I miss you too, Martin

family time

I am obsessed with family time. seriously, I just want my kids and ren all day and all night, 24/7. am I crazy?

5 ways to raise a happy child

Make time for free play

You've heard it before: Free play – that is, unstructured time for a child to use his imagination without a coach or teacher breathing down his neck – is integral to development. But what you might not know is that it also helps children lay a foundation for future happiness.

Through free play, your child can discover what brings him joy – whether it's building a city of blocks, creating a family of stuffed animals, or designing a mural. In other words, he can connect with his true self. This ability to know what he likes (rather than what he should like) will serve him well when it's time to choose hobbies – or even a career.

Remember the mind-body connection

Turns out your mother was right when she said you needed your sleep, exercise, and healthful food. In fact, these are directly tied to mood. So make sure your child's bedtime is early enough so that she can get adequate rest, give her plenty of opportunity for exercise (outside play rather than a regimen of child aerobics classes), and go easy on the junk food and sugar.

Don't steal their problems

Your child struggles to reach the light switch, jumping up and down repeatedly. You may feel the impulse to just reach over and turn the light on for him. Instead, let him try to work it out.

The same goes for social problems. This doesn't mean you can't offer support and suggestions, but as hard as it is, resist the urge to solve all of your child's problems. Rather, look at challenges as gifts that can help him learn new skills. As child psychologist Carrie Masia-Warner puts it, "Children need to learn to tolerate some distress. Let them figure things out on their own, because it allows them to learn how to cope."

Check in

Wondering if your child is okay? Ask! This doesn't have to be complicated. It can be as simple as saying, "You seem a little down. Is there something you'd like to talk about?" And then listen, listen, listen. But – and this is important – if your child brushes you off, give her some space, and gently try again another time.

Allow feelingshttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Not only do we want our kids to be happy, we want them to act happy. It can be embarrassing when your child sobs on the playground while everyone else is having fun. But if you tell him to put on a happy face, he may feel invalidated.

Instead, teach him to identify his feelings and express them with words (for example, "I'm angry because I didn't get a turn on the swings"). And let him know that it's okay to be unhappy sometimes. Ironically, being able to deal with hard feelings will lead to more genuine happiness down the road.\


Source: http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/parenting/5-ways-to-raise-a-happy-child-2608917

Daddy

So many things i want to tell Daddy now. I feel so helpless cos when he was alive, I would always avoid any serious conversation with him. It's just me - I was never confrontational nor close to my parents - especially my dad.

But I feel the need to 'say' it. Maybe soon...in this blog - maybe this will somehow reach him. I am still hoping it's never too late.

First off - I love you, Daddy.

I think the last I told him that was when he was still abroad - via airmail.

Daddy

hmm

she was gorgeous during the royal wedding, but that's it. i don't understand what's the fuss about.


being honest lang pow.

yagit sa Lucky Plaza

 

shake your boooohhhhttteeee

the kiddos and i were shakin' our booties last night while watching this

it has been more than a decade

thoughts

"no matter what life throws at you, be strong"

sometimes you expect more from someone cause you know you'd do more for them

thankful everyday

life

i've never been a deep thinker. i often brush off things that really don't matter, or i feel shallow. but lately, everything that has been happening seems to have special meaning. i am such a late bloomer. because a lot are at stake - the most important are my kids. every action and decision i make - affects them, their future.

and the little girl is one tough cookie to handle. she just picks up everything i say and do. everything. i have to be careful not to make promises just to hush her or her kuya - cos she remembers everything. i am consciously picking the kind of words i use so that her vocabulary will be good, even consulting Miriam-Webster for correct pronunciation.

(this shows how my world really revolves around my kids - nawawala ako sa topic).

i have to admit, some decisions i made in the past were rush, anger-based, pride-based. but motherhood has taught me to be patient and humble - among other things, of course. matters that are waiting for my decisions should always be well-thought of, planned, analyzed.

is it obvious that i am uncertain? i honestly believe that i am blessed. with so much. but i can not wait for the day when all are in place.

so where am i going with this blah blah? just reminding myself to focus. with all the new things that has come our way, i should not loose focus of "that day when all are in place."

thank you

for the good times, for the comfortable, effortless conversations, for listening, for just being you to me and my family. can i cry?

collaboration

i used to work for a team who specializes on tools to help people collaborate.

i admit, most of the time, i'd rather email/IM if i need to ask something or get information - even if the person is just sitting next to me.

pero naman, if a person is in front of you and has initiate conversation, pwede ba kausapin mo na ako?

what's wrong?

it's almost a month since I started on my new work, however, assessing my own performance, I have not accomplish a single task assigned to me. Not that there are a lot, in fact, just a few. Pero, wala. ZERO. I know I should get my ass work hard.


FOCUS. FOCUS. FOCUS.

hello blog

you want a flat tops?

day 9

nakakaloka. i never thought it would be this difficult.

there are times i just want to break down, however, i know i can't, cos i am my family's strength.

thank you

my bestfriend always says prayers you say for others are more powerful than prayers you say for yourself.

i thank all those who pray for me and my family. you are also in my prayers all the time :)

Rina's first song

i love you forever,
i love you for always,
as long as i'm living,
my baby you'll be

butterflies and horses

my tummy is seriously full of butterflies as of late. so many things are happening. so many things to do. so many things to plan.

we were in Tagaytay late this afternoon for a quick last minute-let's-enjoy-the weekend-spur-of-the-moment. Tagaytay is less than 45 minutes away so we were able to enjoy the fresh air just before dark.

while the kids ride their mini version of padicab at the make shift horse/bike park beside taal vista hotel, a horse ran amok! as in it was running crazy and almost run over my kids. Ren was over my kids (literally) as the horse came speeding their direction. buti na lang naka ilag si ren, kung hindi patay sa akin ang bumbay na nakasakay sa horse before it ran wild! Yung bumbay kasi was showing off, hiting the horse really hard so it will ran faster, maybe the horses there are not used to running fast anymore and that kinds of harsh hiting, kaya ayun.

i was shaking as i watch everything from about few yards away. at one point after the incident, this bumbay still rode a horse and was at the bike track, so i told him to get out of the bike track, ganito: "can you please get off this track!", ang sabi, "i'm sorry, why?" me: "because as you can see there are children here, and this is not the track for horses and animals!" sabay irap. che!

lalo tuloy i feel i should never be apart from my kids. what if ren was not there? Rina was so scared she did not let go off me until we were already having dinner (read: pag kainan, nalilimutan nya lahat). I had to explain to Martin what happened. See he does not accept "nothing" for an answer anymore like he used to. He have a lot of whys and hows and more whys.

It's hard explaining things to kids. Lalo na mean things because its hard to explain why people become bad. however, his questions need answers and that he should also learn that this is not a perfect world.