On Parenting...

Your children are not your children,
They are the sons and daughters of life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are not with you, yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwells in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit,not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might,
that His arrows might go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness,
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

Kahlil Gibran
(Chicken Soup for the Soul)

Off to school, she goes...

I can't believe it! We already have a kindergartener. It is pretty quiet here right now, DH & I sent our DD to school. She was so excited that when she woke up this morning she was singing, "I'm going to kindergarten, I'm going to kindergarten!" I'm a little worried though, it seems that she is still too young to a full day school. She thought that she can do everything now since she goes to a big school. She was so happy when she saw some of her preschool classmates are in her class too. Anyways, I hope her first day would be as exciting as she hopes it would be.
Good luck littleone! Enjoy everything school has to offer.

Our Purr fect companion...

After our 17 yo cat Schmedley passed away a year ago. DH kept on bugging me to have a new one. I was hesitant to have another cat again since I saw how emotional he was when he lost our cat, also cat's smell bothers me a lot. Then one morning I heard DH talking to my DD that there was a cat who wanted a new home. DD asked me nonstop if she can have her. Guess what, after a lot of convincing DH and DD were ecstatic when they heard me say yes. Now we have a new addition in our family. This cute and gregarious little fella makes my DD and DH happy.

Friday moms lunch date...

I have a Friday moms' group that I go to just to eat and chat while kids are playing. Since our kids are now in a 5- 6 yo range we now have time to seat and relax a little. We mothers really need that little time. Once kids know the rules playdate goes smoothly. We do check them from time to time just to make sure that they are safe and the set rules are followed.

Maybe...

This was one of those days that my daughter didnt want to do anything but sing. Once she's in the mood of singing I always grab my camera and take a video of her while she sings. She loves it when she sees a camera on my hand.

Sun Screens!!

It is now well known that exposure to sun puts people at risk for skin cancer and premature aging and that most of that exposure comes during childhood (80% of a person's lifetime sun exposure occurs before they are 21). Regular use of sunscreen in children can lower their risk of skin cancer by almost 78%.
There are many sunscreens available for safe use in children over six months old. Pick one that offers UVA and UVB protection and that has a SPF of 15 or higher (especially if your child has light skin). Apply the sunscreen in a thick coat at least 30-45 minutes before going outside and reapply every two hours (or more often in he is swimming or perspiring heavily).

Here are some other tips to protect your child from the damaging effects of the sun.

Wear protective clothing, including a hat and long sleeve shirt and long pants. Keep in mind that most clothing only has a SPF of 5-9, so you can still get sun damage with a shirt on.

Limit exposure to the sun when it is at its strongest (10am-4pm).
Protect your child's eyes with sunglasses that protect against UVA and UVB radiation.

Use sunscreen daily, even if it is cloudy, since most of the sun's radiation penetrates clouds and can still cause sunburn.

Consider using a sunscreen with ingredients (such as zinc oxide or titanium dioxide) that physically block the sun's radiation if your child has sensitive skin.

Deet lowers the effectiveness of sunscreens, so use a higher SPF if you are using a combination product that has both a sunscreen and an insect repellent.

Our Trip To The Philippines...

We've been back for a month now but the fun, the excitement and just being with my family still lingers on. So I decided to write it down just to let them know how I truly miss them.

My daughter and I traveled from Boston - LA -Hong Kong-Manila. It was a longer route for us since we are from the East Coast but because my brother and his family live in Los Angeles we decided to take this route so we can get a chance to see them. It was really worth a trip.

Joanne found everything exciting, from riding the plane ( even if it's not her first), meeting her relatives, the weather (she had a little complain about it) and all other things that was new to her. I let her experienced riding different types of public transportations. Communicating with her cousins her age wasn't an issue at all. Playing and hugging was really a beautiful sight . We spent most of the time with my family. It was almost impossible for us to be together at the same time 'coz everyone is so engrossed in their own world. We decided to rent a private pool in Antipolo Rizal so everybody can relax and be together. It was a successful idea since most of us gave their precious time just to be there. We spent 3 days in Mindoro to visit my parents grave and have some time at the beach. Meeting my grade school classmates was exciting too. That was a 3 weeks full of fun & excitement with my family and friends. Love it!

My little girl singing "Sa Ugoy ng Duyan"

Food Dyes and Behavior...

I was reading the news last night and this one caught my attention:
" A consumer advocacy group called on the Food and Drug Administration to ban the use of eight artificial colorings in food because they have been linked to hyperactivity and behavior problems in children. The colorings the center seeks to ban are : Yellow 5, Red 40, Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Orange B, Red 3, and Yellow 6. Dyes are used in countless foods are sometimes used to simulate the color of fruits and vegetables. The additives are prevalent in the cereals, candies, sodas, and snack foods." (source: health news story-WCVB Boston)
Everytime I give cereals or snacks to my daughter, I always check the sugar content of it. I never thought that those colors that kids attracted to can give so much problem with their health. It was easy for me to avoid foods that I thought not good for her when she was under 3 years old, but now that she goes with me at the grocery stores, goes to school, asks for the snacks she wants, How can I get rid all of those? I dont know. (Anyways, it is good to be aware & avoid those foods as much as I can than feeling sorry later on.)

Traveling with CARE(s) (A safe air-travel with kids)

Just recently, we had our vacation in the Philippines and traveling solo with my daughter is not an easy task, especially if you travel for over 20 hrs. I did a lot of research about traveling with kids, what to bring and most importantly the safety of my daughter. Booster seat made for use with a lap-shoulder belt cannot be used, because there is no shoulder belt for upper-body restraint, so I looked online and found this really fabulous device. Its a Child Aviation Restraint System (CARES) and is FAA approved. I think this is a must- have if you have kids traveling with you. It's a great alternative for the booster seat. It is lightweight, very easy to install and my daughter seemed so comfortable with it.
Since it was a very long flight, I loosened her belt from time to time, so she can move around on her seat and do her drawings when the belt sign is not illuminated. Air travel to and from the Phils. wasn't a problem at all. I didn't hear a single complain from my daughter.

To Inay, Happy Birthday!!

To a very special person in my life...
***My MOTHER***

(Carlota, a co-blogger has a contest going on and this post is my entry. If you need more specifics about the contest, Pls. visit her blog at www.carlotaonline.com)


"My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her." -- George Washington

My mother, Valentina Tendido died at the age of 70. She was hypertensive from a very early age. She survived the first four strokes, but the last one happened on Jan. 18, 1996, unfortunately, she didn't make it. She lost her consciousness on my arms. She was a very brave and hardworking woman. Full of love and understanding. With her lean and tall frame, I always asked myself where her strength came from. She always reminded me that LOVE is an outgoing concern, to love somebody you must sacrifice and give your whole life just to satisfy your love and this became more clear to me when I became a mother myself.The greatest thanks i can offer more than words could ever say is to give my child the love she gave me.

How I truly miss you, words are not enough to say what I feel within me. No other person in this world can take your place here in my heart. The day you passed away was the most hurting and memorable feeling for me. It was terribly empty feeling that I can bury my head in my pillow until I tire in the evening. You never had a chance to see me married to the man i love. You don't even got the chance to play with my little princess. Oh, if you could only see how sweet and smart she is. How I wish you could live up to a hundred, but most of the time things do not happen as we expect they would. It brings tears to my eyes, knowing that i can not see you, touch you, hear you. relishing the old times is the closest I can get to feel you around once more. You have been away for twelve years now but my memory of you is as fresh as the morning dew. I miss your smile, I miss talking to you about anything and everything while we were just sitting on the sofa or sometimes lying on bed. I miss all that, I miss your company. I am forever grateful for the golden values which I have learned from you. These will forever live in my heart and in my mind they are eternal.

Happy happy birthday to you Inay & happy wedding anniversary too, to you & Tatay!!

I really miss you both so very much. I Love You. I know you are happy and protected there in heaven.


I made this tribute to her a long time ago on Mother's day but I decided to post it here on her birthday.