Grocery shopping is one of the activities that I truly enjoy. Some may think this is weird, but sa totoo lang, I consider it my "me time" even if it's just a quick grocery run. I also love to share my grocery finds through #MomGrocer and MomFindsPH on my Instagram.
I take pleasure in grocery-shopping as much as shopping for clothes and shoes. Crazy? Maybe. I find it therapeutic. Navigating the cart through each aisle, browsing and reading labels, discovering new items to try, and scoring good deals. We do weekly one-stop shopping at the supermarket to restock everything.
Last Friday of the month: Shopping / Gifts / Accessories
There's a lot of eye candy going on here and it's in this cute and colorful Roy & Biv store. It's so visually stimulating that you just want to grab all the accessories and trinkets that you fancy in every color of the rainbow!
It's all about speed these days -- be it for travel, correspondence, business transactions, and communication. In our digital world, we all want faster connections. We need it. Well, the good news is that Smart is heeding our call with it’s nationwide network modernization program, delivering faster connections and wider coverage in and around the country.
I am half way through my Christmas gift list (luckily, I have a short one) but I am still hunting for beautiful and unique items for friends and loved ones. Here's another Mom-Finds feature that could not wait 'til the end of the month to be shared here. What makes these items unique is the design itself 'coz you can only find these limited artist collection from L'Indochine lifestyle store.
How do we pursue our passions without going broke? We all have our dreams and wishes. We all have something we are passionate about, and realistically speaking, we need money to fund most of our passions to make it happen. This is where investing comes in and to seek better banking services to help us make sound investment decisions.
We just started our new school year this month and the boy is now grade 7. I can't believe we are on our third year of homeschool! It doesn't get any easier, and to be honest, there are more days where I still find it hard to find joy in our homeschooling journey. Kaya I continue to seek inspiration from successful homeschoolers and from online resources.
I'm giving the boy two more weeks to complete the last quarter and close the school year. I am on panic mode since end of May. We are delayed (as expected), and just like last year, his year-end testing and assessment with our academic adviser is set at the end of this month. He'll be done with grade 6. He is going to be graduating from middle school and the ceremony is scheduled at the end of September. I can't believe we will have a graduate and that we made it through two years of homeschooling!!!
At Magellan's Cross, which was part of his Philippine history lesson
When I got invited to a shopping party, I could not find an excuse not to go. Shopping = Fun. My blogger friends and I got a preview of what we can expect to find at the ROW 101 Summer Pop Up and it's happening na this weekend -- April 16 and 17 at White Space in Makati!
If there's a chance for us parents to teach lessons through games, then that would be awesome, right? One of my weaknesses is finance. I just can't digest the topic (or I refuse to understand it). To be honest, I'm just not interested in learning and talking about it. But of course, I want to earn lots of money, hehee...who wouldn't?! A few weeks ago, I was invited by Mommy Mundo to one of their Mom School workshops with the theme Family Game Time. With the help of Sun Life, this was the first time for me and the boy to really have fun learning about business and investments, insurance and stocks through a board game!
7038**. 7752**. 72752**. 72476**. 0998-985****. Yes, six digits lang noon. I still remember all our old home phone numbers kasi ako ang suki niyan as soon as I get home from school and done with homework or reviews. From our black dial-up telephone unit, I remember chatting with my classmates about anything and everything. Eventually, PLTD added a 7th digit to our telephone number and updated the phone units. Aside from television, our telephone is my best friend at home. Wala pang internet noon and next to sending mail, calling from the phone is the best way of communication.
My not-so-little girl is 9. It's like every year after she started going to school, I say to myself that I don't have a baby anymore and that time flies so fast. Indeed, it has. While his brother is already in the tween stage, I am taking comfort in the fact that she still wants to remain "small" and to "stay a kid forever" -- her own words. She'll forever be the baby of the family.
When she turned 8 last year
We did not plan anything special this year except giving in to her request that she wants to go swimming with her cousins, just like how she celebrated her birthday last year with her (girl)classmates. We'll do that tomorrow. Today, she'll treat her second-grade class to a simple lunch. Tonight, we'll have our traditional family dinner at a resto of her choice, and then candle-blowing on her requested ice cream cake at home.
Let me keep this post short and simple as I dedicate this to M on her 9th birthday. Here are some precious photos from years past and sharing my hopes and wishes for our little lady.
From here on, I hope you remain persistent and motivated to get through challenges and to achieve your goals. Keep trying, never give up.
Enjoy life's many adventures. I hope we can travel the world together. Explore!
Be humble. Show respect.Be kind, always.
Stay curious. Keep asking questions. There's so much to learn and discover.
Continue to hone your talents and pursue your interests.
I hope you become more confident and self-assured. Don't be afraid to stand out and to express yourself.
I wish you find true friends, have the best times and create wonderful memories with them.
Be your brother's best friend. Love one another. Act silly together.
Always look at the bright side. Stay positive, stay healthy and happy.
Remember that we all love you very much. We are always here to guide, to support, and to cheer you on. I know there's so much in store for you this year. Here's to being 9!
Here's the girl with her requested frozen custard cake (ice cream cake) I ordered from Rita's. During lunch at school, we treated her classmates to Shakey's Bunch of Lunch and a tower of Krispy Kreme doughnuts instead of her usual birthday cupcakes. Happiness!
I'd love to know your thoughts on this post. If you enjoyed this, feel free to share it! Get instant updates: My Mom-Friday on Facebook Follow @mymomfriday onTwitterandInstagram Also on Google Friend Connect, or Subscribe Via Email. I try my best to reply and answer any questions you may have on each entry so check back if you've left one. Thank you and do visit again! (Comments with links will automatically be flagged by Disqus.)
HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone! I hope you all had a memorable and meaningful yuletide season spent with loved ones. Today is the first day of 2016 and the first Friday of the month. You know what that means -- Foodie Friday here on the blog. With that, I'd like to begin by giving thanks to the Almighty for a bountiful year that has passed, and hoping for continued abundance in the next twelve months.
Christmas season always makes me sentimental, especially when it comes to family. We had very happy Christmases and I do cherish the times I've spent with my parents and the learning moments I had with them. As a parent myself, my wish is for my kids to have good memories with me as well. I hope to pass on what I've learned from my parents while at the same time help my parents keep up with the times.
I have a list of "wants" in my head right now that I don't know which one I would like to have first. Oops, I got a bag na pala, heehee. But I am wishing for more, and most are the same as what my friends want too! =) Christmas is the perfect season(excuse) to indulge, to reward ourselves, and at the same time, extend generosity and charity as well. It's really a time to be merry. For today, instead of featuring a shopping find, I thought of sharing what my fellow moms are wishing for this holiday season. None of that world peace kind of wish, okay?! Let's all be frivolous, at least for this feature. To make it more interesting, I only asked friends who are in the 40 and above age bracket to give me their top 3 wishes.
I was a first-time mom to a healthy baby boy almost twelve years ago. In less than two weeks, my boy will turn twelve, and according to him, he's already a "tween"... since he was 10! I don't want him to turn 12. I don't feel it yet. Or maybe I am just in denial. Whatever. I am not ready to raise a tween!
Summer 2015
So, how do you raise a tween boy?
Honestly, I feel as clueless as I was when I had him. I don't have the right answers to that. I'm still figuring it out while trying to educate myself by reading parenting stuff online and asking friends with teen boys. It's a scary stage for me, this puberty thing, even more than the baby phase. With puberty, you don't know what they're thinking and feeling na kasi, so extra attention is needed. He's an inquisitive and sensitive boy, and has challenges on the socio-emotional level so I know we have to listen more and be mindful of what we say to him. There are days na hindi ko pa rin siya matimpla even if we are always together, homeschooling for over a year now. He's not the type to bring up a topic and try to converse with me, unlike my girl who is naturally chatty. =) It's really an effort to open up and initiate a conversation with him kasi we don't have much in common. And then there's sex education. We haven't touched that topic yet. I'm scared!!! When? I don't know yet. I have to know what he knows first, and will take off from there. I know that J has his one-on-one moments with him and it's easier for them kasi they can talk about boy stuff on top of some philosophical discussions about life in general, which is great. In my time, I had none of those moments or conversations with my parents. But I got by and I think I turned out okay. =)
Puberty -- the awkward stage. A time of transition and self-discovery. The signs are there. The changes are happening. His character and personality are taking shape. He's growing up -- emotionally, intellectually, and vertically. But he lacks maturity for his age. Feeling ko I am scared to enter this new phase coz I'm unsure of my "plan of attack". To give me a better grasp of this transitional stage, I asked a few friends who have teen boys about their experience on how to raise a tween. The common advise I got is to make time and really be present for my tween. Here are the valuable tips and insights that they generously shared with me, and can be applied to all tweens, boys and girls:
Rose Fausto, mom of 3 boys (ages 25, 22, and youngest turning 19 next month) My big tip is really for parents to BE THERE. Be there from the very start... to teach them the values your family stands for to implement rules to see their strengths and what makes them tick to have fun and to gain their trust ...so that when they grow older, they’ll continue to be open to you. Can you imagine a tween boy asking for your advice about matters of the heart or bullying or anything for that matter if you had not been there all these years? No way, it would be very tedious for him to give you the entire background of the long story that you missed! ☹ Learn more from Rose at: FQ Mom Rose wrote a poem entitled BE THERE and she shared this video with me. Listen to the heart-warming poem here:
Jen Tan, mom of 2 boys (ages 14 and second turning 11 next month) Try to spend as much time with your teenage boy. I never believed in quality time naman talaga but quantity time is so much more important now (because) I feel they hardly talk! So spend as much time as you can. Kasi if they're not talkative, you want to be there when they do talk. Also, learn to listen. And think before you speak. One thing I learned from a talk by Bo Sanchez is that there are 3 stages for parents: 1. Parent - as in, lead your child and teach your child 2. Coach - you stay on the sidelines and watch your kid learn
He can make mistakes too, but you're just there to "alalay" (guide/support). You can also call him to be able to give tips (like a coach). 3. Consultant - you only give your opinions when asked Learn more from Jen at: Attached At The Hip
Janice Villanueva, mom of 2 boys (ages 18 and 16) and a girl 1. Make time for a one-on-one with your tween. Even if or when he or she seemingly becomes secretive or anti social, just keep setting dates with them to keep the bond and to communicate to them that you're always around no matter what. 2. It may be difficult in certain stages and if your child is the opposite gender, but it's good to find some common interest. It can be major things, like learning a new sport together, but it can also be something minor and mundane, like when my eldest and I went thru a milk tea phase. It's also good to show interest in something they like. If it will entail your learning a bit of Minecraft, do it. If you need to get on YouTube to find out who their fave stars are, then take some time to do that too. These will not only give you something to bond on and talk about but will also make you stay the cool mom that you are. =) 3. Now more than ever, parent according to your child's personality. As your child goes from tween to teen to adult, these little seeds you plant of talking and bonding in small ways will go a long way! (It) builds trust and connections even as they go and find themselves. Learn more from Janice at: My Mundo
My heartfelt thanks to these rockstar moms -- Rose, Jen, and Janice, for your words of wisdom. I also want my boy to learn good values and more life skills, to have a more positive outlook in life, to have courage and take some risks, to be more respectful and in tune to the world around him. This article from Huffingtong Post that I recently came across on FB really hits the bullseye. I can definitely relate. Please read 10 Things I Want My Son to Learn Before He Becomes a Teenager, by By Shannon Ralph. This is like a wish list from a mom with a tween boy and she basically summed up what I want for my boy too.
It's a tricky stage we're in. There are still so many issues to tackle and I'm overwhelmed at this point. Ang hirap maging magulang! First, I think I need to be nicer to him and to listen more, so he'll be more open to me. =)
Did you learn something from these moms? I know I did! And I will really try to heed their advice. Effort na kung effort. Do you have tips for me too? Please share!
Pray for us and wish us luck on raising our tween!
I'd love to know your thoughts on this post. If you enjoyed this, feel free to share it! Get instant updates: My Mom-Friday on Facebook Follow @mymomfriday onTwitterandInstagram Also on Google Friend Connect, or Subscribe Via Email. I try my best to reply and answer any questions you may have on each entry so check back if you've left one. Thank you and do visit again! (Comments with links will automatically be flagged by Disqus.)
As a homemaker and discerning mom to two active kids, I've discovered so many products for every stage of our family life. Between giving birth to the boy and the girl, I've already tried countless home and child care products that address our ever changing needs. We've stuck with only a handful of brands we use on rotation, and that includes Cycles and Cradle.
We've been without help for two months now. Well, we were able to hire a cleaning lady once or twice weekly, and was able to find a full time helper two weeks ago. Unfortunately, she only stayed for a week before she got news that her toddler was hospitalized. In short, we are still maidless as of this writing. This is how our kids' room looks like now. Horror!
Second Friday of the month: Family Life / Home and Living Blessed is an overused word already, but in this case, I can really say our recent staycation was another unexpected blessing. I tell you, my kids are the happiest every time we are treated to overnight accommodations like our stay in a Serendipity Suite of Discovery Suites Ortigas. There were so many surprises as soon as we checked in which made this particular weekend more memorable.
I cook when I'm in the mood. I have an appetite for a wide range of cuisines, and also have fun taking snapshots of food then posting on social media. For me, it's about sharing my recipes, what I eat, and my foodie finds. Learning new tips and tricks in photo styling and framing really interests me. That's exactly what happened a few weekends ago at the Viking range showroom during the Mothers Who Brunch event.
