Milestone: Fieldtrip With No Chaperone

I've never been fond of fieldtrips. I've never witnessed a fieldtrip that was not rushed. Where kids don't spend too much time waiting on lines. I think kids don't learn much on fieldtrips. Yes, to be blunt about it, I think they were a waste of time and I've sort of scrapped that out of fun things my preschooler can experience while in school.

We did skip the fieldtrip when Maia was in Nursery. I didn't think she was ready. And they went to a place that she's already been to - Manila Ocean Park. Neither me nor the husband was willing to come back to MOP that soon yet.

But having the kid miss that field trip sort of made me feel guilty. I do not know why but yes, I felt guilty. So husband and I sat and talked about it. We realized the fun of fieldtrips for school kids is not really just about the places that they see but mostly in the "trip" itself. Just like us adults who would find delight on roadtrips, I guess the same goes for kids on a school fieldtrip. Nothing beats a day spent with your school buddies, share laughs about the silliest, most trivial things you come across, and getting more laughs reminiscing those silly things during recess. And if it's a trip you take without your parents on it, isn't that twice the fun? Hurt a bit -- but we both agreed the answer to that should be a resounding YES.

So come Kindergarten, we resolved to let her join the fieldtrip. What I wasn't really ready for was learning that they will have to go UN-chaperoned. I was ready to pass and so was the hubby but I thought we can still send Ate Inday to watch from the sidelines and yet give her the freedom to enjoy her time with her friends. But no, the memo was clear. No moms, no dads, no Ate Indays.

It was a scary thought. But I know I have to suck it up and let go. I tried not to think about it too much. The kid was after all over her head with excitement. And yes, she is not worried she's going on her own. The thought in fact seemed to excited her even more. I just took comfort from her stories about how her teacher would remind them what are the TO DOs and NOT TO DOs during the trip.

So come fieldtrip day, I woke up extra early to prepare everything she needed. I paid extra attention to her packed lunch and snacks. I went the extra mile and brought her to school myself so I could personally take her up to the bus. But guess what? When we arrived at her school, she told me "Mommy, hanggang gate ka lang ha? Okay na ako"

My kid. The obedient one. She was scared to let her classmates see me. She's scared I might give them the impression that I'm joining the field trip. E BAWAL NGA SABI NI TEACHER, REMEMBER MOMMY?

So me, the obedient mom, reluctantly bid her bye-bye. I did make sure I covered all bases though. I handed her this note before we had breakfast and asked her to read it. She understand every word, I guess, because she immediately planted a loving kiss on my cheeks and gave me a super tight hug. "I love you too, Mommy"

My sweet little baby is growing up so fast.

Mommy will always be here sweetie.Ready to hold your hand. ALWAYS.

Hardwork Pays Off - Musings On Grades and Study Habits

Our little kid went home a couple of weeks ago with her first quarter report card and I can't be any prouder especially with her grades for Reading.

Were you grade conscious as a student? I've been trying to remember and my memory tells me I probably was. I really wanted to graduate top of the class because I wanted to make my parents proud.

I would later realize I should have done it for myself first. Well I never graduated the way I dreamed to but I would like to think I still made my parents proud somehow. I was never a diligent student but I learned fast. And I loved English and Math and Physics (no not Science and yes, in that order).

I hope for my little kid to be an enthusiastic learner too. To always embrace that thirst to learn something new. But I would want to be as cool as my parents were. So I try not to be imposing.

I do see that she's starting to develop a study habit. And I'm happy for that. That wasn't my influence though but more of her school's because she's asked to complete several sets of homework everyday. So far, so good -- she's been very diligent about finishing most of her homework before dinner time. Once or twice a week I make it a point to give her some slack and let her finish in the morning. I really am scared she will get burnt out so early in my student life. So I want her to still make time to enjoy her childhood while she can.

Anyways, again for posterity's sake I am posting a photo of her first quarter grade in reading.

Again, thank you for always listening and obeying us Maia! We love you and I keep that in mind. ALL THE TIME.

p.s. Posting here a photo of the card we made for you. You were sad you didn't get a merit card but you know little girl, it didn't really matter to us. What this card says is real. And that's exactly what felt when we saw your grades. Just keep that up. And just keep asking questions. As long as we are assured you are learning, that's what is important to us.

Evading Naptime

As a child, I hated naptimes. My grandmother, who was our primary caregiver then, was however very keen on us getting enough napping hours because she really believed that nap time was an essential part of a kid's growth. One of her tricks then to get us to nap was to tell us we will never grow an inch further if we don't take our naps. ("maputot na lang gid timo indi run timo magtaas") If there was any truth to that, I guess, you can tell by looking at me that yes I was not a fan of that afternoon activity. I would pretend to close my eyes and get up the minute my lola would leave our side to do other chores.

I never thought I'd resort to one of my lola's tricks now that I'm a mom. Not till this afternoon. Although, I did tell the little miss it was Lola Apoy who told me that missing afternoon naps will stunt my growth. It didn't bother her at all. And it didn't surprise me. That trick never worked for me anyways. Why would I ever think I can fool my own kid?

"I'm just not sleepy, Mommy. Di ba mahaba ang tulog ko kagabi?"

But you have to take enough rest during weekends so you'll have plenty of energy during schooldays, anak. Try to close your eyes now. Makakatulog ka rin.

(feigns sleep for a few seconds) "Ayaw talaga eh. Hindi ko talaga kaya matulog" (then she goes to ask me to make her some warm milk. she drank it up fast but still didn't show any sign of sleepiness after finishing a full glass)

O sige. Ako na lang ang matutulog.

So I forcefully closed my eyes to feign sleep too but ended up actually falling asleep myself. I woke up after (maybe) 15 minutes and there she was, snoring next to me with her arms wrapped tightly around her favorite bolster.

Yun lang pala ang dapat ginawa ko 'nak, di mo na lang sinabi agad.

Are naptimes also a challenge for you and your kid/s? How do you convince them to take naps without having to go through so much drama?

Maia's Favorite: Kindergarten Review Materials Online

As much as I would like to be hands on with my preschooler's needs, being a working mom doesn't give me a lot of extra time to make our own review materials  for lessons, quizzes and quarterly exams. I maybe idealistic but I am also a practical working parent so I try to make use of every help I can get especially when it comes to helping my preschooler review.

If you are like me who is frequently online, then no need to worry. There are a bunch of readily available resources online to help you and your preschooler get through exam season.

I am just going to list our favorite spots online. But I'm sure if you Google "Kindergarten reviewers" there's plenty for you to choose from. My list is short as I really do not like being overwhelmed. I stuck to these 4 sites for long because they are more than enough for our preschool needs. Without further ado, here they are:

1. STARFALL - Starfall was the first free-online resource that we explored when the little miss was just a toddler. She is now very familiar with the site and can navigate it well on her own. From ABCs she has now moved on to reading short, simple stories on this site.

2.  SCHOOL SPARKS - I love this site. It is a treasure trove on its own. I usually download most of my math and reading review materials from this site.

school sparks also has tips for parents at the bottom of each worksheet.
nice touch, don't you think?

The next 2 websites also offer free resources but I've paid for membership subscription for these this year because I wanted to have access to answer sheets, to more worksheets and online exercises (which are usually perks offered to valid subscribers).

3. SCHOOLKID.PH - I like that this site was founded by a mom. The worksheets here are the ones she used to review her kids too and some were shared by other parents as well. I used most of the worksheets here last year when Maia was just starting out. I have yet to revisit the site again. But there's plenty of worksheets you can use here. I can say that I got fair value for the membership fee that I paid for.

4. IXL - During schooldays we impose a no TV/no electronic gadget policy. Since the little miss started with regular school, she has been very diligent at abiding by this rule. I can't say yet if 'breaking' our rule to make way for review sessions using IXL online exercises is a good thing but so far, the kid is really enjoying reviewing her math lessons using the exercises here. I paid a minimal fee to subscribe to this site so I'd say it's also fair value. Kid has no trouble answering the worksheets and the time limit on every exercise somehow adds a fun factor to the activities. I try to limit our sessions to 2-3 exercises every other day though so the kid won't get overly stimulated and to keep the fun going. I wouldn't want her to eventually think logging in to this site is 'schoolwork' that she has to complete.

So far, those are the online resource sites that have proved to be very useful to us. I'm still on the look out for an online resource for Science. Would you know of any? Care to share?

All Set And Ready For Kinder

We are now officially enrolled for school year 2013-2014. This year, we're expecting less drama as we forsee a much easier transition for the little miss brought about by familiarity. Like last year, she still insisted she wanted to enroll in St Michael but I was more relaxed now. Knowing this declaration will eventually pass and that once the school season begins, she will easily adapt to the traditional school routine anyways.

This year being confident preschool parents now, we decided to take the plunge and pay the tuition in full. (Crossing my fingers, I don't get jinxed) Sad thing though, it totally escaped my mind that full payments usually get discounts and I totally forgot about the schedule so we didn't make it in time to avail of the discount. Next year, I promised myself I'll be much wiser. (Baby steps. Taking baby steps). I guess we all know where the Christmas bonus is going by now.

We're almost done with our school supplies as well. Just need to pick up books soon and wrap them in plastic then we're all set!

It feels kinda weird writing this when last year's post is still fresh in my head. I can hardly believe the kid a full school year in preschool already. When I start feeling like this, I'd always find myself browsing through old videos and photos.

So much has changed in my little girl. She started preschool armed with just the mastery of the ABC song. She can hardly write her name then. I don't even think she can identify the entire alphabet then. But she grew - physically, intellectually, socially, emotionally - she grew leaps and bounds.

She was assessed a shy kid. And we struggled with that till the 3rd quarter. But we thank God we have a very patient teacher who gave her every opportunity to overcome her 'shyness'. Despite that, we consciously avoided using that word when she's around. We tried hard not to label her as 'such' knowing that at her tender age, she really has not formed any definite understanding of SHY and CONFIDENT yet.

We survived our first year of preschool with a few bruises and scratches here and there. We learned so much in just one year.

And now we start another year. We officially start the K12 program this year. I sure look forward to the new things that our household is going to learn this year.

We are right behind you Maia! - Daddy, me and Ate Inday -

You go, Girl!!!

Taming Tantrums (Not An Expert's Opinion)

LITTLE MISS GRUMPY

I try my best to avoid it. But I always am very unfortunate when it comes to tantrum attacks. I always get caught in it just when I am about to leave for work in the mornings.

I'm quite certain though I am not alone in this. Most working parents have probably been in this same situation a million times over just like me. After 4 years, I would think I should be an expert at dodging tantrum bombs before they explode out of proportion but no. Some days, it can get so sneaky you won't even see it coming seconds before it hits you.

This morning was just like that. I was rushing out when she starting crying, shouting, jumping (you'd think she's on a trampoline), stomping her feet and in seconds was down on the floor. Sometimes, it takes me just about the entire time she's crying to figure out what she wanted. (And you think once your kid learns to talk, you bridge the communication gap...well, think again Mom!)

The last time we were in Boracay, she threw an almost 30-min fit at Jonah's. We couldn't figure out what the heck she wanted. It turns out she was mad because the waitress said they don't make ORANGE SHAKES. (well, who makes them anyways?)

Waiting for her to finish her concert at Jonah's

This morning, however, I knew exactly why she went on a crying fit. You see, it's exam week (it's the last grading period and we're hoping for an early school break this year) and even if it's not exam week our rules are pretty simple and clear. No computer, no TV, no games on the phone when it's a school week. It's been almost 8 months since she started preschool. By now, I'm sure she understands why we have these rules. To her credit she's admittedly been a pretty good and obedient kid on most days. We rarely wrestle with this rule, in fact. But today was not one of those days. She wanted me to let her watch just one miniature cooking video on You Tube. Yes on school days, I am heartless like that. And I really stand firm on consistency to rule implementation. It is what's best for both of us.

So she goes on a crying fit for like 5 minutes (or maybe shorter but you know when you're dealing with a tantrum it always just seems to take like forever). How do I handle it? I LET HER BE. And it's always been that way. I JUST LET HER BE.

You want to shout? Fine. Shout your heart out. Even if a neighbor rushes to check on us, just keep shouting. I won't dare get in the way.

You want to lie on the floor and wail? Fine. The floor needs some mopping anyways.

The crying and the shouting, I can take. I can wait even if it takes forever. What I detest thought are the times she would attempt to hit. Mostly out of frustration, I know. The most I can do is leave her with a pillow and lock myself in a room. Then she'd wail some more.

The good thing about every tantrum though is THEY HAVE AN ENDING. At some point, she will get tired. And stop. When that happens, that's my queue to console. Then explain why she can't get what she wants and when's the right time to ask for it. Most often, we would always come to an understanding. I also won't have to squeeze out an apology from her because she would most often than not offer it without me demanding for it.

And... I always emerge the victorious one in this drama. So yes, I am a tantrum tamer. And am rather proud of it.

Just before she threw a fit, she finished this.
Just got out of bed and went straight to get her art supplies and started painting.
Turns out she was painting something for me and her dad to bring to work.
I have the sweetest kid ever (even if she's the TANTRUM QUEEN)! 

Sandwich Making Contest In School

Tomorrow my charming little miss is going to join her first ever school competition. She represents her class along with another classmate in a sandwich making contest. I have yet to decide on what kind of sandwich she will make but I will definitely choose the easy-to-assemble and friendly-to-the-kiddie-palate kind. Her one and only requirement would be to make sure there are scrambled eggs in it. The rest she gave me the freedom to choose for her. Here is the criteria to serve as our guide:

No pressures whatsoever on the winning part but I was hoping she will impress the judges with her uber-delicious sandwich. WHICH I HAVE YET TO DECIDE ON. Sorry Tita Maqui, crammer lang talaga tong nanay na ito! We really wish you are just next door to help us!

You Will Always Remain My Little Genius

Even if I bore a little girl 'duduy' or a boy 'duduy', you will forever remain my little genius princess. (I'm pretty sure daddy and I will eventually come up with something witty to call the little duduys if ever we'll be blessed with more) And I would like to apologize for feeling sad about how you were faring in school lately (especially yesterday). I forgot again. THAT YOU ARE JUST 4. And you're supposed to act like any normal 4 year old should. What's a normal 4-year-old supposed to do anyways?

PLAY. EAT. DAYDREAM. PLAY. EAT. DAYDREAM. PLAY. EAT. DAYDREAM. 

No matter how low the grades that you bring home, you will always remain my little genius princess. Because  despite your struggles between adding bananas and candles and lollipops to subracting trees and cows and what-nots, I couldn't just disregard all those little amazing things you did beyond the four walls of your classroom. You are my extraordinary little artist, my big daydreamer, my eager storyteller. 

Reposting an excerpt from a post from my favorite parenting site, A Magical Childhood (What Should A 4-Year Old Know):

"So here, I offer my list of what a 4 year old should know.

1. She should know that she is loved wholly and unconditionally, all of the time.
2. He should know that he is safe and he should know how to keep himself safe in public, with others, and in varied situations. He should know that he can trust his instincts about people and that he never has to do something that doesn’t feel right, no matter who is asking. He should know his personal rights and that his family will back them up.
3. She should know how to laugh, act silly, be goofy and use her imagination. She should know that it is always okay to paint the sky orange and give cats 6 legs.
4. He should know his own interests and be encouraged to follow them. If he could care less about learning his numbers, his parents should realize he’ll learn them accidentally soon enough and let him immerse himself instead in rocket ships, drawing, dinosaurs or playing in the mud.
5. She should know that the world is magical and that so is she. She should know that she’s wonderful, brilliant, creative, compassionate and marvelous. She should know that it’s just as worthy to spend the day outside making daisy chains, mud pies and fairy houses as it is to practice phonics. Scratch that– way more worthy.

But more important, here’s what parents need to know.

1. That every child learns to walk, talk, read and do algebra at his own pace and that it will have no bearing on how well he walks, talks, reads or does algebra.
2. That the single biggest predictor of high academic achievement and high ACT scores is reading to children. Not flash cards, not workbooks, not fancy preschools, not blinking toys or computers, but mom or dad taking the time every day or night (or both!) to sit and read them wonderful books.
3. That being the smartest or most accomplished kid in class has never had any bearing on being the happiest. We are so caught up in trying to give our children “advantages” that we’re giving them lives as multi-tasked and stressful as ours. One of the biggest advantages we can give our children is a simple, carefree childhood.
4. That our children deserve to be surrounded by books, nature, art supplies and the freedom to explore them. Most of us could get rid of 90% of our children’s toys and they wouldn’t be missed, but some things are important– building toys like legos and blocks, creative toys like all types of art materials (good stuff), musical instruments (real ones and multicultural ones), dress up clothes and books, books, books. (Incidentally, much of this can be picked up quite cheaply at thrift shops.) They need to have the freedom to explore with these things too– to play with scoops of dried beans in the high chair (supervised, of course), to knead bread and make messes, to use paint and play dough and glitter at the kitchen table while we make supper even though it gets everywhere, to have a spot in the yard where it’s absolutely fine to dig up all the grass and make a mud pit.
5. That our children need more of us. We have become so good at saying that we need to take care of ourselves that some of us have used it as an excuse to have the rest of the world take care of our kids. Yes, we all need undisturbed baths, time with friends, sanity breaks and an occasional life outside of parenthood. But we live in a time when parenting magazines recommend trying to commit to 10 minutes a day with each child and scheduling one Saturday a month as family day. That’s not okay! Our children don’t need Nintendos, computers, after school activities, ballet lessons, play groups and soccer practice nearly as much as they need US. They need fathers who sit and listen to their days, mothers who join in and make crafts with them, parents who take the time to read them stories and act like idiots with them. They need us to take walks with them and not mind the .1 MPH pace of a toddler on a spring night. They deserve to help us make supper even though it takes twice as long and makes it twice as much work. They deserve to know that they’re a priority for us and that we truly love to be with them."

I love you little miss genius. I love you very much.

Math Dilemma

Do you ever get tired of reading about my motherhood rants?

Well, I can't blame you really. I get tired of listening to myself too sometimes. 

Like today for example. I just came back from vacation and yet, I'm starting to let the worries creep in already. I'm supposed to let the smell of the salty breeze linger for a long time but here I am feeling miserably low. 

Kid went home with a 1 out 10 score in a Math seatwork today. They were freaking doing subtraction already. At 4, she's already doing subtraction and addition?#$!#$! Yes, she unfortunately is. I think I started doing subtraction when I was already in Grade 2? I'm not so sure. But I know it was never in Kindergarten.

The thing is, I can't blame the kid for not paying attention to the lesson. But I can't help but feel bad either at how she has been faring in class lately. Eversince they started with addition, it's been a downhill trip for her since. 

I was a math wiz in school (or so I think). In fact, I was with our high school Math Olympiad team. Although I never enjoyed Differential Calculus, I didn't fail either so I think it's safe to say that me and Math were really good friends the entire time I was in school. But I know things like this are never genetic. Some kids were just probably born to love Math and others well, other subjects except Math. (The little miss is really into drawing and she's doing extremely well at it, as most adult friends would commend her artworks).

I tried every trick possible for her to focus on our math lessons at home but the bad days always outweigh the good ones. Days like that always make me feel like a useless piece of mommy crap. 

I don't really demand this little miss to excel academically. I still stand by my resolve to let her find her passion. But I wanted her to just be able to go with the flow of things. To just be able to keep up (if you know what I'm saying). And by that, I mean just be average. (yes I stand by this too: AVERAGE IS THE NEW #1. And I'm not ashamed to say that I made that up for my daughter's sake). But at the rate we're going, we're way below average. We're failing, I fear.

Oh dear little miss, when you read this later please know that Mommy is desperately trying to sort through things. We are both groping in the dark. But I hope we'll eventually find a technique that will work for us both. 

Did your preschoolers ever had problems with Math? If yes, how did you deal with it? Help!

My ABC's - First Poem Recital In Class

our ever reliable wall and the ever reliable manila paper

My little miss preschooler is going to do her first poem recitation in class today. We worked hard to memorize this simple poem for almost a week and I fervently hope her efforts pay off later. If not, she knows it's okay. At least it's good to give it a try.

Eversince she started preschool, we get the same feedback every quarter. To work on her confidence because she tends to be extremely shy and would refuse to answer questions when overcame with shyness. I once mentioned this to her pedia but was told she's probably just borne with that temperament and when she's adjusted to the school set up already she will overcome it on her own. 

Guess what? Towards this last few weeks of 2012 and especially when new year hit, she started showing signs of 'coming out of her cocoon' so to speak. She became even more verbal. I can remember several instances where she would pull the phone from us when we're talking to her grannies (as opposed to her previous dislike of talking to relatives over the phone). Of course, we still had to reprimand her for being rude but to us that's a good sign that she's now willing to talk more, engage with other people more. And I guess the best change that I've noted would be her opening up to talk about school more often. 

I will have to schedule another talk with her class adviser but I hope she noticed the improvements on our little miss just like we did.

Anyways, I'm excited to hear about how her recitation turned out today. Success or not, I do hope she would still willingly share it with us later. 

To mommy-friends who are parents to preschoolers, care to share your tricks on how to teach your kids to familiarize and memorize several paragraphs for activities like this? I actually had a difficulty taking off with this activity because I was struggling with concept of memorization. I was never good at it (I'm more of a logical thinker, I can retain things if I understand the entire concept) so I knew I am going to be lousy at teaching it. I tried to accompany it with signs (the little miss learned baby signing when she was still a baby so it would have been easy) but I didn't find time to research on how to sign the entire poem so I gave up after 2 lines. I know this is just the start of many other 'memorization' activities so I'm hoping to learn other techniques before we take on the next one.

Young Love

My 4-year old just confessed she admitted to a boy (from her shuttle service) that she's crushing on him. (insert violent bubble thought) HUWAAAAAAAAAAAAT??!>?!$#!@$!@#

"Mommy, sabi ni Ian Karl crush nya ako (insert giggle) tapos sabi ko na din crush ko din sya!"

Altogether now: ANO?@!$#!

For about 10 seconds, she left me dumbfounded. (excuse me, where the hell did you learn about infatuation little girl?) But then Ate Inday and I recovered from our daze and I was able to gather the courage to ask her if she knows what exactly that word crush means. She nodded and went to put her palms together in crushing motion. Crush = Durog. Pambihira. (you almost gave me a heart attack. little miss!)

On my way to work, I reflected on the changes that have been happening to my baby girl lately. She really has grown A LOT since she started big school. And she undeniably is picking up a lot from her new environment these days. A year ago, I would've been exaggeratedly freaked by her confession but I'm a little tempered now. And I have somehow resigned to the fact that I can't preserve her innocence forever. Of course that doesn't mean I'm cool with her dating early (really premature for me to even start thinking about it anyway, don't you think). But I would like to believe that this is just a stage in their preschool years that comes with learning/discovering the differences between the opposite sex. 

It also calms me knowing that if I ask her who that boy is, she'd announce in a heartbeat that -- "he's my best friend in school, Mommy." And he's most probably going to stay that way for a long, long time. I WILL MAKE SURE OF THAT. 

Milestone: Studded

We just came back from a weekend with my in-laws. I could barely remember the last time went for a visit since it's usually my in-laws who have been coming over to visit us lately. But since my mother-in-law is not in the best shape to travel for 4 hours (it's from the north to south after all), we thought it best that we do our share of the long commute this time. The little miss couldn't be more ecstatic. She has been asking for us to take her home to her Lola Aida's for some time now.

And you'd think "how sweet of her to miss her lola that much" but honestly, the excitement was fueled by a totally different agenda. You see, eversince since she started obsessing on getting pretty (and was slowly putting together her personal definition of what beautiful is) she wouldn't stop bugging me to get her ears pierced. We opted not to get it pierced when she was still an infant because we thought body piercings are something that one has to decide on her own (and yes at 4, she is still in no position to decide for herself but admittedly the delay was mainly due to my paranoid nature - I was too scared she'd pull it off or ingest it or put it inside her nostrils).

I couldn't remember now when I got my ears pierced. But I am sure I was already in school then. The guns (what are they called exactly, would you know?) that most pedia would used these days are not yet popular in the province then so the nurses (not even sure if a nurse did it then or maybe it was just one of the elders in our small town then). In my teens, extra ear piercings became a fad I did my second ear piercing by myself thinking my parents would never allow me to get an extra hole on both ear lobes. Looking at them now, makes me rather 'un'proud of myself because they were a little lopsided. Yes, you most likely will pay for the reckless things you do in your youth (and this serves as a warning to you LITTLE GIRL).

Little miss had no idea what that trip to the doctor had in store for her. All she knew was a pair of earrings would make her extra pretty. So when the doctor pushed the trigger of the piercing gun and locked in the first earring on her earlobe, she cringed and stifled her cry of pain. That didn't stop her tears from falling though and soon she was sobbing and almost refusing to get the other earlobe pierced. Good thing, the doctor patiently waited for her to calm down and we managed to get the other earlobe pierced within seconds. After a few more minutes, she walked out of the clinic beaming like nothing happened. She proudly showed her dad her sparkling earlobes and happily trotted home.

Isn't she prettier indeed?

Welcoming Vanity!

The kid is into make up and all things beauty related lately. I can only deduce that most young girls go through this phase as I cannot really say that all this is due to my influence. I mentioned in one of my posts before that I do not have a single kikay bone in my body. That remains true to this day. But some days, yes I do try to make an effort to 'fix' myself by putting on face powder and a thin coat of lipstick on. And on those days, yes the little miss would stare at me and would even attempt to take the face powder off my hands and apply them to my face herself. I have a very curious kid in my midst. Yes, that is also true.

I've recently acquired a new set of make up brushes and decided to hand over to her my old ones. Pamana. Imagine how she beamed upon hearing my declaration. It was as if I agreed to get her an iPad or something  to that effect (not that she really knows what an iPad is). Imagine even more how her glee multiplied when I went home with the wonderful news that her Ninang Yette decided to gift her with a vanity dresser for her birthday. Well, her initial response really was: WHAT'S A DRESSER, MOMMY? But when I showed her the actual picture of what the dresser would look like, she immediately sported the beam of the century. 

The dresser took awhile to finish (because of the deluge of holiday orders we had to wait for 2 months to get it made) but the wait was all worth it. And this morning we finally picked it up. The minute we got the mini-dresser into the house, the little miss immediately grabbed a pair of scissors and started (carefully ha, mind you) peeling off the wrapping. 

I believe it is important to note here that this vanity is exclusive for kids only. I attempted to sit on her chair this afternoon and I was immediately told that I am not allowed to do that because I am already an adult.
Maliit lang yan eh. Nakikita mo ba mommy. Hindi yan pang BIG! (at least she considered me as somebody BIG! wahaha)

This entire thing costed Ninang P2700. Relatively cheap, no? If you buy a plastic toy these days, it might even cost more. And this one's made of wood so it's going to last longer than most toys would. We ordered it from Handicrafts, atbp. If this interests you, you can go look at their Facebook page as they do not only specially on dressers but a lot of other wooden stuff for kids as well. 

The vanity now happily sits on the only corner of the house that isn't occupied yet. She initially wanted it placed inside her 'bedroom' but since it doubles as our yaya's quarters and a storage area (yes i know, bad employers but really how do you manage space in a house as tiny as ours) she probably realized it isn't really a nice place for her to pretty up. So yes, she finally settled for this corner here:

Thank you, thank you, thank you again Ninang Yette!
For always being so generous to this little lady.

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Handicrafts, atbp. Contact info:
Phone 0917.589.9488
Email handicrafts.atbp@yahoo.com
Website http://www.handicrafts-atbp.weebly.com

Teacher's Day Seatwork

In the lobby of the kid's preschool building  the teachers maintain this artwork 'show-off' board where each of the preschool sections would take turns posting their class's top artwork pieces on special projects. I only came to know of this recently.

Mommy oh, di na lumalagpas pagko color ko!

Here's a photo of my little miss proudly showing her completed artwork from the Teacher's Day celebration last October 5th. This was the second time that one of her artworks made it to the board. The first one she showed to her dad but the daddy forgot to take a photo of it, I didn't see what it was. So yesterday, she made sure Ate Inday took a snap of her and her 'masterpiece' to show to me later.

If you're proud of yourself little girl, WE - daddy and me - are even prouder.

Weekend Snaps # 40 - Carousels, Swings and Making Friends

Lazy weekends are never complete without a visit to the playground. We skipped our palengke date on Saturday and brought the kid to the pocket park instead. What we planned to be a short stay extended to almost 2 hours.

She made a new friend without our prodding. Of course they had to warm up at first. But it didn't take long before they started playing tag, balance-balance, invading the slides. When we left the park, they were hand in hand already! She even asked E where her house is. My shy little miss finally coming out of her shell? Oh I hope so. And they also met again later that day at the pool and she proudly introduced her new friend E to her Ate Inday. 

And we witnessed 2 milestones this weekend.

On Saturday, the little miss rode the swing on her own for about 10 minutes (well...technically by not sitting on our laps. But the daddy was standing right behind her all along). Moments like that always pinches my heart a bit. But no matter how briefly, they always render me mystified by the thought. I am a mother to this amazing  kid. Yes, motherhood is rather overrated on my part of the world. But every time I get this sudden burst of overwhelming emotions like this one, I just can't help but silently throw my relentless thank yous to God for gifting me with this kid. 

Then Sunday we finally had to make this mall trip that we had been delaying for months now. We are not fond of weekend mall trips and are seriously scared of the mall mob (lol). But we had to do this errand now. So we planned to go first thing in the morning and it turned out to be a good strategy because there were barely any people yet when we got to the mall come opening time and the kid still had enough energy to walk almost the entire time that we were inside the mall. A carousel ride was never part of our itinerary since we wanted to leave before lunch time hits (that's when we expect the mob formation to begin) but the minute she saw us approaching the carousel area she just wouldn't take NO for an answer. And you know how persistent they can get. So we said yes but with the condition that she rides it alone. Although unexpectedly, she bravely said YES! 

lining up to get in and about to hand her ticket to kuya operator

The daddy kept shouting "don't let go. hold tight!" but eventually relaxed to enjoy listening to the little miss's squeals and wave back to the repeated "Hi's and Hello's". And when she came down, she was beaming from ear to ear. Ako lang ang walang kasama no, Mommy? Kasi big girl na ako eh.

You're only turning 4 next week, little girl. Wag magmadali. Please.

Unlearning

The ARC arrived yesterday. It was something that our household has been looking forward to since the kid started preschool. I wasn't home then so it was Ate Inday who broke the news to me. She got a 3. Three. Well to me three is good. It is enough. But to the daddy, it was a different thing. He somehow...expected excellence. I was surprised. But I thought better to discuss at home.

When I got home, the mood somehow shifted. The daddy was now cool about it and I ended up the worried one. Why, you might ask? I grew up in a household that never really demanded for the kids to turn in high grades. But still, we all ended up being rather competitive and yearning to be achievers. But I really tried hard not to nail my success on my grades and somehow when I got to college that attitude helped a lot. So yes, I aimed hard (and still aim to) to be a cool parent. So even if, admittedly good grades would make me feel better I vowed not to nail my kid's success on to that alone as well. BUT.

She got a 2 in self-confidence. And that was what bothered me. The last thing I wanted my kid to be assessed with is having low self-esteem. But yes, she is a very shy kid. And I've witness that several times over. And it broke my heart a little. That was the only thing I really wanted her to have -- enough confidence to equip her to survive the harsh realities of life. And yet, how ironic that she would end up being assessed to be weak at that. 

I have since given up reading on parenting. I have accepted the fact that no book can tell me how to perfectly raise my kid. Or how I can become a better parent. But that day drove me to seek Mr. Google's help once again. What I read appeased me somehow. So thank you for that Mr. Google. At my kid's age, that article said, the still do not have a strong understanding of personalities. It might even be true that they do not know what SHY really means. 

Our dearest little miss,

Please forgive us for feeling a teeny bit of disappointment today. We never meant to but we live in a society where success is dictated by numbers and somehow despite our earlier resolve not to fall into that trap, we still did. We will do better next time. We are all first timers at this after all. 

We want you to know that you will always remain the smartest and most confident for us. Because we know you better than anyone else. In your own time, little girl, you will shine. THAT WE GUARANTEE.

Love you always,
Mommy and Daddy

Linking up to a nice post on letting go and unlearning via bellalunatoys.com - WALDORF HOMESCHOOLING; LEARNING TO LET GO

Role-Playing and My Preschooler

For several weeks now I have been wracking my brain to find more creative ways of encouraging my kid to do homework. I feared that she is starting to feel some school fatigue this early into the school year and that thought just doesn't sit well with me. She is struggling I can see and I am running out of tricks real soon.

Although I am very well aware of the fact that my kid is really STILL a kid, I do not want to give up on her yet. After all, she did ask for this and I can tell that school still excites her most of the time. Apart of course from homework duties which (from my interpretation) she abhors because it takes away a chunk of her already limited play time hours (I have to say this wasn't because we do not allow her to play but mainly because she spends majority of her afternoon napping). So what I did was change the schedule of homework duties. Instead of the afternoons, we now do them in the mornings right before breakfast. So now she has the remaining of her afternoons dedicated to play time alone. And the schedule has definitely improved her perception towards home work and has also made me more involved since I can now make myself physically available for when she needed my help (we used to go over the homework thru the phone since I don't get home till around 8pm). So I'm happy with how that change turned out to be for the benefit of everyone. 

The change worked. But what was even better was the kid herself found a way to make homework duties more interesting. Last Friday (in great anticipation for the coming weekend I reckon), she started role-playing as a teacher with her stuffed toys as her student. When I got home, Ate Inday proudly reported that she was able to practice writing her name and other writing exercises on the board. She even taught her students the numbers 1-6. 

This weekend, she did 2 more sessions with her students. And by Sunday morning, they were done with lessons on number 0-10. She mimics her teacher well and by that I can tell how much she likes her teacher. Every time her students would come up front and do boardwork, she would say: OKAY CLASS, LET'S GIVE (ex. Georgie) 5 CLAPS! We'd all join in the cheer. She would squeal and giggle in delight in between claps. Fun, fun, fun play indeed! 

okay class, who wants to try writing the #10 on the board?

We're partly hoping that thru the help of this role-play she would also eventually become more active in participating in class recitations and individual board activities (that's one of the weaknesses that her class adviser pointed out in her first quarter ARC). 

Play indeed does wonders to everyone. And it has no boundaries. It has afforded us with a fun solution to our school issues and despite the reality that this could just be a temporary solution, I am already very grateful for that. This has also somehow validated for me the great significance of PLAY towards raising healthy, passionate, imaginative and creative kids.

On Motivation

The kid tested my patience again this morning. A quarter past the school year and I honestly thought we have already established some sort of rhythm with regards to doing homework and other school duties. I wasn't the type who like forcing things so I strategized on making homework sessions interesting instead. And it was. During the first 2 months, that is. Then Habagat came and there were weeks in August where the kid would only be in school for a day or two and be out of it the rest of the week. She felt the freedom of being able to play anytime she wanted. And that was it. 

Today, she told me she doesn't want to be in school anymore. I asked her thrice and she consistently said NO. WHAT AM I TO DO? I told myself I will be lenient when it came to school issues. That I would willingly pull her out of school when she comes to me complaining about how burdensome school work is. But three months into our venture into the world of pre-schooling, I realized that at a certain degree this experience is teaching our little girl about discipline, independence and communication in a way that I might not really be able to teach as a parent. Exposure to the outside world is an inevitable thing. And I deeply believe that her school can hone her to be a survivor. I had to keep her continuously motivated though. And that's where my dilemma lies. How do I tell if I was just doing enough or have been pushing too much already? In the past 3 months, I never had to push actually. I always came home to a completed homework which was always handed over to me for checking with great pride. 

But today I found myself in a difficult situation. I felt my fear of Maia getting tired of school was realized. I froze at the thought. But I'm glad I had my husband behind me. He helped bail me out of it by telling me to take a break and try again later. I did. And it worked. Thank God for supportive husbands and daddies like ours. So we were able to start anew with homework duties and finish it just in time. How we finished it was a different story altogether but what was important is we accomplished what was needed today. Tomorrow will take care of itself. Sigh.

Are you a preschooler parent? Have you ever found yourself in a similar situation as mine? Were you able to come to a win-win solution? I would greatly appreciate if you could share your experience.

A Chat With The Class Adviser

Upon the kid's request, we came to pick her up from school yesterday. She was specific that morning - she wanted us BOTH (her dad and me) to be there and being the spoiling parents that we are, we indulged her request. We arrived about 30 minutes before dismissal time so I thought I might as well  grab the opportunity to talk to her class adviser. I reminded myself though not to go overboard as I did promise myself, when it comes to the kid's schooling I will not be the overzealous stage mama that I was before she became an official preschooler. My only goal by initiating this talk is just to find out how the little miss is coping in class with her being a first-time preschooler. I don't really intend to ask anything academics-related. At this point, that is really the least of my concerns. I really just wanted to confirm from her teacher herself if she is having fun in school. 

While we were waiting for dismissal time, I ran down in my mind all the possible question I could ask:

- How is she in class? (that general, but i'm sure we'll eventually have more details)
- Does she get along with her classmates?
- Is she easily understood when she's called to recite or when she needs something?
- Regarding Parent-Teacher conferences, are we really required to attend? Or are there really schedules for that?

And these are the answers I got from our brief interaction:

- How is she in class? (that general, but i'm sure we'll eventually have more details)/Does she get along with her classmates?/Is she easily understood when she's called to recite or when she needs something?

Maia is really shy. But she is very diligent with her seat works and can usually work on her own after the teacher has given general instructions. (The teacher tells me she would balk when asked for a kiss. I think Maia has yet to get really comfortable around adults) She gets along with her classmates well and even has some BFFs already. And if she needs something she does not hesitate to approach Ms. J despite the shyness so Ms. J tells me that should be fine. We are hoping she'd eventually overcome the shyness at the end of the school year and eventually get comfy with the sight of her teachers. She also recites and gives answers when asked.

- Regarding Parent-Teacher conferences, are we really required to attend? Or are there really schedules for that?
As how most of the school activities are communicated, PTCs will be also communicated in the same way which is via our kids' diaries. The will attach the ARC (automated report card) notice in it for the parents to countersign. And the teacher tells me they only request parents of those kids they think merits the highest attention (re: school work issues, learning problems). Although, even if a parent did not get a PTC notice but comes to the teacher with an issue that he/she would like to discuss they will also be entertained. 

Although the talk was short, it somehow gave me the assurance that my little girl is thriving and will be alright. It gave me some sense of peace knowing that the teacher knows her students and shows concern for each of them.

Let The Emotions Flow

I was stuck in traffic this morning so I plugged in my headset and prepared for a light snooze. I figured it was going to be a long ride to work anyways so I might as well grab the opportunity to nap. But in the middle of my favorite song, my phone rang but was dropped as soon as I moved to answer it. MAIA. It registered. Panic enveloped me. It isn't normal for Inday to be calling me just a few minutes after I left the house. But I tried my hardest to stay calm and dialed back to check what was wrong.

Inday answered my call after two rings. And I heaved a sigh of relief hearing her calm and poised. Then she handed over the phone to a crying little miss. "Mommy!!!! $@!&*$ ---" (sob sob). No she wasn't cursing I just didn't understand a single word she said while crying at the same time. I took a deep breathe. Then I asked her again what was wrong.

"You didn't bring my letter! Nakalimutan mo!"

Oh my. Yes I did forgot about it. And she took a lot of effort trying to tape it gently and all. And I forgot it. Of course, she was hurt. She probably felt I neglected her efforts.

As I was sharing a few months back, it has since become a favorite hobby of hers to write or draw letters for her dad and me. And this morning in particular, she got inspired watching me and her dad eat our breakfast together that she immediately set out to sketch something for us. When she was done with the drawing she handed it to me for approval saying: "Dalhin mo yan sa office ha. Letter ko yan para sa yo. Teka ite-tape ko lang Mommy tapos lagay mo sa bag mo." I saw how she measure and cut each of the tapes meticulously. Nag-effort talaga. I thanked her for it. Gave her a tight hug too.

But I forgot to place it inside my bag.

And she saw it when she got back from her morning playdate and after I've left for work already. (bad mommy!)

At first I told her to stop crying...I will bring it with me tomorrow instead. Then as I was about to repeat the don't cry anymore speech I remembered this article I read about avoiding monologues like that (i.e. DON'T CRY, STOP CRYING) because it's like training your kid to suppress their emotions when they're only starting to learn and identify the different types at this early age. So I bit my tongue and rephrased my speech.

"You feel sad, baby?" Opo

"O sige, just cry it out then pag naubos na iyak mo at nawala na lungkot mo you make more letters and drawings for mommy and daddy to bring to the office tomorrow ha?" (Pause) OPO!

Sigh. This parenting thing can sometimes wear you out. But I chose not to dwell on the mistake part and instead be grateful that I am able to remember some of the good stuff that I should be really practicing.

I said my byebyes and hearing the little miss's voice shift to a more cheerful tone assured me she's going to be alright. I plugged my earphones in again and took my nap. We're still stuck in traffic fer chrissakes.

this wall behind her is usually filled with her sketches and doodles.
sigh. you are growing up so fast little girl i can hardly catch up.