Tuesday, August 31, 2004

Bear With Me

I’d like to invite you to view my kids’ “drawings” using Windows Paint. I have converted the bitmap files into gifs and uploaded them to a photo blog website. Please do visit Creative Kids when you have time and kindly leave a comment or two. I’m planning to surprise the kiddos with the website once I’ve uploaded all their current projects. Too bad we lost a lot of their works when my hard disk crashed a month ago. That’s why I’ve decided to “keep” their new creations in the web where they are likely to stay for a long, long time.

Please indulge a mother’s wish to show the world how proud of her children she is. Thanks so much!
What’s with Dora?

Two weeks ago, as I was reading a Dora the Explorer book to Daniel in Powerbooks Megamall, a little girl who’s about three plunked down beside us and animatedly joined in the storytelling. I was amused at the way the little tot would excitedly insert lisping comments like “Twyfer no twifing! (Swiper, no swiping!)” It was so sweet that after we finished, she said goodbye with “Thank you for the stowee!” How nice to feel appreciated!

It’s amazing how my kids (ages 5, 6, 9 and 10), and so many others I know, are so crazy about Dora. The CDs I bought several days ago are already scratched from constant use. Perhaps having brown skin like Dora, makes it easier for Filipino kids to identify with her (well, it’s another matter when it comes to Spongebob :P). I was pleasantly surprised yesterday to find Daniel counting his fingers in Spanish!

It’s a very nice, interactive show that lets kids participate. The songs hmmm, sometimes sound out of tune and yet kids love singing them. They are very easy to follow with simple lyrics that are easily remembered. Another great kiddie show that teaches good values, stimulates children’s minds and keeps kids out of Mommy’s hair for an hour or two :)

Sunday, August 29, 2004

The Philosophy of Charles Schulz

I like this forwarded email. It says a lot about our world today. That of putting so much weight on what others might think of our actions, no matter if those people know us (or even care about us!) or not. I have learned these past years that whatever I do in whichever way, what's important is that I am understood and still loved by the people who matter the most to me -- my family and friends. Forget the bystanders!

Just for fun, my answers in italics ....

The following is the philosophy of Charles Schulz, the creator of the "Peanuts" comic strip.

You don't have to actually answer the questions. Just read this straight through, and you'll get the point.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world. (George W. Bush? Michael Jackson? hahaha! whoever, whatever ... )
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners. (Duh, say what?)
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest. (Who cares to know?)
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize. (Sorry, not my forte.)
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winner for best actor and actress. (Spare me the headache.)
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners. (.....zzzzzzz.....)

How did you do? (Badly! :D)

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school. (Prof. Ivy Contado-Ongkiko, Prof. Sandy Flor, Mrs. Asuncion, Ms. Medelyn Ruth Negre, Ms. Cora Bullecer)
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time. (Jeff, Bon, Niet)
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile. (Nanay, Tatay, Pastor Caloy, Tita Arlyn, Kuya Ver)
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special. (Ate Beth, PJ, Inez, my star circle friends, my high school and college barkada, Daddy Pepe, Ate Tweet)
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with. (Geffrey, Leland, Josh, James and Daniel)
6. Name half a dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you. (fellow parents who unselfishly shared their trials and triumphs through the smartparenting egroup -- unsung heroes all)

Easier?

The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care. (True, true!)

- Charles Schulz

Wednesday, August 11, 2004

On pictures and cutouts

I like helping my preschooler Daniel with his assignments. He’s a very diligent child and seldom complains he’s tired even when there are more than five pages of answering to be done. He’s in Kinder 2 now.

Just this morning (his classes are in the afternoon), we tried finding pictures of animals that walk, run, climb, fly, crawl and swim. Last night he finished several pages in his English book so we left the Science assignment for today. I’m not exactly sure why, but I find it peaceful turning magazine pages one after the other to find what we were looking for. Daniel was flipping pages too and would now and then be distracted with things he sees. “Look Mommy, I saw Littlefoot!” he said when turned to an advertisement page for the Land Before Time video. “And there’s Bambi!” on a page about movie reviews. He looked so adorable sitting there, eyes shining with delight with every discovery he makes. Though it took us longer to find the photos that we wanted, watching my son having fun simply by looking at magazine pages is amazing. (My only regret is that we had to cut photos from National Geographic because the other magazines don’t have much pictures of animals. Oh well, for the sake of good grades …)

It is quite relaxing to do something that doesn’t require much effort. I like trimming the pictures so they’d fit in the squares provided for in Daniel’s textbook Kind of a pleasant break from my hectic researches and article writing. Then I’d put glue on the back of each cutout while Daniel tries to stick each picture on the proper spaces after he slowly read the heading. “F-l-y. Hmmm, the bird goes here …. S-w-i-m. I’ll put the fish here….” It doesn’t matter that some of the pictures were stuck at odd angles. That feeling of accomplishment and pride that he showed after he said “Mommy, finished!” was worth all the effort.

This morning I had enjoyed a great bonding moment with my son.

Subject: Women's problems

Got this email today. Made me smile. Enjoy!

I never looked at it this way before:
MENtal illness
MENstrual cramps
MENtal breakdown
MENopause
GUYnecologist
AND When we have REAL trouble, it's a HISterectomy

Ever notice how all of women's problems start with MEN?

Tuesday, August 03, 2004

Right Now ….

Indulge me. I can’t seem to think of anything good to write about today. So let me just share my thoughts and feelings right now …

… I’m missing my husband coz he only gets to go home to us during weekends
… I’m excited of going to Manila tomorrow to get some of my magazine cheques since I’ll get to drop by hubby’s office and we can go out for dinner before I go home alone after
… I’m still ga-ga over the The Corrs’ new album Borrowed Heaven
… I’m almost finished reading The Heavenly Man by Paul Hattaway
… I’m winding down after a hectic day of being referee to three of my rambunctious kids who seem to enjoy making my headache worse by fighting over silly things
…I’m getting tired of training our half-breed Dalmatian dog, Panda, to poop in the garden. Every time I release her from her chain after she ate, she would go straight to the cemented part of the garage and poop there. Argh!
… I’m writing two articles for a magazine for public school teachers and enjoying it immensely
… I’m planning to download again those Robert Downey Jr. songs from the DU site so I can listen to them offline
… I feel I’ve gotten over my hard disk’s crash of last week and the subsequent loss of all my saved files.
… I have a cold since last week and I hate taking Decolgen (though I have to, to stop my runny nose) because it makes me groggy for the first three hours and makes me just wanna crawl in bed and sleep. If only I could, but I have to take care of James, my special child.
… I’m still thankful to the Lord for all the blessings He is showering upon us despite the little problems I’m getting myself worried about
… I’m getting sleepy so I better post this in blogger before I go off to dreamland