As the saying goes, you're never too old to learn new tricks!
Australia as they say is the land of opportunities (kung hindi ka maarte, okay?) and I am taking advantage of what is available for me, hoping that it in the future it will be of use to me and my family.
Even back in Manila, I have always dreamed of putting up my own pre-school. That was the reason why I actually took Educational Administration for my Master's degree. But destiny intervened and we migrated here and that plan was put aside.
I was blessed to have been able to still practice the same profession as I had in Manila and it was also an opportunity for me to study the ropes of the trade. In our almost five years of stay here I have learned that they are stricter when it comes to your training and the work you're after. Unlike in Manila, where you can teach even if your course is not related to teaching, here you can't. Much more when you deal with smaller kids.
Sa atin, kahit ang layo ng kurso mo, kung gusto mo mag-teacher, go! Kung gusto mo magtayo ng pre-school (syempre dapat may pera ka) kahit kulang ang qualifications mo o wala kang ni isang kurso sa early childhood, go pa rin! Dito hindi. BAWAL.
They take your training seriously. Ako nga, Educ graduate na, hindi pa rin pwede magturo sa elementary unless mag-aaral ulit ako ng Teaching in Primary School (nakakturo ako kasi tinignan nila yung seven years teaching experience ko sa grade school).
Back to my blog. To make the long story short, I have reignited that dream of mine to hopefully put up my own pre-school (and childcare) in the future. You always have a guaranteed clientele for childcare here as nanny or yayas are not really part of the culture. In Sam's childcare alone, there are already 5 unborn kids who are on the wait list! Yes, unborn kids! With the standard of living getting higher every year many parents have no other choice but to work and that is when childcare centres goes into the picture. There is really a need in chidcare especially in our area where there is a boom in real estate!
Thankfully, both my undergrad and Masters' degree were validated and were accredited as to being comparable to Australian degrees. Now I only need to work on my early childhood qualifications. This is the reason why I decided to pursue a Diploma on Early Childhood Education and Care.
It took me a couple of years to muster enough strength to actually do it. It took a lot of emails and researches, comparisons, and inquiries to different schools and providers. I am not just sure if my timing is right as now my plate is already full because as I start with this, we are also very busy with the home project.
I chose to do the course through online study. It will be my first to do online studies and after 3 weeks, I can say that I still have to establish a routine or a style that will be most effective for me. I have three years to finish the course. I am hoping that I could finish that before the deadline.
Thankfully, I didn't have to shell out a single centavo as I am qualified with the government aid, being an Australian citizen. I can study now and pay later, as soon as my annual salary reaches their cap. At this point, I am still not worried because if I continue to work as a casual, I am safe of having to start the repayments to the government. So even if we have started with the mortgage payments, I can safely say that it will still not add to our expenses.
Finishing it in three years' time does not mean I will already leave the teaching force in the big schools. Putting up a childcare here is costly, no make that very costly! I plan to make baby steps. But as for now, I'll just take it one subject at a time.
You might ask, why study again when I can already teach here? Well, as I've said, when I'm much older, I wouldn't want to still be inside the classroom. I want to see myself and my career evolve. I hope to have moved on from teaching to doing the admin work, more of the person behind the curtains.
Big dreams? Yes. I see nothing wrong with it. It's worth a try, right? Libre mangarap. At least when I'm there, I can confidently say that I am ready to cross the bridge.
Keeping the faith!
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Growing Together, Praying Together (Overwhelmed - Part 2)
Yesterday, I mentioned to one of my friends, Mitch, more than this dream becoming a reality, I am more thankful of the opportunity for me and Alvin to again grow together and work together both spiritually and mentally. After this, particularly last Saturday, I felt our relationship went up one notch higher.
When I wrote that we continued to pray for it, we were not pushing for us to buying a house. We were praying that if it is His will, let things fall into place. We were praying for guidance for every decision. And most importantly, we were praying for His grace to prepare our hearts, so we can humbly accept His will for us.
We grew together, mentally. Since the time we started sitting down only three or four weeks ago, we had a lot of intelligent and mature conversations. I am the type who feels bad whenever he "audits" me every now and then. I was surprisingly okay when he asked where our money went and why our savings only reached a certain amount. There were a lot of computations involved in those after-dinner conversations. Both were very patient and open to suggestions. We worked together in a way that he led and I did the supporting role by doing errands that were needed in this "project."
On the day the priority numbers were released (which was only last Saturday), we again, like in the past, came as a family (me, hubby and our two kids). Everyone was present and everyone patiently queued. Everyone had a say especially when our first two choices were gone already! Everyone prayed for it. It was a family thing and I couldn't be happier!
Although we were 18th on the line and started queuing before 7am, (some people were more desperate than us!) we still didn't get the original lot we wanted. It could have been a better choice, a bigger lot, a bigger house, a better plan for the value of money (it's bigger but it ends up cheaper) we're paying. But God had a different plan for us. He directed us to another one, which was actually our 4th choice. Initially, we were sad that we didn't get what we wanted (the ones who got our first two choices spent the night in the queue!). But looking back, we were thinking we could have been spared from a possible stress because of the builder assigned on that lot and God probably pointed us to a different lot so we can be more comfortable with our future finances. The lot that we were able to nominate is 8 thousand cheaper than our first choice. (Now there is NO immediate need to sell our lot).
We took a gamble.
I was scared to let go of this opportunity because I felt that the prices of properties will just continue to rise with the rate things are going here and it would have been harder for us to buy our own home. (The first release was only two months ago and prices have gone up $12000 more!) One professional advice we got recently is, "if you have the money now, then go for it!"
I guess, the gamble paid off.
At this point and looking at the future it's still not 100% kink-free. There are still some areas that causes me and Alvin to worry. But I guess, God would want it to leave it like that so we can have an opportunity to have faith. So we can learn how to trust Him and let Him be in-charge!
The kids did and are doing a marvelous job of helping us. They helped us pray for it. They helped us by being patient when we visited display homes, talked to builders, and even when I queued last Saturday for 3 hours! They are helping us save money. They are excited as us, helping Mama and Papa choose possible themes for their future rooms.
The praying part is not over.
We will continue to pray as we continue to grow on with this part of our journey, as a family.
When I wrote that we continued to pray for it, we were not pushing for us to buying a house. We were praying that if it is His will, let things fall into place. We were praying for guidance for every decision. And most importantly, we were praying for His grace to prepare our hearts, so we can humbly accept His will for us.
We grew together, mentally. Since the time we started sitting down only three or four weeks ago, we had a lot of intelligent and mature conversations. I am the type who feels bad whenever he "audits" me every now and then. I was surprisingly okay when he asked where our money went and why our savings only reached a certain amount. There were a lot of computations involved in those after-dinner conversations. Both were very patient and open to suggestions. We worked together in a way that he led and I did the supporting role by doing errands that were needed in this "project."
On the day the priority numbers were released (which was only last Saturday), we again, like in the past, came as a family (me, hubby and our two kids). Everyone was present and everyone patiently queued. Everyone had a say especially when our first two choices were gone already! Everyone prayed for it. It was a family thing and I couldn't be happier!
Although we were 18th on the line and started queuing before 7am, (some people were more desperate than us!) we still didn't get the original lot we wanted. It could have been a better choice, a bigger lot, a bigger house, a better plan for the value of money (it's bigger but it ends up cheaper) we're paying. But God had a different plan for us. He directed us to another one, which was actually our 4th choice. Initially, we were sad that we didn't get what we wanted (the ones who got our first two choices spent the night in the queue!). But looking back, we were thinking we could have been spared from a possible stress because of the builder assigned on that lot and God probably pointed us to a different lot so we can be more comfortable with our future finances. The lot that we were able to nominate is 8 thousand cheaper than our first choice. (Now there is NO immediate need to sell our lot).
We took a gamble.
I was scared to let go of this opportunity because I felt that the prices of properties will just continue to rise with the rate things are going here and it would have been harder for us to buy our own home. (The first release was only two months ago and prices have gone up $12000 more!) One professional advice we got recently is, "if you have the money now, then go for it!"
I guess, the gamble paid off.
At this point and looking at the future it's still not 100% kink-free. There are still some areas that causes me and Alvin to worry. But I guess, God would want it to leave it like that so we can have an opportunity to have faith. So we can learn how to trust Him and let Him be in-charge!
The kids did and are doing a marvelous job of helping us. They helped us pray for it. They helped us by being patient when we visited display homes, talked to builders, and even when I queued last Saturday for 3 hours! They are helping us save money. They are excited as us, helping Mama and Papa choose possible themes for their future rooms.
The praying part is not over.
We will continue to pray as we continue to grow on with this part of our journey, as a family.
 |
| This is the second release which we tried our luck on :-) The peach-coloured lots were part of their first release, two months ago! Our future home will now be in front of the park. Our future community will have our own shopping centre and will be just across the newest Ikea and Costco, how convenient is that! |
 |
| A glimpse of our future home. We really wanted a 2 car garage so we can house both Maggie and Ben. But after consulting our financial advisers and family, we humbly embraced what God might have prepared for our family. |
Keep an eye on this space as I will continue to share the developments of this part of our journey.
Monday, February 3, 2014
Overwhelmed - Part 1
Overwhelmed.
That is the best word to describe what I am feeling right now.
Emotions are running high.
Overwhelmed.
Another big dream is about to materialize and we can only thank and praise God for it!
We are one step closer to getting our dream home! Our own home!
The past week was the peak of our discernment process.
In my last blog entry, I told you that I, we, were willing to wait and see if everything will fall into place.
And it did.
Our plans of buying our first home has happened earlier than we have planned.
Proves that God's plans for us far better than what we have for ourselves!
After we met with the broker almost two weeks ago, we had the impression and got to a conclusion that it's not yet time for us. We were still thankful for that meeting as it paved the way for us to set our financial goals so we are better prepared when another opportunity comes. That was Tuesday, 21 January.
Long weekend. Even if we were sure that it will be impossible for us to buy, much more try, a home on the 8 Feb release, we kept on praying for it. Over the long weekend, we went to the Sales Office and hubby got the plans and prices of the home and land packages for the upcoming release.
Seeing the prices, our dreams came crashing down at us again as the prices has increased tremendously from their last release end of November 2013. The cheapest now is $544k and the most expensive ones were somewhere around $720++ thousand!
Another reason for us to give up, right?
We really didn't give up 100% because we kept on praying and discerning for it, still.
And in His goodness, He sent people our way to help us arrive at a decision, to gamble.
My friend Vera got the actual land value of the package and it gave us hope!
The funny thing is, the ideas to continue trying came in dreams and very early morning! As my friend puts it, a Eureka moment!
Alvin and I haven't really told one another to make computations and see if we can work out something, financially. But when he gets home from work, he starts talking about the topic and lo and behold, we have, on our own made some plans on how we can possibly try to work it out. And from there, we sit down and discuss Plans A, B and C. Including the implications for each. I've never had a more interesting discussion than the ones we had last week! Maths. Big Time!
Mid of last week, we have our eyes set on a particular lot which costs $560thou. We were ready to gamble but there was fear in our hearts. First, it will deplete our savings and I REALLY need to have plenty of casual work to have enough funds before the land settlement late this year. This is just in case the amount being loaned to us by the bank doesn't meet the amount we need. And another implication is we REALLY need to sell our lot in Manila.
But God in His goodness had a different plan for us.
That is the best word to describe what I am feeling right now.
Emotions are running high.
Overwhelmed.
Another big dream is about to materialize and we can only thank and praise God for it!
We are one step closer to getting our dream home! Our own home!
The past week was the peak of our discernment process.
In my last blog entry, I told you that I, we, were willing to wait and see if everything will fall into place.
And it did.
Our plans of buying our first home has happened earlier than we have planned.
Proves that God's plans for us far better than what we have for ourselves!
After we met with the broker almost two weeks ago, we had the impression and got to a conclusion that it's not yet time for us. We were still thankful for that meeting as it paved the way for us to set our financial goals so we are better prepared when another opportunity comes. That was Tuesday, 21 January.
Long weekend. Even if we were sure that it will be impossible for us to buy, much more try, a home on the 8 Feb release, we kept on praying for it. Over the long weekend, we went to the Sales Office and hubby got the plans and prices of the home and land packages for the upcoming release.
Seeing the prices, our dreams came crashing down at us again as the prices has increased tremendously from their last release end of November 2013. The cheapest now is $544k and the most expensive ones were somewhere around $720++ thousand!
Another reason for us to give up, right?
We really didn't give up 100% because we kept on praying and discerning for it, still.
And in His goodness, He sent people our way to help us arrive at a decision, to gamble.
My friend Vera got the actual land value of the package and it gave us hope!
The funny thing is, the ideas to continue trying came in dreams and very early morning! As my friend puts it, a Eureka moment!
Alvin and I haven't really told one another to make computations and see if we can work out something, financially. But when he gets home from work, he starts talking about the topic and lo and behold, we have, on our own made some plans on how we can possibly try to work it out. And from there, we sit down and discuss Plans A, B and C. Including the implications for each. I've never had a more interesting discussion than the ones we had last week! Maths. Big Time!
Mid of last week, we have our eyes set on a particular lot which costs $560thou. We were ready to gamble but there was fear in our hearts. First, it will deplete our savings and I REALLY need to have plenty of casual work to have enough funds before the land settlement late this year. This is just in case the amount being loaned to us by the bank doesn't meet the amount we need. And another implication is we REALLY need to sell our lot in Manila.
But God in His goodness had a different plan for us.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
New Sacrifices
Before I start my new entry let me just share two "messages" I got yesterday and today.
Yesterday morning, as soon as I woke up, the first thing in my mind:
"Seek ye first the kingdom of God and everything shall be added unto thee."
This morning when I read the reflection of today's reading, the message that struck me was:
"Our God is a God of surprises!"
I guess these two messages set the "stage" of how I am dealing everything what's on my plate now.
I remember mentioning in my previous blog entry that one of our major goals this year is to buy our first home, LATE this year.
I don't know what happened but one thing led to another and we suddenly found ourselves being led to buying our own home, NOW.
It's a big decision alright!
Hubby and I were just reading articles that will keep us informed and knowledgeable of the processes but in two weeks' time so much has happened!
We really haven't bought the house but we are finding ourselves doing baby steps.
We've studied our finances, asked advice, watched and looked at the market for the last two weeks (in two weeks there was so much movement in the market), visited possible sites, compared buying old and new houses, talked with builders, studied the buying process, registered to new home and land releases and prayed like we've never prayed before! We're not praying that He grants our wishes but we're praying for guidance as this is really a very big investment. To make the long story short, we're new to this and we don't want to make any mistakes so we're carefully doing one step at a time.
Nakakakaba talaga.
With this new investment comes a whole new set of sacrifices.
If you have been following my blog, you know that there is a deep desire for me to travel locally and globally because I felt I have deprived myself of that when I was younger. I really wanted to go to the US April of this year because I know that once we take the big plunge of buying our own home, travelling will be the first one to be sacrificed. And yes, my worst dreams came true!
Hubby and I had an initial study of our finances and it will be very difficult for us to squeeze in traveling for the family (to give you an idea how much new homes now cost in our area, it ranges from $500,000 and above). Unless I work full time and get the full annual pay of teachers on my level, then talagang maluwag kami, maraming sobra. But I still decided to work as a casual mainly because of the kids. At the end of the day, it will be a choice between spending time with my kids and taking care of my family well over the extra money and owning our own home with much ease.
Knowing me, I should be all grumpy and already super sad because of the would-be scenario. All traveling plans for the year and the next few years, scrapped. But I'm unusually okay. I'm not crying, I'm not grumpy, I'm not mad. I guess I was ready for it. I have long faced the music and so when we found ourselves already in that situation, I was ready emotionally.
I am thankful I'm taking all these things positively. I am also inspired by my kids as they are also cooperative and making their own little sacrifices in helping achieve our goal of saving up for our own home. When we go out and they see something they like, we just tell them NO and remind them of our future plan, and they are okay with it. No more crying and whining, especially for Sam. Everyone is focused on the big project!
I am actually not giving up. In my heart I know that all will fall into place. That there will be a time for all those traveling plans to happen. It might be a difficult start for us, but I'm keeping the faith that it will be easier in a few year's time -- the time when the kids are much bigger and I can go back to work full-time.
The search is on and our hearts are in place ;-)
Yesterday morning, as soon as I woke up, the first thing in my mind:
"Seek ye first the kingdom of God and everything shall be added unto thee."
This morning when I read the reflection of today's reading, the message that struck me was:
"Our God is a God of surprises!"
I guess these two messages set the "stage" of how I am dealing everything what's on my plate now.
I remember mentioning in my previous blog entry that one of our major goals this year is to buy our first home, LATE this year.
I don't know what happened but one thing led to another and we suddenly found ourselves being led to buying our own home, NOW.
It's a big decision alright!
Hubby and I were just reading articles that will keep us informed and knowledgeable of the processes but in two weeks' time so much has happened!
We really haven't bought the house but we are finding ourselves doing baby steps.
We've studied our finances, asked advice, watched and looked at the market for the last two weeks (in two weeks there was so much movement in the market), visited possible sites, compared buying old and new houses, talked with builders, studied the buying process, registered to new home and land releases and prayed like we've never prayed before! We're not praying that He grants our wishes but we're praying for guidance as this is really a very big investment. To make the long story short, we're new to this and we don't want to make any mistakes so we're carefully doing one step at a time.
Nakakakaba talaga.
With this new investment comes a whole new set of sacrifices.
If you have been following my blog, you know that there is a deep desire for me to travel locally and globally because I felt I have deprived myself of that when I was younger. I really wanted to go to the US April of this year because I know that once we take the big plunge of buying our own home, travelling will be the first one to be sacrificed. And yes, my worst dreams came true!
Hubby and I had an initial study of our finances and it will be very difficult for us to squeeze in traveling for the family (to give you an idea how much new homes now cost in our area, it ranges from $500,000 and above). Unless I work full time and get the full annual pay of teachers on my level, then talagang maluwag kami, maraming sobra. But I still decided to work as a casual mainly because of the kids. At the end of the day, it will be a choice between spending time with my kids and taking care of my family well over the extra money and owning our own home with much ease.
Knowing me, I should be all grumpy and already super sad because of the would-be scenario. All traveling plans for the year and the next few years, scrapped. But I'm unusually okay. I'm not crying, I'm not grumpy, I'm not mad. I guess I was ready for it. I have long faced the music and so when we found ourselves already in that situation, I was ready emotionally.
I am thankful I'm taking all these things positively. I am also inspired by my kids as they are also cooperative and making their own little sacrifices in helping achieve our goal of saving up for our own home. When we go out and they see something they like, we just tell them NO and remind them of our future plan, and they are okay with it. No more crying and whining, especially for Sam. Everyone is focused on the big project!
I am actually not giving up. In my heart I know that all will fall into place. That there will be a time for all those traveling plans to happen. It might be a difficult start for us, but I'm keeping the faith that it will be easier in a few year's time -- the time when the kids are much bigger and I can go back to work full-time.
The search is on and our hearts are in place ;-)
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Friendships in the Future
Admittedly, one of the reasons why migrating became difficult at the beginning was because of the simple fact that we left a lot of established friendships back home.
I found myself getting homesick especially during the times I wanted to rant, ask advice or share joyful stories to my friends. I missed laughing my heart out tears came out from my eyes.
It took me sometime to realise that I needed to move on. I found myself guarding and protecting my old friendships in favor of the newer ones. I have been here for almost five years and in that span of time I have been actually weighing down those people I have met and was checking which among those newly formed friendships I can nurture and keep. Sadly some "bad" points always come up. I'm not saying I'm perfect but I wanted to cultivate friendships that will bring out the best in me, influence me to become positive and inspire me. People who can teach me. People who can share and not just take every time. People who can help us raise our kids. People who can support us and see us as is, no competitions. Actually, the last one is the biggest turn off for me. Being migrants you can't help but sense if one is trying to compete of what you have and what your family can get especially during the sharing of stories. Ayaw papatalo. People who only know you when they have a dilemma or when they need something (yes I know friends should be people whom you can always count on, pero nakakainis when you see them with their other friends pag happy sila or my celebrations sila, pero nada sa iyo unless they are asking for a favor).
Last Christmas, I found myself slowly forming the very short list. It actually included cleaning my FB list too. I removed from my FB friends those people who only radiate negative energy. Those people I can actually say, "walang akong paki at walang paki sa akin/amin." Those people who think they are the best, the grammar geniuses (just because they are well-read and are English teachers! yun na! lol)
Seeing a lot of reunion pictures being posted in FB actually inspired me to start acting now. Most of my co-migrants have already started forming friendships and my fear is that by the time I'm ready, I might end up not having any. I am particularly happy to see these group of friends based here, they have long known each other for 10+ years. I guess they have seen each other's family grow and the kids too. In that span of 10+ years you can see that they have established their yearly traditions. Every year, especially during the Christmas season, one family hosts the gathering. Umiikot sila ng bahay which I think is good. This year they had themed parties during their birthdays. Everyone was in even the dads! No killjoys! I can't really say I'm ready for costumes, and so is Papa A, but the camaraderie and joy radiates from the smiles on their faces.
This year started with me and Alvin getting invited to one of our good friends' home here in Sydney and it felt good! It was so relaxing and the stories just kept coming up. We actually felt we needed to do that more often.
I actually am not comfortable in big groups. I may be super talkative, but believe it or not when it's a big group and I really don't know personally each one of them (ex. fb friends lang kami) I have the tendency to be quiet. I am not comfortable sharing my stories with them. I will be super talkative if it's an intimate gathering of friends. For this big reason alone, I plan and I'm praying that this year, I will be successful in cultivating the "small" friendships I have now on my very short list and hopefully in years' time, I will be a much happier and a more positive person because of them.
P.S. Me cultivating and nurturing these newly formed friendships doesn't really mean I'm letting go of the ones I have back home. I guess you understand when I say it's been too long already and I need to move on. I'm sure they have. But we know deep in our hearts that the friendship is there and we have each other's back. I guess this is all part of growing up :-)
I found myself getting homesick especially during the times I wanted to rant, ask advice or share joyful stories to my friends. I missed laughing my heart out tears came out from my eyes.
It took me sometime to realise that I needed to move on. I found myself guarding and protecting my old friendships in favor of the newer ones. I have been here for almost five years and in that span of time I have been actually weighing down those people I have met and was checking which among those newly formed friendships I can nurture and keep. Sadly some "bad" points always come up. I'm not saying I'm perfect but I wanted to cultivate friendships that will bring out the best in me, influence me to become positive and inspire me. People who can teach me. People who can share and not just take every time. People who can help us raise our kids. People who can support us and see us as is, no competitions. Actually, the last one is the biggest turn off for me. Being migrants you can't help but sense if one is trying to compete of what you have and what your family can get especially during the sharing of stories. Ayaw papatalo. People who only know you when they have a dilemma or when they need something (yes I know friends should be people whom you can always count on, pero nakakainis when you see them with their other friends pag happy sila or my celebrations sila, pero nada sa iyo unless they are asking for a favor).
Last Christmas, I found myself slowly forming the very short list. It actually included cleaning my FB list too. I removed from my FB friends those people who only radiate negative energy. Those people I can actually say, "walang akong paki at walang paki sa akin/amin." Those people who think they are the best, the grammar geniuses (just because they are well-read and are English teachers! yun na! lol)
Seeing a lot of reunion pictures being posted in FB actually inspired me to start acting now. Most of my co-migrants have already started forming friendships and my fear is that by the time I'm ready, I might end up not having any. I am particularly happy to see these group of friends based here, they have long known each other for 10+ years. I guess they have seen each other's family grow and the kids too. In that span of 10+ years you can see that they have established their yearly traditions. Every year, especially during the Christmas season, one family hosts the gathering. Umiikot sila ng bahay which I think is good. This year they had themed parties during their birthdays. Everyone was in even the dads! No killjoys! I can't really say I'm ready for costumes, and so is Papa A, but the camaraderie and joy radiates from the smiles on their faces.
This year started with me and Alvin getting invited to one of our good friends' home here in Sydney and it felt good! It was so relaxing and the stories just kept coming up. We actually felt we needed to do that more often.
I actually am not comfortable in big groups. I may be super talkative, but believe it or not when it's a big group and I really don't know personally each one of them (ex. fb friends lang kami) I have the tendency to be quiet. I am not comfortable sharing my stories with them. I will be super talkative if it's an intimate gathering of friends. For this big reason alone, I plan and I'm praying that this year, I will be successful in cultivating the "small" friendships I have now on my very short list and hopefully in years' time, I will be a much happier and a more positive person because of them.
P.S. Me cultivating and nurturing these newly formed friendships doesn't really mean I'm letting go of the ones I have back home. I guess you understand when I say it's been too long already and I need to move on. I'm sure they have. But we know deep in our hearts that the friendship is there and we have each other's back. I guess this is all part of growing up :-)
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Family Traditions
I am inspired to write more family-themed blog entries because a few days ago I got a text message from a friend and told me how she enjoys reading my entries, "so much thought and depth put into each post/blog."
I was actually surprised because I didn't know she was taking the time to read my blog entries! She is one very busy mum! It was a humbling experience. Admittedly, there was a time in my blogging life when I felt I lost focus. Instead of focusing on what really pushed me to have a blog in the first place, my entries focused on some of the not-so-important ones :-) The shallow ones. I'm happy I survived that stage and I'm back on track.
Now to my real entry -- family traditions. Over Christmas break, I chanced upon an article that tells parents that the best time to start introducing family traditions are when the children are still young. It posed a question at the end of the article asking the reader what family traditions do you want to impart to your kids? It made me think and reflect.
Ano nga ba ang mga tradisyon na gusto kong kalakihan ng mga anak ko?
The following are a result of my quite moments:
The following are a result of my quite moments:
Christmas
- Christmas eve mass is non-negotiable
- Christmas eve and Christmas day family should be complete
- Christmas eve dinner, family should be complete
- Mass for the Feast of the Holy Family, the family should be complete
- Mass for the Feast of the Holy Family, the family should be complete
New Year
- bless the home, every nook and corner with Holy Water at the stroke of midnight (this was passed on by my own Mum)
- always start the year right by attending the Jan 1 mass as a family
- reading of "Thank you Jar" notes for the previous year as we have our Thanksgiving prayer during New Year's Eve
- reading of "Thank you Jar" notes for the previous year as we have our Thanksgiving prayer during New Year's Eve
Birthdays
- family should be complete in the celebration
- celebrant should always have Mass in thanksgiving for another year
- birthday cake
- birthday photo and hand print for every year
- birthday photo and hand print for every year
Easter/Holy Week
- annual family trip
- Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday are non-negotiable. Family has to be complete to attend church services regardless where we are
I don't know how to group these, but:
- always bless from the elderly and priests
- use "po" and "opo" when addressing the elderly kababayans here
- praying the rosary as a family everyday (I'm proud and happy that Liam is now okay with praying the rosary and Sam now knows Our Father)
- morning prayers as a family
- going to church on Sundays is non-negotiable
- teaching of "Angel of God" to kids as their first prayer
- grace before meals
- praying over before major trips, major events (like job interviews, exams) or when someone is sick
- there should only be ONE TV at home! no TV inside bedrooms
- grace before meals
- praying over before major trips, major events (like job interviews, exams) or when someone is sick
- there should only be ONE TV at home! no TV inside bedrooms
I realized most of the things I listed above are practices of the faith. I agree with our parish priest when he said that the parents are instrumental in letting the future generation understand and do the practices of the faith so I guess you can't really blame me :-)
I might have missed some so I'll be updating this list from time to time.
I might have missed some so I'll be updating this list from time to time.
Aside from the religious family traditions, we want to have:
- regular mum-son, dad-daughter, mum-daughter, dad-son bonding and dates
- family portraits every year
- one major family outreach to the less fortunate
I'm also compiling a group of projects, which I hope I get to do while the kids are growing up. I'm not expecting them to do the same, but if they continue with the practice, then I guess these projects will now be a part of family tradition :-)
Here are some of the projects I want to do:
- school portfolio of their best works in school with their school photo
- balloon birthday photo (kids holding balloons, the number of balloons depend on their age)
- hand print key chain every birthday
- letters every year they will open when they grow up
I actually have a long list of projects, I'll be making a separate blog as soon as I start doing them. But for now, I'll be doing baby steps.
To date, we have started doing most of the religious family traditions. Hopefully when both kids are much older we can fully explain to them why we are doing such practices. For now, we are happy that they are being exposed to such practices.
As for my personal projects, I have started doing the letters and I'm happy that I have been consistent with it for the last two years! :-)
I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that we will be able to establish all of these family traditions.
What about you, what family traditions do you want to impart to your kids?
- family portraits every year
- one major family outreach to the less fortunate
I'm also compiling a group of projects, which I hope I get to do while the kids are growing up. I'm not expecting them to do the same, but if they continue with the practice, then I guess these projects will now be a part of family tradition :-)
Here are some of the projects I want to do:
- school portfolio of their best works in school with their school photo
- balloon birthday photo (kids holding balloons, the number of balloons depend on their age)
- hand print key chain every birthday
- letters every year they will open when they grow up
I actually have a long list of projects, I'll be making a separate blog as soon as I start doing them. But for now, I'll be doing baby steps.
To date, we have started doing most of the religious family traditions. Hopefully when both kids are much older we can fully explain to them why we are doing such practices. For now, we are happy that they are being exposed to such practices.
As for my personal projects, I have started doing the letters and I'm happy that I have been consistent with it for the last two years! :-)
I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that we will be able to establish all of these family traditions.
What about you, what family traditions do you want to impart to your kids?
Thursday, January 2, 2014
2014 Goals
Happy new year!
I really can't believe that Christmas break came too quickly!
Alvin is back to the daily grind so I am left with the kids until Kuya Liam goes back to school on 29 January :-)
It has been a habit that during my quiet moments, I find myself reflecting, thinking and praying for my goals for the coming year.
I started with this list late last year and I can only hope and pray that I will be able to achieve all these goals and projects for 2014.
For 2014, I plan to become more active in helping and in taking care of our environment. After all the natural calamities we had last year, I think it's about time we seriously think about our environment and the ways how we can protect it especially for our kids. As they say every little thing counts! So here is my share. I:
-will bring my reusable eco bags when I go shopping or when I do the grocery
- will be making compost pits at home
- will refrain from using plastic plates spoon etc if there is an affair at home
For 2014, I plan to better take care of my health. I am learning through the sad experiences of relatives who faced major health issues towards the end of 2013.
For 2014, I:
- will bike at least 10 minutes a day (stationary bike at home)
- will continue with apple cider vinegar therapy to start my day
- will continue with lemon water
- will have vegetable salad as starters before having the mains
- will (try) to lessen use of internet, trying to avoid carpal tunnel syndrome
For 2014, I will be wiser in handling our finances. I/we:
- will lessen buying stuff with brands
- will lessen buying and giving kids what they like in a whim
- will lessen my habit of impulse buying
- will continue training the kids how to handle their money wisely
- will start sponsoring a Filipino scholar thru Ancop
- will continue helping our chosen NGOs as a means of sharing our blessings
This year, we are praying that all shall fall into place and:
- I can finally submit and get my Professional Competence accreditation from NSWIT early this year
- travel as a family (again, interstate or out of the country)
- buy our first home (late this year)
I am actually toying with the idea of going back to school by taking an online course. I feel that my brain needs it :-) Hubby is actually okay with it so we'll see :-)
These are the only things I have considered and reflected to do in 2014. I know there will be a lot of other things that can happen which are unplanned. I am actually not worried for whatever unplanned things that might happen, I am very sure, God is in control. So bring it on 2014!
I really can't believe that Christmas break came too quickly!
Alvin is back to the daily grind so I am left with the kids until Kuya Liam goes back to school on 29 January :-)
It has been a habit that during my quiet moments, I find myself reflecting, thinking and praying for my goals for the coming year.
I started with this list late last year and I can only hope and pray that I will be able to achieve all these goals and projects for 2014.
For 2014, I plan to become more active in helping and in taking care of our environment. After all the natural calamities we had last year, I think it's about time we seriously think about our environment and the ways how we can protect it especially for our kids. As they say every little thing counts! So here is my share. I:
-will bring my reusable eco bags when I go shopping or when I do the grocery
- will be making compost pits at home
- will refrain from using plastic plates spoon etc if there is an affair at home
For 2014, I plan to better take care of my health. I am learning through the sad experiences of relatives who faced major health issues towards the end of 2013.
For 2014, I:
- will bike at least 10 minutes a day (stationary bike at home)
- will continue with apple cider vinegar therapy to start my day
- will continue with lemon water
- will have vegetable salad as starters before having the mains
- will (try) to lessen use of internet, trying to avoid carpal tunnel syndrome
For 2014, I will be wiser in handling our finances. I/we:
- will lessen buying stuff with brands
- will lessen buying and giving kids what they like in a whim
- will lessen my habit of impulse buying
- will continue training the kids how to handle their money wisely
- will start sponsoring a Filipino scholar thru Ancop
- will continue helping our chosen NGOs as a means of sharing our blessings
This year, we are praying that all shall fall into place and:
- I can finally submit and get my Professional Competence accreditation from NSWIT early this year
- travel as a family (again, interstate or out of the country)
- buy our first home (late this year)
I am actually toying with the idea of going back to school by taking an online course. I feel that my brain needs it :-) Hubby is actually okay with it so we'll see :-)
These are the only things I have considered and reflected to do in 2014. I know there will be a lot of other things that can happen which are unplanned. I am actually not worried for whatever unplanned things that might happen, I am very sure, God is in control. So bring it on 2014!
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