One Childs Imagination

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Flowers for me....




He drew a yellow heart for me.

He drew this boat house for her friend Jenny.

And this purple heart and boats for his dad

My source of happiness

This is what I received from my son last easter sunday. Don't mind the spelling he's only 5.

The Climb

Just wanted to share this nice lyrics and song =). Senti muna ang lola nyo ;)





I can almost see it
That dream I'm dreaming but
There's a voice inside my head sayin,
You'll never reach it,
Every step I'm taking,
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking but I
Got to keep trying
Got to keep my head held high

There's always going to be another mountain
I'm always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes I'm gonna to have to lose,
Ain't about how fast I get there,
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb

The struggles I'm facing,
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down but
No I'm not breaking
I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I'm going to remember most yeah
Just got to keep going
And I,
I got to be strong
Just keep pushing on, cause

There's always going to be another mountain
I'm always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes I'm gonna to have to lose,
Ain't about how fast I get there,
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb (yeah)

There's always going to be another mountain
I'm always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes you going to have to lose,
Ain't about how fast I get there,
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb (yeah yeah ea ea)

Keep on moving
Keep climbing
Keep the faith baby
It's all about
It's all about
The climb
Keep the faith
Keep your faith

New Makeup 04.04.09

My friend got me into trying out a different cosmetics line, I usually subscribe to MAC and Neutrogena but because of her insistence I decided to go take it out for a spin. I had a lot of mineral makeups before but they usually do not pass on my quality review for myself as they also contributed to a couple of breakouts, but Everyday Minerals was pure joy.

It is still touch and go but I am beginning to like the brand, after trying it out for two days it is good enough to mention in my blog, even my husband agrees that it is different in a good way.

I will keep you folks updated on what happens next, here are a couple of pictures for you to see.

Update 03.16.09

I have had a lot of events in the month of February but most of them were due to the kids being sick, the most notable was that my eldest son having an appendectomy and then the following month there was a lot of grief at the passing of a family friend, my uncle and my husbands grandmother, it is for these reasons that I was unable to update my blog and share my everyday stuff.

I am hoping that I will be able to get back into the grove with my writing.

Here are some of get well cards that my son received after his surgery and some valentine treats from his classmates.

Baby Sitting Job 03.03.09

I remembered when I was growing and being a little tot, I had a baby sitter or as they are called in the Philippines 'Yaya'. Both of my parents worked so me an my older sister were left in the care of someone else, as in the states you pay the baby sitter for taking care of your kids while you are either at work or having a night out with your husband.

The yaya is also important for a lot of single moms as they are indispensable for helping you take care of your kids. The yaya does not usually have to be a total stranger as they can be mostly your neighbors or relatives, it is standard practice to have grand parents take care of the grand kids as this gives them a bond while the apo is growing up.

The sad reality is that in the states, baby sitting is readily available but usually quality is also synonymous with price, so you can expect to pay a good part of your salary for baby sitting.

I am a stay at home mom and I want to share some of my tricks and tips in the absence of a baby sitter.

Jumperoo - baby usually jumps up and down and helps develop leg muscles



Exersaucer - allows for lateral movement and a substitute for a high chair



Bouncer - he drinks milk while on the bouncer



Car Seat - when he is sleeping or taking a nap


Activity House - fun activities for babies, with lights and buttons



Glider - best way to rock a baby while holding on to him, no place to put a duyan here so this has to do.



Baby Einstein DVDs - Kids love these as their attention focused on the colors and music of the DVDs.



Playpen - a nice safe area where he can play and when he is older he can stand up and take naps on.



How bout you how do you take care of your babies?

Thankful!

01.25.09 & 01.27.09







I am very thankful for the last 31 years of my life, God has opened many doors and thru the trials and hardships he has always been at my side. I not only celebrate my Birthday but also our 8 year Wedding Anniversary, time is short and you don't really notice these times in your life, it seems that it was just yesterday when we got married and now we have two wonderful kids I hold dear to my heart.

I would like to thank all my well wishers, people who called me up, emailed or just said happy B-day. We had a simple celebration in our place with just the family but it was very meaningful and who better to spend your birthday than with your husband and kids.

I look forward to many more birthdays to come and wedding anniversaries in the future, you only get to celebrate that one special day in your life and for that one brief moment you are at peace and everything is perfect.


Oh I forgot we still have Valentines day! ;)

My wishlist!

I did not make a wish list last Christmas holiday, So now I'm going to make one for these important events of my life and usually this falls in January. I guess that's why they call it a wish list because there is a chance you might get it or then again you might not ha ha ha... It is nice to dream about what you can't have that's why I made this ;)

Byron and his teether!

My son has been eating baby food since he was about 5mos old I think. But if you will watch this video clip of him I think the baby food is not enough ha ha ha...He has 2 teeth now and maybe his gum are so itchy that's why he can't get enough of his teether. He eats different flavors of baby food like sweet potatoes, banana and rice cereal and all of them are organic based food. I'll try my very best to give him organic food or fresh food as he grows up. Lets see.

A short video of my children!

I just want to share this video of my babies! Yes they are still my babies hehehe...I don't want them to grow up so fast! I just love them to bits that's why I'm enjoying every moment of it!

So here you go:

My third mommylution for this year!

Get the kid and hubby to help!

I plan to begin training my son and hubby to take over some of the household chores, such as washing the dishes, cleaning the bathroom, cooking breakfast or dinner, dusting, folding clothes and laundry so that I'm not the only one in the apartment doing these things while two other people lounge around eating junk foods and playing video games haha....

My second mommylution for this year!

Take time for me, among other things.

Time for me, lose more than 10 pounds, organizing, how about organizing did I say that already hahaha, how about time for me, or the 10pounds!

One of my Mommylution for this year!

Never Say Never

I resolve never to say "not my child or " my child will never".....

The one thing that I have learned for the past 5 years of being a mom is that there are no absolutes in this parenting game, and you may find yourself eating your words one day.

You may have the best of intentions but life has a funny habit of getting in the way some times.

So being a mom - I can say the hardest job on the planet! No other job can beat that!!!

My New Years Resolution for 2009

I resolve to…

- stop saying negative things about other people especially to those who hate me and to those who don't like me.
- focus on the positive in my relationship with my partner.
- stop blaming others when I am just as much at fault.
- stop making assumptions or judgements.
- pick my battles and avoid sweating the small stuff.
- stop giving advice to those who don't ask me.


I will...

- start saving for my kids future.
- donate more for charities - this is gonna be our third year that me n my hubby will be donating in charities. Maybe we will sponsor one child in St. Jude cancer research hospital or world vision.
- focus more on my personal problems like health, financial etc.
- help other people if they want me to.
- exercise more and eat less.
- Invest in 401K and IRA.
- save more and travel with my family and give them the best and memorable vacation ever.
- enjoy each moment together with my significant other, live in the present and nurture myself as I nurture my partner.

Happy New Year to all!

I'm wishing everyone a Happy and Blessed 2009!

Cheers!!!!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Please Watch this video!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Public vs. Private in the US

The topic of schools is always a hot one at family gatherings. So everyone we encountered had their own set of beliefs about public and private schools. I heard the following:

" I know you are a Catholic. Don't you want your child taught in a Christian atmosphere?"
" You know they have a lot of those ( name your racial group) in public schools."
" If you ever want your child to go to college you better look into a private school. You know private schools do better on all those college tests."

I bet you have heard similar comments especially from relatives and friends.

So here are some of the factors why we chose to put our son to public school:

- I first looked at price - I wanted to estimate just how much it would cost for my son to complete elementary school.

- Not all schools offer full day kindergarten - my son's school does which could alter the tuition costs for that grade.

- Student/Teacher ratio in public school are 18. In private or parochial school are 20 (some of them are less).

- The cost of public school FREE. In private or parochial school range from $4,752 - $8,500 a year. And they increase about 5% every year (accdg to my source).

- Speech therapy, hearing and vision services, classes for students with limited english proficiency are all provided at no charge in the public school while in the private, speech therapy costs about $2000 per year.

- Private and public schools do not give the same tests so there is no way to compare them in the characteristics that counts the most.

- Some of the schools ( private) restricted visitation which made us feel suspect as to why they would not allow us to look.

- Public schools offer free bus service. In private you have to pay $650 per family and some parochial school does not offer bus service.

- Public school has a very diverse population with students of various economic, ethnic and religious backgrounds. The private schools were much less diverse. - I want my son to have early exposure in other ethnics and other religious backgrounds.

- Traditional schools and many regular program schools do not offer advance program classes for gifted and talented students. Many of the private schools do not offer them either.

- In fact, many students from private and parochial schools come to public school during the day to access their special education services because they are not available at the private school or are cost prohibitive.

- It is true that my son is not being taught religion at school. He is being taught values ( honesty, respect, perseverance, etc.) and how to be a good person. My husband and I cover the rest at home. I actually prefer to be the one who tells him about God and our faith.

- Paying huge tuition rates does not guarantee that my child will be immune to the dangers of the world.

- School is for academics and church is for faith. My son is with "the right kinds of people" and in the best academic setting possible.

- I am not convinced that paying tuition here in the US is the better choice especially if you have more than one child. And don't forget, there is college to pay for and it doesn't come cheap.

***This blog is not to criticize any private or public school or the people that choose them. School choice is a private issue best left in the family. We all make decisions for the best interests of our children and what works for one may not work for another. To use a trite old saying: " different strokes for different folks".

I do criticize those people who look down their noses at parents who choose public schools. Their elitism reveals their ignorance about the facts of public schools. Sensible people know that not all public schools are equal. There are good and bad schools in both the public and private sectors. The Catholic priests scandals of late show that no school community is immune. Knowing the facts is essential. Keeping our children the top priority is our responsibility as a parent. By the way the quality of public schools that are paid for here in the US comes from the property taxes. So if you live here in the US and you are paying taxes , your taxes goes to the school etc. So there you go. There's a big difference of what kind of public school here in the US and in the Philippines. I just want to make that clear. Same with the private school.

Public or Private? Which is right for your child read more here.

Weekend Trip to Chicago

We recently took some time off our mundane schedule by going to Chicago, probably the largest
city in the Midwest equally famous for its scenic views and world class restaurants. My husband
had previously gone to Chicago with some friends but their trip was to visit the two baseball
parks, Wrigley Field (home to the Cubs) and Cellular Field (home to the Chicago White Sox). The
trip itself was a good five hours of driving thru Indiana.



The weather before the trip was pretty cold in Kentucky and most of us had colds at one time or
another. Byron was also having some dry throat (hoarse) at the time so before on our trip, we set up an appointment with his pedia, she said that Byron was OK for the trip and did not exhibit any signs of being sick, so with that in mind we decided to proceed with our vacation.

I have a couple of friends in Chicago, who have visited us here in Kentucky, needless to say they
have been petitioning us to visit their place and also they had a couple of baby stuff that they
did not need and they were giving it to Byron.

The drive was uneventful but tiring, it was also Halloween and it gave a chance for Aidan to get
some sweets, unfortunately we arrived in Chicago too late as most of the malls had used up their
supplies of treats for the kids. We ended up buying Aidan some candies. We then proceeded to Lot's house were we ate home cooked meals of Adobo and Chinese food, exhausted we made up our bedding's and were soon fast asleep.

The next day we went around the city visiting some of the locations that you see in the pictures,
again since this was just a weekender we did not go into any museums, this trip was more about
taking the sights in and going exhibits would have used up most of our time not to mention we would need to shell out some cash.

So for the next two days we toured different places in Chicago and on Sunday we ate at an authentic Japanese Market/Restaurant Mitsuwa. It seemed more like a cultural center to me but the food was very good. We drove back that Sunday and my husband returned to work on Monday.



Byron got some coughing owing to the fact that all of us had some colds, so we ended up bringing him to the Kids Hospital in the area. They asked him to stay for two nights as they wanted to monitor him in the end the docs said that he probably contracted something from us 3. He is feeling better now but he still drinks his meds.



Well that's all I have for now until next time.

Byron latest pic

He is almost 4mos now.

One month Old

Byron Chaz - one month old. Sorry will blog about this later. I'm so busy can't blog right now.