Angels

I am presently doing my Certficate of Religious Education here in Sydney. It is a two year course and hopefully, after I am done with it, I will get to have a permanent full-time job as a Primary School Teacher.

For this week's session, we were asked to read three readings and of course reflect on some of the topics listed. I was actually inspired to write that I decided to share my reflection. This is basically what I'll be presenting but my final report will still be based on our meeting next week.

So, here it is:

The Holy Spirit is indeed God working within us. As Donal Dorr puts it in writing “the Holy Spirit is the God who works secretly in the human heart and who inspires and touches the deepest parts of the human spirit.” Five channels were briefly discussed in the reading materials among which are the web of life and angels.

I am a big fan of angels, not only when I was a kid but even up to now that I am a grown-up. It also helped that back in Ateneo, we used to celebrate our annual fair during the Feast of the Holy Guardian Angels. It is an annual event that was looked forward to not only by students, but by parents and teachers as well. It dates back to that tragic event when the kids were believed to have been saved by their guardian angels from a big fire in the old school site. I am a fan because I believe that in my everyday journey, I get to experience being touched by an angel or angels for that matter, be it in small or big ways.

A new acquaintance telling me tips on how to be a better casual teacher on my very first casual teaching job here in Australia was an angel. The teacher who gave me the bookstore where I can purchase books or materials that I can use when I do my casual teaching was another angel. The partner teacher who made sure I was on the right track right after she learned that I was new in school and in Australia. A new acquaintance helping me get more casual teaching jobs is another. The childcare who accepts casual childcare when I have a casual teaching call is another. They are the newest angels in my life. Of course, there are a lot of angels in my life sometimes I don’t get to realize it until after my encounter with them.

My son who constantly inspires me especially in difficult times will be my angel forever. My husband, who is afraid of doctors and hospitals, for some weird reason, convinced me to go to the hospital that night, 3 weeks after giving birth, was my saving angel. If not for his persistence, I may not be writing this presentation. I had hemorrhagic fever and I was already bleeding inside. My platelet was down to 50 when the normal range should be between 170 to 240. My students, who affirmed my decision to change my course back in college, will be my angels forever. My brother who welcomed my family into their home, provided for our needs, free of any charge, for the first nine months of stay here in Australia, is another angel. People who continue to pray for us even if we don’t ask, are of course angels in our lives!

When I was much younger I thought I needed to have an extraordinary experience for me to say that I have been touched by an angel. That I needed to see an image of a winged creature all dressed in white just like what we see in the movies or in the cartoons. I did once, when I was younger, and it convinced me that they do exist and they really guard you and protect you. There are a lot of guardian angel encounters but to see an angel in each person that I meet was brought about by a poem in a card that was given to me by one of my best buddies in college. Let me share it with you.

There have been angels in my life.
While they haven't arrived with a blast of trumpets
or a rustle of wings,
I've known them just the same.
They performed their acts in human guise,
sometimes borrowing the faces of family and friends,
sometimes posing as well-meaning strangers.
You have known them, too,
when just the right word was needed,
when a tiny act of kindness made a great difference...
Or perhaps you heard a voice
whispering in the night of sorrow,
the words not quite clear
but the meaning unmistakable..."There is hope... There is hope."

Splish Splash Splash

I am not an atheletic person and so is my husband. Because of this we decided or promised for that matter, that when we get to have kids, we'll do everything to make them physicaly active. Given the chance, we would allow them to get involved in sports.

When we moved here in Sydney, I realized that it will not be hard to make our son join sports activities because there are a lot of sports made available to parents and kids.

Since I and my husband are frustrated swimmers, and it seems that swimming here is a big thing, we decided to enrol my son in swimming lessons. We thought that we will not have a hard time sending him to school since when we got out swimming, he does enjoy the water. But I was wrong, the formal lessons are different with leisure swimming.

This is my son's 4th week already and it was only this week that I didn't have to go with him in the pool. The first week was a trying week because he cried so loud when his teacher was giving the lessons. It was a big cry indeed! I was sad and thought that I might be pressuring my son too much. Some friends even told me that swimming might not be his sports. Well, I did consider that but I think giving up on the first week is not really a good idea. I was not ready to give up yet.

With the help of his cousins, I asked him to swim with me again and his cousins on another day. No teachers were present. At first he was showing the same signs he showed during his first day of swimming lessons. But thankfully, he didn't give a loud cry. Still, I knew that his 2nd week will still be a hard one for me.

True enough, when the 2nd week came, he still cried, but this time, it wasn't as loud and it was not an attention-seeking cry. I came to realize that maybe the trick that I did was indeed effective. I decided to have another lesiure swimming with my son and his cousins but due to unforseen events, we were not able to push thru with it. So on the day of his swimming lesson on Week 3, we went to the school early for us to have leisure swimming first just before his classes. It did not help that there were kids who were screaming and crying. I think seeing them made him remember his fears. But I still did not give up. I did everything to distract him.

Now on his 4th week, I didn't have to take a dip in the pool anymore! There was no crying and screaming. I was happy to see that finally, he was able to enjoy his swimming lessons. He follows the instructions of the teacher and plays on his own while waiting for his turn. I was able to see how my son was able to overcome his fears. And I am happy because I was finally able to document it! I hope this experience taught him something about patience, perseverance and overcoming one's fears -- courage. Hopefully, he'll get to use it when he grows up. I am happy because I felt that I myself learned another lesson in this experience. Like what I've said or written before, our kids and our experiences with them teaches us to become better persons without even trying -- this time, I am thanking swimming. ;)

Classifying 101

I am taking a break from my wedding supplier reviews because I was inspired to hit the keyboards to share my newest experience with my two-year-old boy.

Thankful is the best word that can describe my feeling for the well-established early-childhood programs available here in Sydney. From playgroups, to early childhood classes (like my son's Gymbaroo and Kindermusik classes), to sports lessons for little ones, all of them are easily available for parents. Some require us to pay but there are some resources for parents that are available as well free of charge.

I chanced upon these early childhood literacy and numeracy cards. These cards were sent by the government to big families. It is an aid for stay-home mums in teaching some of the early skills to their children needed when they already have to go to the big school. I only have one kid but I thought of e-mailing the department to see if I can have one as well. I think it is a very useful tool to parents like me. After a few days I got a response, after some exchanges of emails and within one week, I had with me a complete package (cds, manuals and the cards), all for free.

On one of the literacy cards, it was mentioned that parents can aready teach their kids early on the skill of grouping together things. Looking for similarities or differences on the appearance of certain objects, describing them, and then putting them together in their correct groupings. This will teach them to classify things later on. Classification, as what was mentioned, is needed in literacy and numeracy later on.

Sometimes, as parents, we end up looking for the correct teaching aids in shops, especially in the kids sections -- the toys sections. There is really no harm in spending for educational toys. But in my case I didn'thave to spend a single centavo because the tools that I used to teach and later on test my son's classification skills are very much available at home. Yes, at home.

The first time we did this activity, we made use of hangers. I was busy folding some clean clothes and my son was with me in the room. There were three sets of hangers with three different colors. The blue and green ones were smaller than the silver ones. Feeling that it was a teachable moment, I asked him to sit beside me. I started showing him the hangers and described it. Of course he was excited because it was a new "game" he will be playing with mum. I showed him the hangers, gave him an example and told him to do it himself -- to put the hanger mum will give to the correct pile.

At first, he tried to put the blue hanger on top of the green hanger. It was then that I described again the two hangers and asked him if the one he'll be putting is the same as the one on the pile. I think he got the idea and so to make the long story short, he was able to put together the hangers in the correct groupings. Of course, I was there to give him prompts. But after two or three tries, minimal prompts were given. And so, it was play for him. But actually, he was learning from it already.

The second one was just this morning. A friends of ours gave him last night one bag full of old toys. One of which was a bag of color pencils. The color pencils are quite a number and all were scattered on the floor when he started playing with it! Just before packing it away I remembered our hangers activity and tried to do it this time with the color pencils. This time I was able to hit two birds with one stone, having our classification/grouping activity at the same time teaching him about colors. And so, one by one I gave the name of each color, asked him to repeat the name, and when he was ready I started getting one color pencil at a time asking him to put it to the correct group. I think he remembered our hangers activity because he knew what to do already. After 20 or more color pencils, he lost his focus and started coloring again. Of course, I didn't ask him to stop coloring. I think the few minutes we spent grouping the colors was more than enough for the day. We can do it again, on some other time.

These are just two activities that we can do at home with our kids. Simple and easy. It seems like we are just playing with them but we're actually teaching them already. But the important thing here is, we should be there to play with them, to give them prompts, to guide them. Becuase if we all leave it to them, how do we expect them to learn?

Look around your house, I am pretty sure, you'll also find a lot of things you can use to teach your little one. =D

Wedding Supplier Review - Church

I have been married for more than three years now and I realized that I really haven't gotten over the experience of preparing for my wedding! The thrill is still there! And because it's still there I decided to write (in installments), my wedding supplier reviews on that very special day!

Church: Shrine of Jesus,The Way, The Truth and The Life
Reclamation Area, Pasay City
Peso Power: Php 20, 000
Inlcusions: Flower arrangements

The church is known as a strict chruch, but based on experience, we didn't encounter any problems. They were even so accomodating when 3 days before our wedding, we had to change priests because our main celebrant, passed away due to a heart attack =C sad...but on the wedding day, I think our friend priest made his presence felt, because as I was walking down the aisle, a butterfly was with me althroughout =D

I remember the day before the wedding, I was still trying to contact the church florist because I really wanted lilies as the flowers to be used on the church than the mums. For me, it looks more elegant. Good thing, they accomodated our request. =D

Two days before the wedding, I had a major problem. When I submitted our new officiating priest's details and requirements to the church admin, I saw or rather HEARD, this monstrous noise created by the people digging and putting building foundations just across the church! Yes, it is now where SMX now stands! At that time it posed a big problem because when I asked the church secretaries, they said they have raised the problem already but up to that day, they haven't received any actions yet. That leaves me and my fiance' the big dilemma of what will happen during our ceremony?! The place being almost at the end of the Reclamation area in Pasay City makes the loudest noise (or echo) with tiniest noise made. So what do you expect with big machines digging and drilling?! Up to the day of the wedding I was actually praying for a miracle. And it did happen! My groom, arriving early at the church site, went to the construction site and personally requested whoever was in-charge if they can stop the drilling while we're having our ceremony! Thank goodness for that angel, whoever she was, because even is she and her team were already behind from schedule, they stopped all the drilling and all the noise that they created. They stopped for an hour. We can remember that as soon as the priest told my husband "You may now kiss the bride" the drilling and all the noise that went with it, started again! BUt that was just fine with us!

I didn't mind anymore during the picture taking. I don't know if the music created by another supplier (JJS Entertainment) can still be heard, but I was enjoying everything that was happening to even notice it.

Looking back, if I knew that SMX would be built around that time maybe, we looked for another church. It was a good thing that SM Mall of Asia delayed their opening, or else I would have had bigger problems! Traffic and all! Knowing Filipinos, they would all troop down the mall, especially that it was summer and it was the newest and biggest mall in town at that time!

All in all, I was still happy because our pictures looked excellent and the church was really elegant. I think it is just sad that SM was built just beside it. I think, in a way, it lost or the drama of being the only church on that very remote area, was lessened.

By the way, we thought the pictures that went with the package were a bit few so we decided to put more flowers in front of the altar by another supplier (Flowers of May). It added beauty and put more life in the ceremony.

My Work As A Substitute

The phone will ring early in the morning and it is not an unexpected call. I need to report to work because I need to substitute for someone who is not able to go to work today. Before I hang up the phone, I ask what year I will be teaching for this day. As I hang up the phone, I go to my study room, look at my book collection and get the appropriate books I need for the day.

As a substitute teacher, I am already used to having the calls early in the morning and facing the challenge of preparing ample activities that I can give to my students for the day. When I started as a substitute teacher, I thought I wouldn’t get the hang of it knowing myself as to being more relaxed when my activities are set on a routine. The first few weeks were really hard for me. Imagine preparing and dropping off my little boy in child care before proceeding for work. When I get to work, I have to study and look at the plans of the teachers’ I am relieving (if there is any) for the day. I wouldn’t want to short-change the kids, just because I am just the substitute. Sometimes, I ask myself, “where is the fun in all of these?”
Well, the answers came in one after the other. Being a substitute teacher is fun after all! After getting the hang of it, I saw the beauty of becoming a substitute teacher. First, the job is challenging. It is not easy to go to work without knowing where you’ll be picking up from where the kids have left off.

Next, it has more variety. Let us admit it, sometimes having a routine day in and day out can be a bit tiring or boring in the long run. Well, you will definitely not have that when you are a substitute teacher because each substitution is unique, it is different.

Third, it is less stressful and less demanding. When you report for work and luckily the teacher you are relieving has a prepared plan, then you will not need to come up with your own plan, all you have to do is prepare the materials needed (that is if it is still not prepared) and execute the plan. Your day starts at around 8:30 am and ends up around 3pm. No lesson plans, no demands to make quizzes, to demands to attend meetings as well.

Lastly, it is mother-friendly. Because you don’t get tied up with all the after school academic and non-academic workload, you have more time for your family. Because you are not stressed big time, you tend to serve and care for your family better.

Yes, it is fun after all!

Teaching Responsibility to My Toddler

Growing up to be a responsible person is not like a piece of apple picked on a tree. It takes time. You have to grow up with it to live it. Many parents don’t realize it but as young as 2 or even younger-- when you can see that your child can comprehend what you are talking about, they can already teach their kids the value of responsibility.

Parents are quite apprehensive to give their kids house chores thinking what other people might say. In this case, we have toddlers. Let me just emphasize that as parents, we should be sensible enough to the kind of chore you are giving your little tot. You wouldn’t ask your toddler to prepare or wash dishes, would you? Of course, parents should do some reading and try to sell which chores can already be assigned to their toddlers. To make it simpler, look for chores that are age-appropriate.

I am a mother of a two year old boy and I am just amazed on how quick my son learns just by observing the things around him. I realized that I should make the most of this opportunity to teach him some “chores” since he is still in that age where his mind acts like a sponge.

Start early. Bend the tree while still young. These are some of the famous lines my parents and parents-in-law share with me as I raise my toddler. And true enough I am already starting to reap some fruits of starting early. What do I mean?

At age two, the most that you can do for my little one is to teach him to pack away his toys after he plays with it. During my first few tries, I had to be consistent. I had to remind and show him that I am checking his room after he plays to check if everything is on the proper place. When I see some toys not properly packed away, I remind and show him again how to do it. I take it one step at a time. After a few more tries, I can now say that every time he finishes playing, all I have to do is just tell him to pack away, and I know that he’ll do. I am pleased when I see that he has learned his lesson.

Another story I would like to share is that, when my little one sees me cleaning the house, wiping the tables, walls, or even sweeping the floor, he now volunteers to help. There was even an instance where I asked him to just watch TV or play with his toys, but he said, “No Mama I want to clean.” And so I let him. Of course, this time, I don’t expect him to clean like a grown up! I just wanted to let him feel good knowing that he was helping mum with the chores. And I wanted him to feel that he was acting responsibly. Never mind if I had to do a second round of cleaning after he felt bored already with the activity. At least in my mind, I know that we’re making progress.

I believe it wouldn’t hurt if we give them chores every now and then to teach them how it is to be responsible. When you praise them after a job well done, their self-confidence is boosted as well. Is my strategy effective? I don’t know. Only time can tell. In a few years I will know. But as for now, I will continue to hone and teach him some more skills and instilling values along the way.

The Importance of Competition

Competing is never easy. School is not easy either. Imagine what you will have when you combine both.

Competitions are part of our journey. We may not have experienced competing formally but one way or another, we have competed in some form – be it for attention, for time, for a better job, for a better future.

We send our kids to school because we hope that these institutions can better equipped our children when they face the real world. And since schools are faced with this great task of preparing the kids to the real world, they see to it that they give our kids opportunities, opportunities like competitions.

Competition is healthy because it does not only develop the fighting spirit of our children. It develops sportsmanship as well. It teaches our kids how to prepare prior a competition – making them more responsible. It teaches our kids to have faith and to have hope. It may even teach our kids teamwork and cooperation. It teaches our kids to be brave, to face problems or tasks with courage. Competitions are not bounded by sport events, or quiz bees, or talent shows. We may not realize it but our kids become better individuals every after a competition. If he won, then he becomes more self-confident. If he loses, then he becomes a better person in that he now learned the value of accepting defeat gracefully.

Competitions are our children’s stepping stones. If we remove it from them, we remove a lot of opportunities to grow as an individual. Yes, they might get hurt along the way, and as a parent, I would not want that as well. But we have to realize also, that they will all grow up. And that they will not forever be ours. So we have to do our share and let them experience it themselves. I am quite assured that the opportunities that the schools give the kids are healthy in nature. Teachers go out of their way to process an activity when things don’t turn out the way they wanted to.

Schools are there for a reason. They do not just give competitions just because they need to. Teachers after all, are like our kids’ second parents. So lay down all your fears now and let us be the first examples on how to make competitions work for us and not the other way around. Let our children be and let them learn.

V-day Everyday

Romance is definitely in the air! With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, who wouldn’t get love sick? Let’s admit it, a few weeks before the V-day; most couples are busy preparing for their exchange of gifts. Most if not all, are thinking how to make this special day more special. Some propose for marriage, some have romantic dinners; some even go out of town, just as so they can say that they celebrated the V day with their loved one.

Some single men and women try to have a date before the special day. Who would want to be alone on this special day? When couples become more thoughtful to one another, when couples become sweeter to one another, when everyone around you looks so much in love?
It is a sad fact that most people, well, sometimes, including me, become a “victim” of this “feast” I think that Valentine’s day and the way we celebrate it has been exaggerated over the years. Talk about consumerism. I believe that each day should be Valentine’s Day. Don’t you think that the quality of relationships we have will be much better if we think as such?

It just occurred to me, that we can make an effort to make Valentine’s Day more special, each day, and not just on February 14. Why will we wait for this day for us to write a letter that expresses our deepest appreciation and love to our partner, spouse, parents or even kids? When all throughout the year, we can make even a very simple note on the post-it to write the three magical words -- I Love you? Why will we wait for February 14 to send our loved ones a single rose or a bouquet of flowers when you can surprise him or her with the same act any day of the week? You can even just pick a flower in your garden and write a simple note when you give it to her. You can even leave it some place in the house, where you’ll know he’ll definitely see it when she gets back from work, or after bringing the kids to school. Believe me you can save a lot as well! Why will we wait for V-day to hug or to kiss our loved ones, when you can do that everyday! As for romantic dinners? You can avoid the long queue outside those five-star hotels or expensive restaurants if you can surprise your loved ones on a special dinner treat on an “ordinary day” to celebrate your love for one another. You can even cook the dinner by yourself!

Well, most people might not agree with me. Some would probably argue that the feeling is still different if you receive the flowers or go out on a date on the actual Valentine’s Day. Probably yes, but you have a choice. But I bet, that if you do the things I have just mentioned a habit, meaning, you do it not just on Valentine’s day, most probably than not, you wouldn’t join the trend of the millions of people trying to make just this one day out of the 365 days that we have in a year, more special for their loved ones!
Again, every day should be Valentine’s Day.

A Journey Called Parenthood

Life-changing. This is something that describes what couples experience once they become parents. I would know, because it happened to me, because it happened to us.
I remember a colleague of mine telling me when I was still heavy with my son, that when he comes out, our lives will change forever. It will be a 360 degree turn. I agreed with her because it was what I have observed with most of the friends who became parents earlier than me. Deep inside though, I still needed some convincing. But I never knew the extent of the influence parenthood makes until I became one. Priorities will change. That one, I assure you.

Before I married my husband, he was dead set of staying in our homeland and even told me that he never sees himself working overseas. Well, all of that changed, especially when we became parents. The proof? We have decided to try our luck and migrated to another country, start all over again, because we know that eventually, our decision will be best for our son. True enough, we are now seeing the wisdom behind our big move. Becoming a parent transforms you and your spouse. You become more selfless. You give more especially to your kids. Work takes a back seat. Extending your time at work is a no-no this time, because you would want to spend more time with your child. Missing out on parties or gatherings don’t bother you anymore. You try your best and you give your best in everything that you do because you only want the best for your child.

Looking back at our own journey I can say that my son did a wonderful thing to me and my husband without even trying! Just by being born, he made me and his dad focus on things that really matter. Just by being born, he made us go out of our comfort zones, hard as it may be. He transformed us to become better individuals. He made us attend to more important things. I am pretty sure; we are not alone on this. I am pretty sure that many parents, like me, can attest how parenthood has brought out the best in them. How they managed to prioritize the more important things in life.
Being a parent is no easy task. It is an everyday thing. But despite the hardships parents face in raising their children, the beauty of parenthood, still outweighs the problems. Parenthood, life-changing? Definitely.

Study Tips

Time is gold. Yes, that is the famous saying almost everyone has heard of. But when it comes to studying many students seem to forget it. Many just let the time pass not realizing that time spent doing nothing is time wasted.

When I came across the this title, I suddenly found myself going back and trying to remember what I was like when I was still a student. I graduated with honors when I was in secondary school and in college. While working, I managed to study and finish my Master’s degree as well. I still got A’s on my card even if I was working. I didn’t mention those to boast of my credentials. I mentioned it because I think that sharing it would somehow convince you that the things that I did to use my time effectively as a student, were effective.

To start with, I think being organized was a key factor. I organized my time in such a way that I get to accomplish many things, if not all, during my “study time.” That way I get to spend my time doing other things that I like. How did I do this? Well, at the start of my study time, I list down all my subjects and all the homework, projects, or requirements needed for each. After which, I number it depending on which homework should be done first. Usually, I start doing the things that are much shorter or easier. That way, I get to finish something and I don’t get stuck compared if I chose to start on one long homework or very difficult project. Usually the longer homework or more difficult project really consumes a big chunk of my study time.

Second, I don’t try and finish projects which are still due in a month’s time. I make it a point to spend at least 5 to 10 minutes working on it so that my development progresses. Cramming is not for me. If I wait too long, I might end up cramming, which in turn will yield poorer quality of outputs.

Third, when I get to finish projects ahead to time, I don’t submit it right away. I take time to review and see on how I can still improve it.

Fourth, as I have mentioned earlier, I am not a crammer. So if there are big tests scheduled in two-three weeks’ time, I’d make sure that I’ll start studying probably as soon as my teacher announces about it. That way I don’t end up sleeping very late on the eve of the exam.

These are just some of the things I did when I was still a student. I know that not all students are the same. For some students, cramming is the solution to all their problems. But if you think that your style is somewhat similar to my style, then by all means, give it a shot. It won’t let you down, that I assure you. It worked for me; it will definitely work for you.

Working from Home

I have been busy the past few days because aside from FB, I found a new site that allows me to hopefully earn (I haven't received my first payment yet as this is my first try to work online) and at the same time use my brain.

I have mentioned in my previous blogs that I have always loved to write. It keeps my brain working. So on one ordinary day, while surfing the net, I came across this website. I liked the idea that what you'll be writing about are on topics of various interests. You have a say on the topics you will choose to write or expound on. I loved the idea that what I'll be writing about are more on topics that are not focused on selling or advertsing products. I think that in one of my blog entries, I stated that writing to advertise was not really me. I write because I am inspired to write about the things I experience in my journey. Lucky, I was able to come across this website.

So far I have only written seven (7) articles. But for those seven articles, I found it more inspiring to see that my articles or write ups were rated against other outputs and they are actually rating well. It feels good that one or two my write ups have made it into top 2 out of 40 or 37 write ups submitted. Admit it, you'd feel good also if that happens to you.

Right now, I am on a roll. I am inspired because this thing is perfect for me. I'll be updating you soon of my developments and as soon as I earn my first pay.

Losing Your Own

Four of my couple friends just lost their little ones yesterday. It is probably one of the worst nightmares of any parent. One was lost even before his parents saw him (still in the early weeks of pregnancy) while the other one did not make it 6 days after being born pre-maturely.

I don't know how it feels. I don't want to pretend that I know because I have never been there, and I hope I won't ever be there. Friends have given their words of comfort and condolences but I know that no amount of comfort can probably take away the grief that these parents have now. Easier said than done.

The closest that I had to losing a loved one was a grandparent or a very good friend. It wasn't too hard for me to go back to "normal" after losing them. But what if it was my own? Can I bear it? I don't know. Only God knows.

Things happen for a reason. Maybe it wasn't meant to be yet for my friends. I would like to think that things will happen for them all in His perfect timing, the way things did for me.

Right now all I can do is let them be, let them mourn, let them feel the pain until they themselves have accepted what happened and have decided that they are ready to go back. Special angels are now watching them, praying for them, praying with them. Losing your own can probably the worst thing you would want. But we take refuge and comfort that when we do lose them, they join our Creator and are in a much happier place than us.

kIdS' Schools

I remember not really being happy with the "schools" that were emerging a couple of years ago offering programmes to kids as young as, what, 6 months old? I remember telling my friend that I felt it was not really advisable that kids who are still not in the formal schooling age, start attending these so-called "play schools." The reason I mentioned was that when kids start too young, they tend to get tired and experience burn out even before they finish Year 6.

Well, I ate my words when I had Liam. I was actually surprised to find myself looking and checking out a number of schools when we moved here in Sydney. I felt that as an educator, I needed to maximize the time I have with my son. I felt that it was not healthy just staying at home almost the entire day. Another thing that made me eat my words is the fact that I learned and found out that these schools are really not the formal and traditional schools I grew up with. These schools make use of play as their main form of "instruction". And lastly, another big difference is that when I enrolled Liam to one of these schools, I was with him. I and my son bonded as he tried out the gym equipment, the musical instrument or when he sang songs. Maybe it would have been different if we stayed in Manila. Maybe, it would be the yaya or the Lolos or Lolas joining him in the sessions. But that is another story.

To make everything short and simple, I am thankful that these schools are here to give parents an asssitance to develop the skills of these little boys and girls without putting too much pressure on the kids. I am thankful that my son got to enjoy his Gymbaroo classes for two terms and hopefully he will also enjoy his Kindermusik sessions again with me or his Papa. I can only hope that all these opportunities to play, sing and learn along the way, will aid him as he prepares to face what is in store for him in the future.

Enjoying My Toddler

They say that when kids hit the age of 2's or 3's these lovable kids start to become monsters. The terrible 2's or 3's as they call it. The past couple of months I have been given the chance to spend more time with my little boy and see his milestones along the way.

There are some days that yes, I do agree, that he is like a monster. But, still lovable. When he doesn't do what I tell him to do. When he shows a bit of stubbornness. When he is cranky. When he is being a kid. But I think, there are more days when I feel he is not a monster at all.

We think that when toodlers start to act up they misbehave. But if you are to think and look at it closely when do they actually do that, they are just acting like kids. It's just that we think they misbehave because they are not acting the way we want them to. They say that it's the adult that should adjust and understand where the toddlers are coming from. Pretend that you are also coming from the same world as these toddlers. But it seems that the trend now is the exact opposite. It seems that these toddlers are the ones trying their very best to penetrate the crazy and complicated world of the adults.

Looking back at those instances where I wanted to just shut the door or disappear instantly when my little boy starts to act like a two-year old boy, I can't help but smile and realize that I should have done better.

Well, it's not yet too late. I am thankful that now, I get to understand my two-year old better, enjoy him when he plays play pretend -- a parent, a cook, a Wiggles character, a singer, a musician, name it,and not getting tired trying to convince me to join him in his pretend game -- when he tries to put out all his toys and forgets to pack away, when he cries because he is frustrated, when he is impatient and when he is just being himself -- a kid.

Peace and Quiet

My day is about to start in less than an hour. But I'm enjoying the stillness of everything around me. It's almost 6 am here and my son is quietly and peacefully sleeping by my side. My hubby on the other hand is already off at work.

Having this time allows me to have my "me" time, before I again start the daily grinds at home or sometimes at work. I love this because I get to write again, which most often than not, I don't get to do if my little tot is up and about already.

I love it because I can pray. I can refocus. I can think of crazy thoughts.I can day dream.

Mums are one of the busiest people on earth. We multi-task. We try to do everything so that things will fall into place. So let us be if we want some "me" time every now and then. It keeps us sane. It re-charges us. We want some peace and quiet time as well.

Oh there goes my peace and quiet time, the bin collector is here and with all the noise he and his truck are creating, I can only think of one thing, my day has officially begun!