Bea Wonka and The Chocolate Factory

Posting a blog after a lull is little bit knotty. So much has happened since February that I am quite undecided on what to share first. Joys? Woes? Challenges? I guess we can start with the joys first. Celebrating Bea's Birthday.

The little girl is not so little anymore. She turned 6 last July and we celebrated with her friends at the village clubhouse function room. The theme for her party this year was Bea Wonka and The Chocolate Factory. She's a big fan of the movie Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. Although she likes Gene Wilder's old flick, she is more partial to Tim Burton's interpretation. Well, it is more colorful and the musical score's more catchy, not to mention the Oompa-loompas are crazier. And she prefers Johnny Depp's bangs over Gene Wilder's curls? 

Going back, preparations for the party began four weeks before the factory gates opened. It was just a small gathering, so it was not that hard to pull off without professional help. And even if it were a big event, I'd still take matters into my own hands ... it is less expensive. The guests loved the faux chocolate bars I made for invitations. Materials were readily available at National Bookstore. Paper for the "golden ticket" was from the Astral Sparkle Paper Collection of our local Star Paper Corporation. Was about to create the Wonka wrapper using Microsoft Publisher, lucky for me I browsed the net and found a free template and just printed it on a regular white vellum board. It's just amazing the amount of stuff you can come up with just by having a reliable computer, printer and internet connection. Wrapped the ticket with a gold metallic paper for the foil effect and voila! A personalized Wonka chocolate bar.

An economical way of hosting a party nowadays would require a trip to the local bargain hunters' shopping mecca: Divisoria. Everything is just there! I even saw the Christmas decors I bought from Divisoria last year in Rustan's. I swear, exactly the same decor at a much lower price. Willy Wonka had a little notebook to write his "discoveries" on. So for giveaways, I got these cute little notepad board with a pen for PhP15.00 each instead and personalized it using my ever-reliable HP K209-A printer. Chocolatiers would need aprons as chocolate making is messy. Bought aprons, in one the stores between 168 Mall and DV Mall, for PhP25.00 a piece. That's like PhP25.00 cheaper than the PhP50.00 kiddie aprons they're selling in SM. My sister-in-law, C, and I had them personalized at Divisoria Mall for PhP5.00 per letter; much, much cheaper than the stalls in malls outside Divisoria. And we did not have to come back for them too! It just took 30 minutes for all aprons to get named.

You need a lot of candies and chocolate for a chocolate factory themed affair. The kids had a chocolate candy making activity, now this was a first for me. I mean I love chocolate. I eat them, I don't actually make them. So googleize I did. With a downloaded idea on how to make chocolates, I called the local suppliers I saw online to canvass for supplies. Chocolate Lover was my first stop, as friends and relatives suggested it too. Got most of the chocolate making materials from them, save the chocolate molds. It was PhP80.00 per piece. With more than 30 kids on her guest list, I figured it would be better to check out Killion and The Nutstore in Quiapo first since it's near Divisoria. And surprise! They were selling it for PhP60.00 at The Nutstore. My mommy friends, J and J, and  my cousin, G, helped in melting the chocolate bars for the mold. As for the candies, now this one is tricky. No matter how you want to cut on cost, feeding unbranded candies to kids is NOT an option . The SM candy section has a wide array of goodies. Got a variety of Wonka and Trolli candies and some lollipops as well. 

Glass from my kitchen cabinet, ribbon from National Bookstore, chocolate balls and ladybugs from Chocolate Lover , lollipop and candy canes from SM candy section.

My cousin, G, baked this awesome cake and scrumptilicious cupcakes for Bea. It was a labor of love. Her first time to make a multi-layered fondant cake. She is a cupcake expert though. I just can't get enough of her yummy chocolate and vanilla cupcakes! As for the food, everything was home-cooked. We had Potato Marble Salad, Mini Burgers, Pork Barbecue, Hotdogs on Stick, Chicken Lollipop with Garlic Ranch Dip, and Hungarian Sausage Pasta ---all prepared, marinated and cooked at home. Thank goodness for household staff!

Kids, young and not-so-young, had fun making their signature chocolates, designed their own cupcake and joined in the parlor games. All the preparations paid off. Even the hubby was very much involved in making this occasion a success, he got ice cubes from the store LOL. Just kidding. He helped facilitate the games. We were all pooped after the party. But seeing the daughter have so much fun made it all worth it :)

Kids busy in The Inventing Room

Cupcakelicious Art 

The Wemmick Who Sings Like a Bird

A couple of weeks back I received a SMS from my daughter's school asking if I could write/contribute an article for their school publication. My initial reply was : what about and when is it due? I did not want to commit right away as I have little and big things to attend to, and I just had to be sure I would be able to deliver. Deadline was the following week and it's just about our Literary Program experience, so I said yes. Found myself idle (and feeling really lazy) the following afternoon, got my laptop and stared at a blank Microsoft word page. Drank two glasses of Coke to jumpstart my senses and came up with this:

The Wemmick Who Sings Like A Bird

A Wemmick’s Mom’s Account of Rosemont School’s Literary Program

Teacher Noime Salamat’s Senior Kinder class showed off their theatrical talent in Rosemont School’s “Punchinelo,” a play based on one of Max Lucado’s children’s book series: You Are Special. In one of our chitchats, Teacher Noime mentioned how the kids would go up to her for an “ambush audition” after announcing that there would be a play for the Literary Program. Having an open communication line with us, she is aware of Bea’s activities outside school… voice and ballet. Thus the role of “the Wemmick-who-sings-like-a-bird” was given to her. It is a part wherein she has to sing (solo) Cinderella’s “A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes.” When I first learned about it, I was like but she just started with her voice lessons, it’s just once a week and her voice coach is not in town! I don’t even know what a Wemmick looks like!!! But even with these thoughts running through my head, deep inside I know she would be able to pull it off. I have faith in my daughter. After watching Cinderella a gazillion times, I’m sure it won’t be that hard. Besides, Teacher Noime is there to (patiently) rehearse with each one of them and tell us what the children will need for the play.

But of course, Teacher Noime can only do so much. After I heard Bea sing it exactly a la Cinderella with matching “shaking” of the voice and scrubbing of the floor, not to mention the “Dong! Dong!” (mimicking the sound of the clock signaling the end of Cinderella’s song), home support is also needed. And a good in-tune singing voice is something my husband and I were not blessed with – we are practically tone-deaf! So off to the mall I went, to look for a CD our daughter can use for practice, it has to be something a kid can sing along with. I scoured all the music and record shops in the area, but they did not have a CD with that song and arrangement on stock. Two weeks before the big day, Ms. Ning San Jose (the voice coach) arrived from a trip abroad; she performs with the Philippine Madrigal Singers. Bea continued her sessions with her at the house. Ms. San Jose even made a minus one CD, with the musical arrangement tailored fit for her, to be used for school rehearsals and the actual play. What a big help!

On to the big day, 26 November 2010. The stage was set up as Wemmicksville, thanks to the teachers and auxiliary staff of Rosemont. And all the young thespians were decked out as the Wemmick they are portraying. Bea looked fabulous in her chocolate and gold colored balloon dress with matching gold shoes, which she personally chose. Stage fright and shyness are words foreign to my daughter. There’s not a single “shy” bone in her body, anybody who knows her can attest to that. She confidently and perfectly sang her solo. She was all smiles during and after the show. My husband came from Makati to catch our only child perform and went back to the office right after; two of her lolas (my mom and an aunt from Cagayan de Oro) and my sister-in-law came to see her. We were all there to watch her. We are all so proud of our little Bea.

Reading this, some might say, “Hey, it’s just a school play. What’s all the fuss about?” Our take on this: the Literary Program, or what my then Nursery daughter used to call “wittewawy pwogwam,” serves as a venue for our kids to showcase their talent on stage. Knowing our Bea’s love for role playing, singing and dancing, it is an event we always look forward to. For us, it is important that we support our child’s creative interests and that our child comes prepared, with get up and all. It helps boost her self-confidence. We appreciate the school recognizing the need for our kids to participate in activities such as this one. It encourages our children to be creative, learn how to take turns, cooperate, socialize; it teaches them how to be confident with people and they also learn new things in the process (like new words). I.Q and E.Q. go hand in hand in real life. I love how the chosen story showed the different talents of the children. I was amazed at how all the kids performed, they were all convincing actors. They all know who’s next, the role of each classmate, and their lines too! I saw how supportive they were of each other.

That day, the dad and I went home with pride and big smiles on our faces. Bea went home with confidence level several notches higher, closer to her classmates and teachers, and with fun memories to make her smile for years to come.

Bea's solo

Goodbye, Huggies! (?)

Seems like we wont be including Huggies XXL diaper on our grocery list from now on. The little girl's been going to bed nappy-free for four nights now. Great news for the environment...and our pockets of course.


The daughter's been using disposable diaper since birth. As I believe it's more hygienic and easier to use (use and dispose) than cloth diapers. Prokids from newborn to around a year and a half. Tried Pampers, she had a little rash so we just used a piece and gave away the rest. Then we tried Huggies. She's been a Huggies baby until last Friday evening. Except for the time she tried Pampers and one outing wherein her yaya forgot to change her diaper, she never really suffered from any diaper rash. A couple of months before turning 2, we already started with potty training. We did not get the mini potties anymore, we trained her to use the big toilet right way, got the removable toddler potty seat (which her ninong calls "adapter") and a step stool.


It was difficult at first, as expected, with bladder control and everything. Then the mom of her playmate, suggested we try this trick: no nappy for daytime, or when she's awake, and make her sit on the toilet every two hours from last pee (to save yourself from having to clean up after). We tried it, with what I read from the book "What to Expect the Toddler Years," potty train for 3 days, if it doesn't work, the child is not ready yet, try again after a few weeks. VERY IMPORTANT thing to do is talk to your child about potty training. I instructed the maids (when I'm not with her) to remind her all the time that she's not wearing diaper and she should tell us if she has to make "weewee" or "poopoo". So far, we've only had 2 weewee accidents and one pooping incident at a mall. She was telling us she had to make poopoo and we didn't believe her because she just came from the toilet, her yaya was new, then she went like "Here, smell it!" LOL. It was a gradual process. From no diaper at home, to wearing diaper only at the mall or when going on a long trip (more than an hour). Until January 2008, we were getting ready for toddler school, she was 2 1/2, I was putting her diaper on when she suddenly said "Mom, I don't want to wear diaper anymore." Woohoo! She'd only wear diaper when asleep since.


Though she's been keeping her diaper dry throughout the night for more than six months now, with no daytime accidents, it was just last weekend that I finally tried no more night nappy. Hey, it's a family bed okay? We will be sleeping on the floor if she'd accidentally pee on it. Now I ask her to sit on the toilet before going to sleep, remind her she's not wearing diaper and to just wake up mom in case she has to go to the toilet. Have an underpad on hand though, in case she wont make it, it's what they use in the hospitals so the bedsheets wont get soaked. Every morning, I'd congratulate her and tell her I'm proud of all her progress,not just the potty thing. She'd reply with a smug grin on her face. Four nights going...I hope we can finally say goodbye to Huggies!

Formative Years and Beyond

We already have results of the pre-schooler's 3rd Quarter Evaluation, had the tutorial chat with her teacher. We are very pleased with her performance in school. She’s doing great in academics, perfected her Math exam and three mistakes in Reading. She's been writing (legibly) her full name without a guide. Just need to continue encouraging her to take care of belongings, sharing, waiting for her turn, and as much as possible avoid teasing her classmates too much. And we have to practice some scissor cutting, blunt-tip of course, catching objects thrown and pouring liquid into glass without spilling. Yes, they get graded for those as well and she got C’s (Capable) in those developmental aspects.


We do worksheets everyday, sometimes every other day. Like I said it’s fifteen to thirty minutes. Not to strenuous for Bea, she normally breezes through them as they really just serve as follow through on their lessons at school. The idea is to value education and make studying a habit, not to make it her life. My two cents, if your child sees you taking time out to study with her, teaching her, answering her questions… it’s like communicating to her that learning and school are important. But we should not forget that school is just one aspect of a child’s life. What good is it to have very high I.Q. when your child is struggling in the personal-socio-emotional aspect of her life? Sure, I would like to see her excel academically, but for her to have a successful, meaningful life, she needs more than that. Experience is said to be the best teacher. She has to feel and experience life as it happens, not just as what was written on her books or lectured by the academe. Life is not just knowing all there is to know about the universe, it’s also about being able to tell your grandchildren when you’re old and gray about all the dumb and silly things you did when you were a child, the trick or treats and other parties you’ve attended, your adventures and misadventures, the relationships you made, lost and managed to keep.


The formative years are the most crucial stage in a child’s life. It’s when our child starts to develop attitude, habit, mannerism, etc. So it’s important that we guide and support them through it. And of course, parents will always do their best to be there for their child, to love and support, even (way,way) beyond the formative years.

Rosemont School Father's Day 2009

Yesterday Rosemont School held its annual Father’s Day at Woodrose Gym with the theme “Dad’s Camp”. Kicked off the day with a parade of students and teachers divided into three teams: Blue Hikers, Red Explorers and Green Trekkers. Good thing dad and daughter were with the Blue Hikers, the dad wouldn’t be too happy wearing green, he’s a Blue Eagle (Grade School to High School); the grannies, myself and even the nanny…we all came in blue to support our team. It was a fun-filled event with raffle and games such as catch the ball, log relay, obstacle course, scavenger hunt, etc. In the obstacle course, dad and child had to do the hula-hoop! It was just so funny. The highlight of the day was the cheer dancing competition. Yes, dads included! Some were really just feeling it! Mothers had a blast watching their children and husbands shake their bonbons and pompoms. LOL. The program ended with a dance number from all the teachers and the awarding of winners. Blue Hikers are this year’s Champion! Woohoo! The team captains brought home the trophies and each kid got to bring home a medal, loot bag, raffle prizes and lots of happy thoughts.


All the hard work of the students, teachers, and parents paid off. Hats off to the teachers! It must have been hard training the kids (age ranging from 2 to 6 years old) with the routines and all, they even facilitated all the games, with help from the school administrative people of course. The organizing parents were able to raise some funds for the event through corporate sponsors. Food kiosks were at the parking area inside the compound, in case people would want to grab something to eat, best seller was the snow cone. It was a very long day. But we all had a grand time!

Cool dads strutting their stuff; my husband's just shy that's why he's hiding behind another person LOL:   

Candid shots:
   

My cuddly wuddlies after a very long day, tired but happy:

Bea's 1st Quarter Doctor's Appointment

For the past 3 and a half years, we've been quite happy with the daughter's pediatrician at Asian Hospital, Dr. Maria Ana Yu-Abe. We really appreciate the way she takes care of our cuddle pup. We can call her anytime, through her mobile phone, even in the middle of the night, when it's really just so important to have a doctor tell you what to do when you're panicking over high fever, diarrhoea, vomiting, etc. But we're really thankful to God, so far no serious ailment, save for a bout with the parasite Entamoeba Histolyca last June-- Amoebiasis, which we successfully managed without having to be confined. The kiddo will most likely freak out with those intravenous plugs!

Sent her an SMS last Friday, asking if she's holding clinic the following day, she replied in affirmative. After lunch the hubby, the little one and I, sans the nanny, went to Robinson's Department Store at Festival Mall to get the little girl some stamps and DVDs, as she's been asking us to buy her more; we had Italian food at Sbarro's after. Taking it as an opportunity to prep her for the doctor's appointment, she's scheduled for DPT-Polio booster. I wanted the trip to the mall to be the highlight of the day for her, not the vaccination. She was sitting on my lap, our arms around her, while the doctor gave her the shot. She cried a bit. We told her that vaccination's important so she'll continue being healthy and that Dr. Abe's there to help Mom and Dad take care of her. Then of course, the stamps! The stamps are waiting for her at the car. That got her smiling again. She bade her doctor goodbye with a sweet kiss on the cheek and two thumbs up!

She's fit and healthy. Her weight's just right for her age and height. She's scheduled for her annual deworming next week. Supposedly this coming Friday, but we have Father's Day at Rosemont on Sunday. So we'll have it next Friday instead. Now it's very important that you do this with supervision/instruction from the doctor, as I've heard it can sometimes cause serious illness, even death. Heard the story from Mercury, that's why they now require prescription for Antiox.

Her next visit will be on April for Flu booster and after her 4th birthday for another booster. For complete recommended schedule of vaccination, you may want to visit http://www.babycenter.com.ph/baby/health/immunisationchildhooddiseases/. Or better yet, consult regularly with your child's pediatrician.

Bea's School Christmas Party

Last December 17, Rosemont School students celebrated Jesus' birthday. Nursery was scheduled at 8:00 in the morning. It was a potluck party, and the daughter was assigned to bring pizza good for 5 kids. Good thing there's a Yellow Cab Pizza just right outside the village and they are open 24 hours. Called them up at 5 a.m. for 7 a.m. pick-up and ordered a 10" Pepperoni pizza, requested for criss-cut so the kids won't have a hard time eating it. Wanted to get to school early so she can still distribute gifts to Rosemont staff and bring her with me to office right after. When we got to Rosemont, some of her classmates were there already. Party started at 8 a.m. and ended at 9. I was just outside her classroom with other mommies waiting for them to finish. There was so much food and some mommies joined in the party. The little one got a Fun Factory Play Doh set from their exchange gift and more presents from the classmates.

When we got to the office she asked her lola to bring her to Mall of Asia for lunch, so off to MOA we went. Her granny asked her what she'd like to get for Christmas and she replied "Barbie doll house and candies!" The doting grandma got her a Barbie Doll House from Toy Kingdom but didn't tell her yet. She thought it was something else for another cousin. We just told her grandma forgot to bring her big wallet and will just come back for it, she was a little down at first, but snapped out of it when lola got her a colorful lollipop. I'm sure she'd be ecstatic when she open her presents on Christmas morning!

The Way Things Are

I'm here at the office now checking my mailbox and decided to squeeze in this post before I forget about it. The daughter's here with me for our office Christmas party later. Was on my PC when the marketing officer from one of the medical clinics we send workers to dropped by to give their presents for us. When he left, my ever curious and observant daughter asked one of our staff "Is she a boy or a girl?" It's like she couldn't believe her eyes. The staff didn't know how to answer and told her to ask me instead. He's gay actually. But how do you explain that to a three year old girl? It's a touchy topic I believe. I'm no homophobic. And I wouldn't want my kid to grow-up discriminating people because of race, creed, social status, gender...or sexual orientation. I have to be careful not to sound prejudiced, at the same time not come out like a parent with no idea of what's black or white ... or gray. From a very conservative person's view point (which I'm really not), there shouldn't really be a gray area to begin with.

When you a have a little person asking you why a boy has very long hair and why he's clothes are for girls and why he's wearing make-up... you just have to stop and think for a while before trying to explain to her. You can't just say "Hey, that's how things are babe." Her questions must be answered. I just told her that he's really a boy but he likes to wear girl clothes. Her reply "But why, mom? He's a boy! And boys don't wear make-up! Make up for girls!" I then replied that sometimes some boys would want to look like a girl and some girls would want to look like a boy. I was given another "But they're boys! Why, Mom?" Of course, I couldn't really give her a full explanation as she is still too young to really understand stuff such as this one. I just simply told her that when she's older she will understand why and how different we all are from each other. Different strokes for different folks.

One thing struck me though, she was just observing QUIETLY and asked the question AFTER the guy left the office. She didn't just blurt it out right in front of him. I guess at her tender age she's beginning to understand what's proper and what's not. In time her knowledge will grow and her views may (or may not) change. As long as it's within the norm, as dictated by our faith and beliefs, or that which are socially acceptable, then I'm okay with it. If she says boys shouldn't wear make-up and dress like girls... then let's respect that. It's her two cents. We are all entitled to our own opinion.

Broda and Sista

One time, I was brushing my teeth, the little girl came up to me saying “Mom, I want a broda.” I’m like “Huh?” She then continues “And a sista!” Then her imaginary brother started staying with us in the room for a while, and silently slipped out after a few months. Now she’s at it again. We usually have our “pillow talk” before going to sleep at night. Well last night, I was telling her that maybe when we move to the new house she can start sleeping in her own room already. Then she said “And my brother will stay in the other room…and my sister, we’ll play in the attic.” She’s just so eager to have siblings. I think because she wants to be an “ate” (Filipino word for big sister) already. She has her cousins for role models. They really take time out to spend time with her playing, malling or just simply chillin’ at the house.

If only it were that easy. We were just so lucky and blessed to receive that little bundle of joy as a special gift from God. She is our answered prayer. It was all out trying for us from the day we got married. On the 3rd year of our life as a married couple, she came along as a surprise blessing. And we’ve been pretty preoccupied with her since. After the house, we can start looking into trying again. The hubby and I are quite happy with one but it would be great to have more kids, if God willing. Two to three more, perhaps? Twins would be nice, now that’s probably asking for too much. But who knows? With lots of prayers and some medical help, I’ll have a bun baking in the oven soon.

Bea at 2 months with cousin

Bea at 3 months

Bea's Merry Little Christmas

Most likely because of the world economic crisis we're experiencing now, or maybe it's just me... it doesn't really feel so Christmassy this Yule season. Even Makati's Central Business District (CBD) is not decked out as the years past. Usually after Halloween business offices in the area start rolling out holiday decors... not this year. Save for a handful of buildings, it's just Ayala Avenue that's pretty much into the season, courtesy of Makati City taxpayer's money hee hee (or should I say hmph!?).

My daughter came home from school singing holiday tunes last week. She told me that they watched Hi 5 Christmas Special in school that morning and that she'd like to have a snowman in the house. Told her she has her little tree from last year and we'll just put it up again for this year. Like furnitures, we do not have our family Christmas tree yet since we will be moving to the new house pretty soon. Thinking of just getting some styropore from National Bookstore so we can make her own snowman. The other day my mom called me at my mobile just to say that she talked to her apo (grandchild) and Bea told her lola she didn't have a tree yet. Yesterday morning, my "official" day off, I finally got around to putting up some decor at the house for some Christmas feel and waited for Bea to get home so she can be the one to dress up her little Christmas tree. Getting off the car, she already saw the wreath on the door and her stocking by the window, and I could hear her giggling excitedly from outside, shouting "wow, I love it!" Asked her to wait until after her afternoon ballet to decorate the tree together.

While she was napping, I took the opportunity to go to National Bookstore for some gift tags and an Elmo book for her school exchange gift, and then went to South Supermarket to get some pancit malabon (a noodle dish from Malabon City, Philippines) and fresh lumpia (shredded fresh veggies wrapped in pancake or rice paper wrapper) for the hubby's sister. When I got home my sister-in-law was already there chatting with the little one who was just waiting for the driver to bring her to the club for ballet. SIL and I went to Verdana, she wanted to see the house, and we went house hopping after. The cuddle pup was already home when we got back, eagerly waiting for us.

We decorated her little Christmas tree. After wrapping all her present for her classmates, she then signed her name on the gift tags...all 15 of them! She can now write her name without having to copy from a "pattern" or an adult spelling it out for her. Just wrote a post-it note to her teacher, requesting that she be allowed to personally give out the presents today. Nursery party is on the 17th, after their Quarterly Evaluations. She will start getting presents from Santa Claus on the 16th. A tradition we started last year. Just a little something until the “big” day. Simple stuff like lollypop, jellyace, juices, items less than PhP30.00. Last year it was so funny, Santa “forgot” to get something to put in her stocking… she received a box of Champorado (chocolate rice porridge)! At first she was just staring at it, probably thinking "What's up with this guy?" Then we were all like "Oh, wow! You got champorado from Santa! Wow! That’s so yummy!” And she went “Wow! Champorado! I love champorado!” LOL. Last year, she got a big Play-Doh set. She said this year she’d like to get a “bigggggg” (that’s how she said it) Bratz doll from Santa.

I have not done any shopping yet, the presents for her classmates were supposed to be her giveaways for her 3rd birthday (couldn't find Precious Moments party stuff, so I changed the motif to Disney Princess…after getting those activity books. Hey, they were on sale!). Won’t be doing much shopping this year though. Budget’s pretty tight. Our priority is the house. Just a little something for everyone. Now I’m slowly beginning to feel Christmassy. The little one's excitement rubbing off on me.

Setting up her tree yesterday

This was from last Christmas

Bratz Leah's New Look

The little girl's Literary Program was last Friday. While the hubby and I were having lunch at the house last Monday, Bea came down the stairs excited to show me something. She was like "Mom, have something to show you!" I'm like "Hey, what is it?" Then she showed me her Bratz doll given by my cousin. "Here Mom. She's also a cat."

Using her ballpen, she drew lines on her doll's face. Almost the same way I did her face last Friday! It was soooo funny! But I did not laugh of course or I might be shocked to wake up one morning with all her dolls and our faces looking like felines. My reaction was "Oh, wow. She's now a cat too." I complimented her work. Told her that we'll get something to remove it like the petroleum jelly I used to remove her make-up (Wipe Out, perhaps?) after Leah's "program" and next time ask Mommy first if it's okay to do something like that. I do not really want her to stop being creative and all. And it is HER toy. My long-haired "twirly curl" Barbie turned into a short-haired punk before I reached High School. ;-)

I guess we should always explain to the kids why, how we do things, when and when not to do them. And we should never get tired of answering their perpetual "why's?"

My Kitten

My Kitten

By Marchette Chute

“Kitten, my kitten soft and dear

I’m so glad that you are here

Sitting together just us two

You loving me

And me loving you.”

Our Little Feline

My cuddly wuddly's teacher sent us a short poem by Marchette Chute before they went on vacation last October. Each child was assigned a poem (about animals) to memorize and recite in the school Literary Program, looking like the animal assigned. The grannies (my mom and my Tita Rose) were fussing about the costume. Told them I will probably just use face paint and her ballet clothes. They would not have it. My tita then said she’ll just go to Divisoria to get her a cat costume. Two days before presentation she said she did not have time to go. She’s really busy at work. So I went around looking for one. Went to three malls, but they had only Disney costumes left. I did not really have time to go to Divisoria, I then decided to make our own kitten costume.

Got a black long sleeved leotard from Landmark for PhP150.00, a kitten ear hat at PhP24.00, and 5 yards of purple boa feathers (PhP35.00/yard @ Carolina’s in Glorietta) for the fluffy/furry effect, black tights and black ballet shoes. Hand-sewn the boa feathers to the leotard and put on a little facial artwork. The last time I tried my hand at sewing was in High School, and I cried buckets of tears doing my projects, some of my classmates would even help me finish them. Man, things you'd do for your child! Oh, well here’s my cutie little feline:

Here are pictures of her with her classmates taken during their dance number:

A funny shot of Bea with a schoolmate-- a mouse with a sinister plot:

Most of the kids performed well, much to their parents' delight. They were very eager to strut their stuff for Mom and Dad. The teachers were there to coach them in case they forget their lines and dance move. After the show we went to Jollibee, Madrigal as Bea's treat for letting me dress her up and participating in the program. Good thing about Bea though, she enjoys these things as much as we love watching her do them with great confidence and enthusiasm. :-)

I Like To Boodet, Boodet!

Bea would usually go to the office with me when she doesn’t have school. My mom and I would take her to Robinson’s Place Manila or Mall of Asia. One time, we were going around the mall while my mom was having a haircut. We dropped by Animaland to check out the stuffed animals there. And I told her she can choose one. She got a squirrel. It’s actually a “create-your-own” thing. So you just choose a skin then with the assistance of the sales peep, you can stuff it and add whatever trinket you want. Come to the funny part, we asked her what name she’d like to give her pet for the “Birth Certificate.” She stopped for a while and said “Budet!”. We were like “Ano daw yun?” (What was that?). She said “Budet, Mom. His name Budet.” I’m like okay, sure why not? Just told the guy to print it as “Boodette” to make it sound a little classy. I could not help it. I just had to ask her why that name. Her reply “Madagascar, Mom. I like to boodet, boodet!” LOL. I like to move it, move it! It was the squirrel-looking striped-tail lemur king from the movie Madagascar! She is just so cute!

We have been waiting for a good kiddie movie to come along for Bea’s first trip to the movie house. So when Madagascar 2 came out, it just had to be it. After my birthday lunch last Sunday, Bea, the hubby's niece, the nanny and I grabbed some Kettle Corns and trooped to ATC Cinema to catch it. The hubby dropped us off then went back for us after the movie, he was not feeling too well. And no, not from cholesterol overload, he’s got a cold. Bea was dumb stricken when she saw the big screen in front. It was much, much bigger than her dad’s Bravia at home. She was just staring quietly, in awe, at the screen. Monica and I were teasing her but she was not minding us at all. She’d look at me every now and then and giggle. It’s like she couldn’t believe there’s such thing as a ginormously huge T.V.! We all had fun watching it.

After the movie I asked her if she liked it in the movie house. She replied, “Can I sleep here, Mom?” :-)

Deliberate Parenting

The hubby took the day off last Friday to go with me to Rosemont. I had to go to office in the morning to do payroll, but was home before 2 p.m. Our tutorial chat was scheduled at 3:00 p.m. I’m sure most of you are thinking “Tutorial what?” To understand better I got the exact text of what a tutorial chat is from the PAREF (Parents for Education Foundation) website www.paref.org:

“Parental collaboration, a must in the PAREF philosophy of education, is implemented through a series of periodic chats, of a tutor or confidante with the student, and also with his parents. Through these personal conversations, tutor and parents collaborate in the overall development of the child's growth and they assure greater harmony between the home and the school.”

Each child has his/her own tutor or “friend”. A “confidante” whose main task is to monitor the intellectual, socio-emotional and spiritual growth of the tutee. The child is encouraged to talk about the happenings in his life, his world outside school,home life. Some find this system intrusive. I mean it is like, OMG they will train our kids to spy on us! To be snitches! Moles! Or whatever. But it is not really as bad as it sounds. It’s actually good, my two cents.

When we became parents, we talked about the kind of parenting style we’d like to adapt in our home. Coming from families with different set-up and of course, different parenting styles, we both have our own take on how we’d like things to be with regards to the upbringing of our child. But you know what? Even with different family backgrounds, the husband and I are both for deliberate parenting. And being deliberate parents, we want to know what’s happening in Bea’s life, especially outside our home. As for the part wherein Bea will be asked about the happenings in the house, we are quite okay with that too. I mean, if you have nothing to hide, there’s really nothing to be afraid of. There’s no such thing as a perfect home, we all know that. If you’re not doing anything bad, then your child will only have good things to tell her tutor.

Last quarter it was just the tutor and I. I am glad that the dad was with me for the second quarter tutorial chat. We were so happy to find out that Bea’s doing very well in school. She aced her 2nd Quarter Math Evaluations and got 23/27 for Reading. For the 1st quarter she only got 1-3 mistakes for both subjects. Not bad for a 3 year old (July 23 birthday) Nursery student, eh? Like other kids, she still has to improve on her social skills. Like sharing, taking care of belongings, etc. which is quite normal for kids her age. I am not bragging or anything, okay? Just sharing. We’re just proud parents, that's all. You know how it is. :-) Her classmates are mostly a year to year and a half older than her. We were afraid that she might be too young for traditional school set up, for Nursery. She went to a play-based, developmental school, Toddlers Unlimited at Festival Mall, prior to enrolling at Rosemont. So far, so good. She seems to be adjusting well. And her developmental pediatrician at Asian Hospital, Dr. Bernadette Benitez, did say that most of her skills are advanced for her age. We closely monitor her schooling and its effect on her. We do not want it to be too overwhelming or stressful for her. We are just here for support. So long as she is happy in school and developmental goals are met, then we are good.

Deliberate Parenting is a term you will always hear in PAREF school talks and seminars (there’s a mandatory 5-module NPEP seminar for new PAREF parents). But I noticed that it’s a parenting style most people use nowadays. We do not call it exactly that. But boomer and gen x parents are pretty much hands-on with the upbringing of their children. We make it a point to be an essential part of their lives. And I mean both parents. Not just the mom, not just the dad. We do not just provide them with what we think they need, we are also interested in what THEY say or think they need. We do not just give them candies or chocolates, we actually squint our eyes in the grocery reading food labels to make sure it’s not contaminated with melamine or whatever “toxic” thing it may contain. We have their pediatrician’s personal number in our speed dial. We do not just buy the doctor’s Rx, we “googleize” first before we actually get them. We even googleize the doctor himself. We googleize a lot of things, actually. We encourage them to talk and we listen to what they have to say. We are involved parents.

This is not to say that other parenting styles are wrong or that parents before our time were not good.Hey, we did turn out well, right? LOL. Different strokes for different folks. No matter what our parenting style is, we all have to agree that we only just want what is BEST for our children.



"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 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 dwell 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 may 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

Little Imelda

Being the only child, and the only “apo” (grandchild) on my side of the family, Bea gets to enjoy being the recipient of attention, affection and numerous presents, not just from the dad and myself, but from our family and friends as well. Before she came along, my hubby and I only had each other to shower presents on. Now when we go malling, we just can’t help but get her stuff. And there are just so many tempting things out there to buy…especially for a little girl. Our little fashionista can really put a stylish outfit together. Even before she turned 2 years old, she’d choose which clothes to wear and with matching shoes to boot! And does she love footwear!

Sandals, flip-flops, sneakers, kitten heels, boots, etc. From the day she said goodbye to her baby booties, she’s had this on-going love affair with footwear. Owning more or less 40-50 pairs, there came a point when we just had to stop getting because there were like Bea’s shoes everywhere. She has outgrown, literally, most her shoes. Some were just worn once! Gave away most of them to friends, neighbors and whoever was in need of girl shoes. Kept the “firsts” though. First flip-flops. First mules. Something to show her when she’s older. Now it’s time to get new ones again, her feet are beginning to look “hulk-like” with her older pairs.

"Now when you go to New York, you see little posters (outside shoe stores saying) 'There's a little Imelda in all of us.' That’s quoting the Philippines' former first lady, Imelda Marcos.

Bea's Room

One of the fun and very exciting things about house building is space decorating. To actually witness something you've visualised be built from scratch, to slowly take shape, one can't help but feel giddy about it. The room I'm most excited about is Bea's. We do not have much shops here in the Philippines specializing in Kids' room. We have Color and Life at Mall of Asia, there used to be one at ATC and I guess there's also Sheridan at Shangri-La Mall. Good thing we have the internet...and Pottery Barn! I just love Pottery Barn stuff for kids. We already have some items ready like the Madison Touch Lamp with pink Gingham Bell Shade, the quilts and beddings, courtesy of her ninang (my cousin) and my aunt. They also have really nice wall decor, window treatment and other accessories. If they weren't that pricey, it would be nice to buy them all. I am thinking of getting her this clock:




Isn't it cute? The theme of her room is basically spring. Dominant colors would be kiwi green, pink and white. I'm scouting for a nice, sturdy, white twin bed, and so far we haven't found one yet (the hubby enjoys furniture hunting too). Will check out other furniture shops, if not we'll probably have one custom made. We want the room to be "fun" for her. So she'd want to stay in it. Until now she sleeps with us eventhough she has her own room at the townhouse. Maybe when we transfer to our new home she'd start sleeping in her own bed.

My 3rd post for today. Slow day, eh? Well it's Friday and no blogging on weekends.

Karate Kid In Pink Tights

Bea was barely two years old when my orthodontist gave us tickets to her daughter's ballet recitals at the CCP. Thinking that it would be a good time for Bea and her lola to bond, I asked my mom if she'd like to go instead. So they went and watched. She had a blast! She was the only one standing on her seat shouting, with her little voice, "Bravo! Bravo!", "More! More", "Next!, Next!", and clapping her hands. She's been doing that raising of the leg thing since. Then there were the Barbie movies: "12 Dancing Princesses" and "The Nutcracker". Bea's been wanting to go ballet for the longest time. I've been asking around for reputable ballet schools, cause hey, if you're gonna do it, better do it right. Ballet Phils. (CCP), Steps (Pasong Tamo), Halili-Cruz (QC) came up, but they're kinda far from where we are staying. There's one at Palm's, but the youngest they accept is 4 y.o.. My cuddle pup just turned 3 last July. Then I received a memo from her school, Rosemont, that they'll be starting ballet classes for girls and Tae Kwon Do for boys. I was putting it off until I could see that she's quite adjusted with her schedule and workload at school. We don't really want to overwhelm her. So my Mom and I said November's a good time. While we were buying her ballet stuff at Capezio, ATC I asked the people there if they know of other baby ballet schools in the area, they said BF and they have one at Alabang Country Club. Not that I don't want to enroll her at Rosemont, it's just that I think It'll be better if she could make new friends outside school. So I inquired at the Club and was pleasantly surprised to find out that it's the Halili-Cruz School of Ballet holding lessons there. So we signed up.

She was really excited when my hubby and I told her she's starting ballet lessons. November 4 was her first day. She was so cute in her ballet outfit. You could see that she's really interested as she was listening and following the teacher's instruction. But the execution was so "stiff". It was so funny. It's like karate kid-does-ballet LOL! Well, I guess for a first-timer, she did well. One kid was even crying. My daughter was really feeling it. She's like I don't care if I look stiff. I'm sooo loving this! LOL. In time I know she'll be a graceful dancer... or maybe we can also look into martial arts ;-)