Goodbye, Kindergarten! Hello, Grade School!

Twenty years from now, she probably won't have the faintest idea of how her moving up day went but to me and her dad it was a milestone that will be forever etched in our memory.

Moving Up Day fell on a Tuesday. Both me and my husband have work. But we knew when it was going to happen, just a few weeks after the school year started so we have no excuse to miss it. Well, I still ALMOST missed it. It fell on pre-close week and my boss was coming over for just a week. With all the things I needed to iron out, missing a day seemed really bad. But my boss (who is a family man himself, thank you J for understanding!) told me a story about a parent who missed her kid's kindergarten graduation because of an important meeting and yet 20 years after, the kid never forgot about that day (because probably of the missing parent) while she could not even remember what the meeting was about. "You wouldn't want that to happen to you, do you?".

Time to pay it forward.
These secondhand uniforms are going to a new home come school opening.
Ate Inday made sure they were well taken cared of and would still be deserving of a 3rd chance.

Mommy, sabi ni teacher wear bright, shiny shoes!

Of course not. And yes, I always know where my priorities lie. So I stuck to my decision. 

And yes, we didn't go home with any award but the kid was just so proud to be called a graduate and share that moment with her parents. THAT is more than enough.

Did I cry? Almost did. After all, we are not just saying goodbye to kindergarten. We were saying goodbye to being overprotective, controlling parents. We are saying goodbye to our "baby" (and yes she reminded me to not call her baby again today). But cuteness was just overflowing that today and the tears of joy decided to take the back seat.

I never figured I bore a performer but today proved to me I did! She was having so much on stage I could almost hear her voice even if I was a couple of meters away. She was jumping, singing, dancing, reciting with pure, unadulterated joy. And that to me is what performing always ought to be.

Her class adviser for SY 2013-14. The very patient, Ms. Jas.
We will miss her stories about you!

Post by Faye Pachoco-Paras.

Arts-N-Crafts: School Projects

Eversince the little miss started attending formal school (aka traditional school), we have had very limited arts and crafts sessions. Maybe it's the packed weekends. Or me subconsciously choosing to stay lazy on most weekends. Or maybe it's the no TV/cellphone/computer rule during school days. Or probably all of the above. But as I look back at the year that just past, I couldn't recall any particular project that we really labored on as mom and daughter.

Despite the lack of artsy activities at home, I'm happy to report that her school still gives her opportunities to channel out her creativity through regular arts and crafts sessions. These activities are the teacher's way of gauging their motor skills and they're usually being rated on how well they'd cut, paste, apply glue, color within lines, if they can hold crayons and scissors properly, pick tiny glitters and eyes.

Now that she's in kindergarten already, the art projects have become more complicated. But I'm really happy to see that the kid showed huge improvements every time she'd take home one finished project after another. It makes me feel like all those bonding sessions every weekend doing nothing but art was all worth it. Well, not that I was really counting on it coming in handy later on. Those were still moments I deeply cherish with or without the benefit that we are reaping of late.

Anyways, moving on. Let me just share with you a couple of projects I managed to document. In Maia's school, we are often required to provide the materials (the teacher sends us a note a week before the activity) since they were not included in the school supplies list that we have to complete during the opening of the school year.

learning addition is fun! (cutting and pasting exercise using construction paper)

Christmas activity (cutting and pasting)
(wreath made from paper plate and christmas wrapping paper and silk ribbon)

Everytime there's a note that says bring tissue paper roll,
my heart gives a silent jump for joy. My hoarding of paper tubes is justified.
This particular activity was a test of painting, brushing, drawing, and gluing.

How they are graded on these particular activities

Adding is fun! And on the right side is a test on cutting and pasting and tracing.

Care to share the art activities your kids enjoy most?

United Nations Day - Winning Best Costume

It is both amusing and scary at the same time. I am more scared than amused to be honest. I do hope and pray this milestone doesn't give you the impression that you can only win best in costume when you start exposing some skin. (You called me after you were recognized onstage: "Mommy!!! Nanalo ako Best in Costume! Kasi, labas pusod ko eh!")

This was something really unexpected. Not much effort on our part and yet you won! And you were the happiest!

Congratulations, little girl. You rocked that Brazilian costume!

Our daddy had his share of milestone on this day too. It was the first time he came to school with the kid on his own. He played Daddy Paparazzi/Yaya Daddy (yes, I would learn that he was even the one who dressed her up) so well and tailed the kid like he was chained to her. He took great photos of that day and I just have to compliment him for those. Good job, sweetie! (see it ain't that bad at all!)

Throwback Thursday: Preschool Hunting

Dearest Maia,

I'm sad these past few days. I just found out I lost most of the photos of our recent Tagaytay get away. I hardly get attached to material things but to memories, oh I have extreme attachments. Pictures are my way of preserving memories. So when I lose those things, my heart breaks. I wanted to preserve these things for you to browse through when you're older.

But I am better now. I found a collage I made of you and Daddy from that day. At least, I have that.

And while I was frantically browsing through old photo files, I came across this. So apt to the day because in the Instagram world, Thursdays are known for throwbacks. And these are photos from last year when we were still preschool hunting. You took a preschool screening test here and you aced it. Especially the test for emotional readiness.

I don't think you were really mad here. You're just goofing around, I guess.
You're so cute!

Chubby cheeks!

famished after spending about an hour at the testing room

Looking at these photos made realize how so much can change in just a span of a year. You still look like a baby here. Now, you're all grown up. Just like a real kid. Some days, you even feel like an adult ever-ready to give mom and dad a piece of advice. You're very outspoken. And opinionated. Oh so much like mommy actually.

BUT. I hope you take your sweet time growing up, my little miss preschooler. Enjoy your childhood. Because I want you to have great memories of it when you are at my age already.

Love,

Mommy

Nutrition Month

One thing I love about my daughter's school is how they don't make a big fuss about extra curricular celebrations. While other schools had to prepare weeks for United Nations Day, Linggo Ng Wika, Christmas parties and the like, they usually go about with these activities with utter simplicity. I like that because I am a working mom who doesn't have the luxury of time to scour for costumes and props. And I also find it very impractical for me to buy items that my kid will only use once. And yes I know there's plenty of how-to's online but my claim to craftiness stopped at amateur and I admit with no shame that I am only really good at freestyle art. So there. I've laid it out in the open. Haha.

This July I think majority of the schools here celebrate Nutrition Month. My kid's school was not spared of that. Well, I actually have no issue on that. I'm all for educating kids of proper nutrition as early as preschool age. Last Friday, my kid went home with a note on her diary saying Wednesday is going to be Nutrition Day celebration in school. "Bring a basket full of vegetables and fruits. Just enough for your child to carry"

Normally, those notes come a day or two before the activity so I'm actually glad we were informed earlier than the norm. I had the weekend to look for a small native basket. I checked the nearby palengke but could not find one. I was tempted to buy one from the mall but reminded myself of my self-imposed 'practical' policy. Fortunately, my aunt who has great fondness for the little miss had a small native basket stowed away. She gladly offered it to the little miss. I just had to do minor repairs (mostly gluing) on it and it was good as new. 

I made the extra effort to arrange it nicely in the basket. Complete with the 'recycled' sinamay trimmings.
BUT NO. I didn't make the cut. Haha. OA lang kasi, Mommy!

Tuesday night I arranged the fruits and vegetables that we had set aside for the activity. I bought tiniest local veggies I can find in the supermarket so the kid won't have any trouble carrying her basket. I had tiny ampalaya, eggplant, cherry tomatoes, tiny bunch of bokchoy, a bunch of grapes, a small orange, potatoes. These were vegetables and fruits that the kid eats so I'm also confident she can identify them in case she gets asked what she brought for the activity.

Wednesday morning, I asked her to try and carry the basket but she complained it was too heavy. And told me it's because I did not arrange the items well. She went on to point to where I should place the orange and where I should have placed the potatoes. "That's where the leaves were supposed to go, Mommy. And the grapes should be here". And then she emptied the basket unto the table and went to re-arrange her healthy basket. To her liking. (And that mommy is a warning to leave the arrangements to the expert. OKAY?)

I was silently laughing while watching her arrange the food items. When she was done, she tried to carry it again and proudly announced: "THERE I CAN CARRY IT NOW. SEE?" 

Sadly, her dad and I couldn't take a day off from work so it was Ate Inday who went to school to witness her parade her veggies. The parade was only held within their building but she was so excited to tell us about it when we got home last night. We all had fun watching her videos. My little preschooler didn't mind our absence. Happy that she always understands her parents. :)