guess who's cooking!

so i've been proud of the little achievements i've had about cooking for the family. 

but today, the little big man did it too. a couple of times, i've told him that it's about time he learns to cook simple meals, and rice. so last night, i taught him, with the lights out and we were about to go to sleep, how to cook instant noodles. i was specific about how to turn the stove on and off because i don't want him causing a fire or getting himself burned. i told him the danger of turning it on and not having any flame being that the gas is coming out in the air and he doesn't know it and once he clicks it again, it might burst into flames. yeah, quite morbid to imagine but it's better that he knows than to regret later.

this morning, he texted me and asked again the step by step procedure. i called him and again, told him how to fire up the stove, how many cups of water to put for 2 packs, when to put in the noodles, when to pour the seasoning, how to find out if it's cooked...i told him again to be extra careful with the stove and to make sure it's turned off after cooking.

in less than 30 minutes, he texted me: 

Mommy success! Ang sarap 15 May 2014  9:49am

i'm so proud of him. he's learning to be a more responsible young man everyday. he still has a lot to learn i know, but these baby steps are all he needs and he'll be on his way. makes me a bit dreadful that soon he won't need me anymore. just this morning, he was talking about going out and exploring the world on his bike. i told him he can only bike around the neighborhood but never outside the subdivision but i will never know for sure, right? the last month, he and his little sister have been on their own during mornings (being that it's summer break here) and although they still fight a lot, i know that soon, he will be able to take on, seriously, his role as big brother.

i only pray for him and the little girl that God guides them always and that i will be able to instill in them the right values and morals they need to become the best that they can be when they grow up.

It's easier to build strong children

than to repair broken men.

~Frederick Douglass

kicking it again

the little big man was in a taekwondo tournament yesterday.  after a long while again.  it used to be that almost every month we were on a tournament somewhere in this country.  we miss those days.

anyway, he got a bronze medal after losing in the semi-finals to a black belt.  score was a very tight 2-1.  worth-reading an old post i wrote about losing:  

http://ceschami.blogspot.com/2011/04/prize.html?showComment=1303271527948#c2292520225407376454

the highlight of the day was the little big man's cousin -- my brother's son.  it was his first time to compete.  he trained for a week and his dad convinced him to try out this competition.  his was just an exhibition game, with our coach making sure he doesn't get traumatized on his very first game.  well, he lost but got himself a silver medal for trying.  he needs a lot of training and i hope he and his dad seriously get into this.  

the hubby came to the event and the kids were mighty glad to see him.  although the little girl started crying when he was about to leave again later in the afternoon.  things are tough but i know in my heart we will all be able to cope.

mommy fail

busy days at work took a backseat again yesterday for my kids' annual field demo day in school.  past years it was only the little big man's day.  this year is more meaningful and eventful, being the little girl is now in 1st grade and participating in the activity.

about two weeks ago, i was already on my toes finding the materials for their costume which was prescribed by the school.  i needed orange gina cloth (luckily both kids needed the same color), white leotards, black shorts, orange shorts, gold foil paper, dark blue art paper, green satin ribbon... the works.  the last night before the event, i had to cram sewing and pasting and putting together the 2 different costumes for the 2 kids.

so yesterday, we were all set.  both kids were excited.  their classmates and teachers worked 2 weeks practicing and this day is the big day they were gonna show off what stuff they're made of.

the littel girl's sched of presentation was at 9:15am while the little big man is at 10:45am.  we  arrived in school at around 9:05-9:10.  (my fault because i agreed to wait for my dad and brother before going to school but that's a differet story and i might digress if i go into the details of that.)

the hubby and i agreed he'd go with the little big man while i go with the little girl.  and so, as she and i were passing by the gym, we heard "fireworks" being played and i turned to her and asked, isn't that the music that you're going to dance to?

wide-eyed, she said yes while we both wondered why it was already playing.  i tried to peep to see what's going on but it was too crowded.  so i told the little girl that we should just go to the meeting area of her batchmates.  on our way there, we passed by a video wall showing  livestream what was happening inside the gym.  

lo and behold!  a sea of orange skirts with blue and gold vests worn over white leotards and black shorts!  my insides ached so bad i thought my knees turned jelly and i felt like i would fall in utter frustration.  i turned to the little girl, carried her in my arms, pointed to her the wall and painfully said, anak, sorry hindi ka na makakasali.  ayun na sila o.  i was close to tears.

she stared at the video wall.  then she patted my shoulder, ok lang yan mommy, ok lang yan. she seemed so cool about it and was even the one comforting me!  she stared again for about a minute then she turned away and rested her chin on my shoulder while hugging me tight.  in a few seconds, i knew she was teary-eyed and i kept on saying i'm sorry, i'm sorry to her.  i told her that when we get home, she will wear her costume and perform for me and her dad and kuya and i will video her performance and we will cheer and clap for her.

mommy, ok lang na hindi ako nakasali.  alam ko naman na pinaghirapan mo yung costume ko hanggang kagabi di ba?  ok lang yun.  then she was teary-eyed again and she hugged me again while i hugged her back.  halika na mommy, ayaw ko na dito.

we found the hubby and the little big man in his grade 5 classroom and told them what happened.  (of course, the hubby blamed me because we both knew we should be there by 8:30 but i told them 9:15 pa naman ang performance e.  and yeah, that thing with my dad.)  afterwards, we went to the gym in time for kuya's performance.  

while waiting, a video wall inside the gym was running the highlights of the grade 1 to 3 performances.  and there again was the grade 1 performance which the little girl failed to participate in just an hour ago.  i pointed it to her, she looked and shrugged saying, ayaw ko na makita yan.  i felt her pain and secretly pointed an imaginary gun to my head and shot myself.  i was as devastated as she.

super mommy fail. :(

here's her costume.  shot at home after.

and here's her vid.  on top of  the bed.  watch it and applaud.  PLEASE.

and here's what the little big man had to show.

and some pics of how the little girl coped with her mommy's failure. :( wearing her kuya's head dress while waiting for him after his performance.

conversations

the kids and hubby have recently become hooked on that tetris game on facebook.  now the kids here include our nephews.  

so today the hubby told me this conversation between the little girl and the nephew:

yessss, naka-t-spin din ang pinakamagandang babae (the little girl, who just turned 6 years old last week, referring to herself, finally able to execute a proper t-spin in tetris)

baket maganda ka ba? retorts 8-year old nephew

baket pogi ka ba?  .......(short pause)..... basagggg!  (the little girl's curt reply)

moving up

the little girl graduated from pre-school yesterday.  

it is one of the most gratifying moments in a mom's life.  she's only turing 6 years old next week and i know we still have a long way to go.  a lot more gratifying moments to come -- her 7th birthday, her first day in high school, her first menstruation... college, first love.... well, i'm (crossing my fingers) hoping first love comes after college.  she came in 3rd overall, i think, since the school is progressive and as a rule, does not give numeric grades.  but she was called 3rd to the last so i figured that's it.

next week, she's taking entrance exams at the little big man's school.   wish us luck.

Her page in the school souvenir program

Her introduction

Her doxology

And her fooling around :)

i so look forward to the many more fruitful years ahead.

all kids her age starting 1st grade next schoolyear will be working the new K+12 curriculum to be implemented by the  philippines' department of education.  this means 7 years of grade school and 5 years of high school.  

make up

recently i've noticed the little girl watching youtube videos about make-up tutorials.  and consequently, she has been bugging me to buy her make-up.  it even came to a point that she was bargaining that she will not tag along to somewhere i was going to where she was not allowed on the condition that i will bring make-up when i get back.  i knew i was going to give in eventually  but i didn't want to go to the mall just for that.  so i told her to wait till the weekend when we do go.  she bawled over, gave me the bratty attitude which i so hate, did everything to make me buy her but to no avail.

but yesterday, i found these pretty little things at hortaleza.  made for girls 8-18 "who are in the advent of many beautiful first experiences." 

the culprits:  hypoallergenic pressed powder, lip gloss,
shimmer cheek blush with sunscreen, sparkle eyeshadow

i know, i know! my girl is way too young for make-up.  goodness, she's only turning 6 this april! but i had to humor her.  or maybe, humor myself.  i can't help but give in.  so shoot me, my self-rightoeous, condemning, judgmental readers! ;-)  disclaimer:  i am not, in any way, advocating, endorsing or justifying make-up use for 5-year olds.  

did you shoot me already?

but let me just say that i did lay down the rules.  1)  that she can only wear them if she's going to sing or dance in a school presentation.  incidentally, her moving up ceremony is coming up next month and she's actually going to dance the doxology!  2) that she absolutely cannot wear it in school or in church.  3)  that she washes her face everytime after.

here she is wearing her trial make-up.

on a side note. there was a time when the little girl was told by her teacher that they will have make-up classes on a saturday because of the several typhoons that cancelled classes.  during the evening after of one such class, i asked her how her make-up class went, her reply was, hindi naman kami nag-make up e.  nag-aral lang kami.

mommy matters

the other night, the little big man handed me a brown sheet of paper from school.  it read "pupil's behavioral report".  it showed 5 minor offenses committed by him to which i had to sign to prove that i am informed of this situation.

i was saddened by this that i couldn't help but shed a few tears right in front of my son.  which made him feel soooo full of remorse.  he cried and hugged me and promised to behave in school from now on.

makes me think of all those times that my friends would tell me what a great mom i am.  to which i always tell them that i actually have a lot -- a whole lot, for that matter -- of flaws as a mother.  for one thing, i do not cook.  i do not iron clothes, much less wash them.  i spend too much time on facebook, farmville and market street instead of sitting with them through a good book.  i don't know how to braid or even tie my daughter's hair properly that won't make her look like she's having a bad hair day.  i let them get dirty but i do make them wash up after.  i sometimes forget to check their homeworks, boo!!  i don't wake up in the middle of the night to make them pee , thus, a wet bed at 3 a.m.

i cannot, for the life of me, bear the smell of barf but i am unbelievably able to clean up several ounces of julla's fresh barf every so often.  i learned to clean up my kids' poo back during their diaper-wearing days too.  i am ever patient with them when they are being whiny or clingy.  i do wash the dishes.  i sew my kids' names inside their underwear and i make fabulous name tags for their books, notebooks and school supplies which i  really think is quite cool.  i read to them whenever i can (or when i'm not on facebook hahah!).  i buy them cool clothes, shoes and toys believing it boosts their confidence to have cool things.  i make sure they go to good schools and expose them to everything i can to make them well-rounded persons.   i lie in bed with open arms and let each kid snuggle up in each armpit, every night, hugging them to me until they fall asleep.  by request, i skip work to spend a whole day with them.  and everyday, i go straight home from work to maximize family time. (and facebook time, har-har!)  i attend every school activity or extra-curricular event that my kid is involved in. 

i wake them up gently.  i tickle them.  i bathe them.  i kiss and hug them as often as i can and as much as they'll allow me.  i never break promises as long as i can help it.  i

i  could go on and on.  yet, i can never claim to be worst mom in the world.  nor the greatest.  i think, each mom has something only her own children will benefit from.  the way we love them is our own.  we will only know we're doing the right thing everytime they hug us back, kiss us back. 

Don't worry that your children never listen to you:

worry that they are always watching you. 

--Robert Fulghum

on to trivial things, like TV

so it's june 2nd.  we're halfway through the year and i think we're doing a pretty good job.  i think.

a while ago, a good friend of mine told me she and her family are moving and they're selling most of their furniture and appliances to make way for new ones or existing ones at the new house, which is actually the family home of her husband.  anyway, she was telling me about being able to cut down on some expenses specifically their cable tv.

which made me think why in heck don't we have cable connection at home.  

i grew up without it because my mom believed that it creates gaps among families because instead of talking to one another at the dinner table, the tv grabs everyone's attention.  so she made a rule that we cannot watch tv during dinner.  she also believed that we should read books instead of watching endless television programs. she did let us watch what was available in the local channels but she closely monitored what shows we watched.  so i grew up familiar with shows on free tv.

when i married, i discovered my hubby and i both didn't watch tv.  and when the kids came, they were automatically not fans of tv either.  for some time, i've considered getting cable for myself so i'd be able to  watch glee or american idol on the actual day they're being aired so that i would be up-to-date when they talk about it at work. and some people would usually tell me, whaaaat?  how can you live without cable?!! and it sometimes embarrasses me.  also, just so my kids will be familiar with cartoon network and national geographic just like the other kids their age.  so they don't get left out in kids' conversations.  i figured i didn't want to deprive them of that because somehow subconsciously, i was deprived of it during my time.   

but for some reason, i never got around to doing it.  i guess, subconsciously too, i believed  my mom. 

If you came and you found a strange man... teaching your kids to punch each other, or trying to sell them all kinds of products, you'd kick him right out of the house, but here you are; you come in and the TV is on, and you don't think twice about it.  

                                                                       ~Jerome Singer

Julla@Work

the little girl striking a pose at my desk at work

i brought julla to work today.  migo had badminton at 7:30 in the morning and would be going to taekwondo practice at 6:00 in the evening.  i figured the poor girl had no activity for the day so i decided to bring her along.  besides, the new nanny is still -- what... new, so i don't want to leave her alone with her yet.  yes, inang yaya mode it is.

with tita nem

we ordered mcdonald's for lunch.  around 2pm, i was with a supplier downstairs when she decided to ask her tita nem for milk and later on fell asleep on her lap.  i was kinda surprised coz she usually never sleeps without me around, lest of all, new people around.

we left the office at 3pm. when we got home, migo hugged us both and whispered, sa susunod ako naman sama mo sa office ha.  i gladly said yes.  i love that they love being with me, wherever i go.

summer breezin'

summer has officially started for migo this past week.  julla still has classes this week until her 'moving up' on the 28th.  

just as i have done last summer, i've started giving them daily schedules which has different activities for the day which they have to follow so as to ensure that they don't just play the computer all day.  these activities include their morning bath,  reading a chapter of a certain book (for migo), answering pages i downloaded and printed  (for both of them) so as not to get rusty on academics. there's playtime (as in, play with toys or go to playground), naptime, eating time and their favorite, computer games (limited to 1 hour per kid.  i believe that it's important to regulate this, not deprive.)

their schedule looks like this:

they are supposed to check the boxes of those that they've finished doing.  at the end of the day, when i get home from work, i check each of their activities.  they get a reward come weekend.  

aside from this, migo still has taekwondo practice three times a week and we're enrolling julla in ballet class.  hmm... seems to me we're gonna have a busy summer.

what are your kids doing this hot season?