya! we are so blessed! most kids her age (she is now 3.9 years old) wants to be a princess. raya wants to be a superhero because she wants to save people's lives. :) she believes she can do it all and can never be hurt because she is a superhero.

it's not not only cute but fulfilling. as parents, we try our best to inculcate in them good set of values of course. we set standards and i admit, i expect a lot considering that i'm a stay-at-home-mom who's got plenty of time for her kids.

so during our very first parent-teacher-conference, me and husband gelio met with the teachers together becuase we believe that we can give each other strength. haha! we don't know what to expect. we don't even know what happens on PTCs! maybe, we are also scared to know of raya's limitations. and as i've mentioned in my previous blog, her flaws could reflect on us. but then, her strengths are also a reflection on our parenting. so here are some of the results i can remember...

like what we already noticed, she needs to improve on her identification of numbers. the teachers are giving her extra activities and exercises to help her with it and she willingly comply at all times. we are also trying to teach her every possible way we can without the pressure. learn through play.  

the superhero in her shows everytime she helps anika, the youngest girl in the group, with whatever. she is always at her side willing to offer her services. even if raya is the second to the youngest, she teaches her classmates how to dance! even if its ballet, she can make her classmates (boys & girls) follow her.  she is sociable in a way that she participate in class and join her classmates with all the singing and dancing and all the activities whether its new to her or if its a bit difficult for her. she welcomes newcomers and guests with a warm "hi".

she is actually focused everytime she is doing something especially when she likes what she is doing like coloring and doing puzzles. she is so good at it that even the teachers are amazed. clap! clap! clap!

raya is happy at school even if it means wiping the table or sweeping the flor. she gladly volunteers herself to be the cleaner. very responsible that she packs away the toys after playing.

we are pleased with the results. we believe that we made the right decision in enrolling her at age  3.6 and in the school that is well balanced.

we are blessed to have a superhero who is strong and gentle, ready to help with a smile, eager to learn, sweet and has a big heart.