Family Shirt

I wanted to write something on this blog but unfortunately I know that this blog is not a private one so I won't talk about my stake at some issues that I do really want to tackle. Anyway, I just want to say that I do hope parents out there are sending there kids in school with one reason in mind. For the kids to have fun while learning. And that they would be in harmony with the school's mission and vision and they would not used the school as a showcase of power, wealth or use it as a sounding board for their issues in life. Enough said.

Last Saturday, we again attended the school's Family Camp and same as last year it was scheduled when Daddy is home for a vacation. So we attended the Family camp as a complete family. Yehey! We had fun. I really am amazed how God works. Before I tell you something I learn on that activity, I would like to share you our FAMILY SHIRT which was made by my brother.
Pretty, right? Anyway, that activity have taught me a lot of things. But the most important thing of all is that, humility wins and when you just let go and let GOD everything is much better. I think you will get the BEST reply from HIM.

It's Her Birthday

Finally I have something concrete for her birthday. I have booked the venue for her birthday on the 23rd and we are almost done with her giveaways for the 25th. She'll be having two parties for her 5th birthday. One for families and friends and the other one is school. I am so excited especially the one in school since I have collaborated with my brother for the design of the invites, tarp, giveaways and AVP. It's like a mini launch of the business of my brother. I am just thankful that despite the expenses I still don't need to avail of cash advances. I am going all out for the 5th birthday.

Here's an example of what we have done so far. Here is the invitation...

The idea was mine and from it my older brother put in the design. Would you think we will make a great time? haha. Aside from this design I also asked him to create a design which we can use for the bags, placemat and tshirts. Needless to say, I am so excited.

No Tv, No PC, No IPAD

Ever since she was born, I admit that one of Anevay's companion is the TV. I won't be an hypocrite like others by saying that no I don't let my kid watched tv just to paint myself a nice image. Though I only let her watch one channel -- PlayHouse Disney. But now that she is older and is in preschool, the head of the Montessori where is enrolled is encouraging us moms to totally put a NO TV rule in our house. At first I was hesitant but when I saw that Anevay's concentration in school is close to zero, I decided to start martial law in the house :) I said that she cannot used the TV and PC. She was okay about it since I still let her used her IPAD. Then I realized that through her IPAD she can do both things that she do in the TV and PC. She can watch and play. So, I said NO IPAD also. As the day progress I saw the difference. Her focus to school activities is now okay and she also pays attention now to her toys that we bought. She likes constructing things and I can that her mind is working as she figure out what to do. Yes, I think no tv, no pc, no ipad is really good for kids. IT's hard yes, but it's really has a nice outcome.

Learning the Basic

I have to admit that somehow Anevay's knowledge is a bit advance. Just last night we were discussing about YoYo Ma (hello! anybody know him?). Really, her mind sometimes amaze me. I would not be surprise even if I hear her discussing about garmin gps for golf and how it works because she really can talk about it non stop. But despite of all this I am convinced that somehow we are forgetting the basic. Because she is fond of computer, I fear that she might not get used to writing. That's why this week I started practicing her writing skills starting from the big and small letter A. We haven't move yet to letter B since I wanted her A to be written correctly.

Then I started to make her read this....

My mom never used this on me. I remember at three years old I am already reading English books which mostly contains three letter words like 'Run, Ben, Run'. But in the case of Anevay, I have to used it so that she can start familiarizing herself with Filipino. This book only cost Php 5. Then I also borrowed some Filipino books for Prep from other school. I think I can get the book from Assumption and Ingenium. I would used this book as a guide to teach Anevay Filipino. It would be difficult really because Filipino have been also my weakest subject. It's my achilles heel when I was in school and I remember I was beaten on the first place for two grading periods because of it. I think there was a time when all my grades are all 95 and up but my Filipino subject is 90. haha. Extreme. I hope Anevay won't inherit that weakness. lol.

Homework

Today was a busy day for me. I committed myself to finishing my work hand in hand with helping the little girl do her assignment. She have to answer nine pages of homework. I am happy about the assignments since it feels like I really have a preschooler and answering them is a bonding time for us. And it also shows me how far the little girl have come along in her schooling. I can assessed her level through the worksheet.

And yes, I am surprised and proud at the same time that she can really need now. As in read using phonics. And she can even spell the words. Though they are just three letter words. We were able to practice her writing skills also. I already asked her to write her full name on the space provided. Before, I just let her write Anevay. Now, I told her that she needs to put in her second name and surname. Fortunately she was able to do so after a lot of breaks. haha.

We were able to answer all the questions, actually, she answers, I only watch her and correct her writing. But we were confused as to what is this...
Anevay said it's a shovel. Which I think is write. But their are only three letters to identify the picture. And so, I am so clueless. I send the picture above to the husband and he still has not answered me yet because he is attending the mass. And then I posted this in my twitter account. Again, they answered it's a shovel or spade. That gave me an idea. I googled the synonym of shovel and spade and it points me to the verb dig. Oh yes, I think the answer is DIG. haha. Again, thank you Google! :)

For Daddy

As early as now I wanted to look for good birthday gift for him. Him meaning my husband. I wanted to give him the best gift since he always gives me the best. And for a man who sacrifice a lot for his family, he deserved only the best gift. I know one of the best gift that he wanted to received is not a material thing. Only God can give him that gift. But as of now that we are waiting for that gift to be given to us, I am thinking of material gifts to give him on his birthday. If possible I should have give it to him when he comes home for a vacation because we won't be seeing each other after this vacation until October or November. Unfortunately, I am not sure if my budget would allow that. haha. Anyway, I would do some scouting. This week I planned to go to the mall and shop for him. Who knows, I can find an idea of a nice gift for him in the mall.

Birthday Plans

Anevay's 5th birthday is just a few days away and as of this moment I don't have concrete plans yet for her birthday. I am not sure if I wanted to have a Jollibee or Mc Donalds party for her or have it celebrate it at our house or we just go to Ocean Park and have dinner with the family afterward. You see, I know I would be tired during her birthday because the day before we will be fetching the husband in the airport. That means we would be home a little bit late. Then the next day we would wake up early because it's SVM's Family Day. That's why I am hesitant in celebrating. But it's her 5th birthday. And I know, the 5th birthday is always celebrating just like the 7th birthday. And today, we went to Red Ribbon to look for cakes. She likes the Sesame Street cake (which we will order for her celebration in school) and a Barbie cake. And then we went to McDo and I really wanted the Mickey Mouse clubhouse theme. Unfortunately, the only remaining slot for the party is 7pm. Not an ideal time, right? I am going to see if the other branch has still has available slots. Oh well, if not, we will try Jollibee again. haha.

Tips from Fellow Moms

One of the reason why I like staying in the school of Anevay is that I become friends with some mothers of her schoolmates. We stay there for three hours and we chat about anything that fancies us. I am also friends with some moms from Anevay's previous school. I am learning a lot of things from them like right now I was able to find a good document imaging service which I am in need of. Also, because of this I am able to collect a lot of information which are helpful now that I am trying to make sure that Anevay would be a first grader next school year despite of her young age.

I learned that somehow I have to be a little bit strict now in teaching Anevay how to write. She needs to write within the lines and if possible a lot faster. Because according to some mommies who have now older kids enrolled in big schools, one of the things that the kids do in the school is copy the stuff written in the black board. Unfortunately, writing is not a priority in Montessori. So, everyday, I try to practice Anevay in writing. I bought a Grade one pad paper ( which only cost Php 12) and I asked her to write her name and letters starting from A. So far, we just finished the big and small A. hahaha.

Also, I should start letting go bit by bit. She should start being independent (though she really is independent now) so that she won't have a culture shock when she attends big school. An older schoolmate of hers is now in Ateneo and one time got lost while looking for his way to the parking lot. Because of this, the boy wants to go back to SVM.

And lastly, I am starting Anevay on her Filipino lesson. They don't have a Filipino subject in SVM so I am going to give her one at home. Goodluck to me!

Question and Answer

I have been posting a lot of the question and answer type of conversation that Anevay and I have in Facebook and a lot of people are asking me where does she gets all here idea for the questions. Well, I can say everywhere. Sometimes by listening to different conversation, by reading through books and magazines and of course through her IPAD. Just last week, I posted this on FB.

How many rocks are there on earth?
What's the name of the second man in the moon?
How did William Shakespeare died and what is a sonnet?

No kidding, this are questions from a girl who would be turning 5 this July. And this was the conversation she had with her uncle (my older brother).

Tito : Anevay, are there fish in Mars?
Anevay : No, Tito, Mars don't have fishes because they only have frozen water there.
Tito : Oh, how about human beings.
Anevay : No, humans cannot live in Mars because of the air. But there maybe Martians there.

And just today while watching the Lupang Hinirang video since I am training her to sing the national anthem fluently ( she does not sing it, she hums it because she does not know the lyrics ) she asked who the man being gunned down is. Of course, it's Jose Rizal. I answered her and she asked why is the man dead? I told her, because he wrote a book. I wanted a simple answer so that there won't be a follow up question anymore. Unfortunately, I was wrong. She was able to detect the mistake of my answer and she said 'Mommy, how can he write a book when he is dead already?'. Got you! hahaha. I really have a very inquisitive and observant little girl.

Mosquito Patch

In the past, I have been using the BIONEEM lotion to make sure that Anevay would be protected from mosquito all throughout the day. The product agrees with her skin so I have used it for more two years already. But recently, my older sister bought the HUMAN NATURE BUG SPRAY and so I did not reorder when I ran out of BIONEEM. The bug spray scent is not that good but you won't smell it after a few minutes of applying it. So far so good.

Then lately I have heard about the mosquito patch from a fellow mom. Oh yes, I really learn a lot chatting with them during the hours that our kids are inside the classroom. We discussed about anything. From helpers, to household chores and even laminate floor. It really is nice that from ordinary conversation you learn something that can help you in your everyday living. Take the patch for example. I am a bit doubtful about but since three moms have told me that it's effective and affordable I tried buying it. At first, one mom told me that she was able to find some in Robinsons Supermarket but unfortunately when I went there I found none. Either they are out of stock or I went to a different branch. Luckily, a co-parent told me that the NBS express store near our place is selling them too! They have them on their counter. So today, I tried looking for it and fortunately they have some stock. Here is the patch.

This cost Php 150 and contains 24 patches with animal prints. They are so cute. haha.

I started using one today and the little girl just can't help touching it because she is curious. Good thing it really sticks on cloth.

1st Culinary Class

One of the difference of the Montessori where Anevay was enrolled in other schools is that instead of having PE uniform they have chef uniform because they have culinary lessons. The kids are allowed to help in preparing and cooking the meal.

To kick off the culinary class for this school year, the school have invited a chef who cooks for Hyatt in Brunei. He even cook for the sultan and yes, he have worked in their palace. So the kids have the privilege of seeing him in action.

This is Anevay teasing me when I asked her for a picture.

Here she is trying to help. Actually she does not want to because she does not like pasta at all. She also dislike the smell of carbonara.

And the picture below was taken for the school's Facebook account. I am just thankful that the school always takes picture of the kids and post them on FB. We parents are lucky to be seeing our kids in action in the class even through the pictures. Not all schools have this kind of service.

Skip Hop

Ever since I have seen them on Ebay, I have been contemplating on buying Anevay a Skip Hop Lunch box but I was not sure if I want the lunchbag or the back pack. Fortunately, I was able to see a supplier in Shopinas whose sell both at an affordable price. At the time I found it, both the zipper of the insulated Robbie Rabbit lunch bag of Anevay where broken after just a week of use. I am so frustrated that I swear I won't buy from that label again. And so, I asked the little girl what she likes and she prefer the frog because it's green.

And here she is using them both.

Since she only brings her lunch box and water bottle to school, the lunch bag is enough. But no, she prefer to used both. I was thinking what to do about it since the back pack does not contain anything. She likes to put her toys there and some other stuff like her Beads but I told her it's not allowed. To settle the score, I put her snacks on the lunch bag and then put the lunch bag in the back pack. hahah.

A fellow mom asked me where I bought Anevay's bag since they are intrigued because some of her schoolmates have the Bee and Dog bags. I told her I found my seller in shopinas.

Together with the bag, I ordered the Beatrix Ny bottle. I really wanted to buy the bag also but it's way over my budget. And unfortunately, this bottle is a big disappointment for me.


I should have stick to the Thermos brand. I always look for container just like the Funtainer of Thermos which can keep cold water for 10 hours or more. The Beatrix NY can only have cold water for an hour or so. I put it on the freezer which resulted on its bottom to be deformed. haha. I should have known better. Now, I am on hunt for other containers.

School Pictures

Anevay sure is having fun in school. She really has been learning a lot also. She takes pride in all the stuff that she do. And I am happy with her progress. Here are some pictures that I took and some are taken from the school's Facebook account.

On the playground, I bought her stockings in black and white. I now prefer the black one since the dirt can be easily seen on the white one. hahaha. But sometimes when it's raining I go back in using her knee high socks. Both the socks and stockings are one of our tools to keep the mosquito and bruises away.

The school bus fetched us around 10:15am so she have a time to play on the playground (if it's not raining, of course)! This are new additions to the playground. And she likes green!

Playing big sister to the kids enrolled in Playschool :). At the picture she is telling a story about her little brown horse.

I am enjoying waiting in the school since it's also a time to chat with my fellow mom.