Reminiscing Summer

This post is already overdue. I should have made this earlier during summer but then again, I was busy with so many things that blogging took a backseat for a semester. Anyway, I would still like to feature our summer escapades, as they were so fun-filled and exciting.

I have been to three very nice places during summer and I would really love to go back there again. Going to these places may not be as costly as going to other countries or the like, but it was really fun to watch nature unfold right here in our own country.

Well, our summer took us to the following:

Britania Islands, San Agustin, Surigao del Sur

Britania is a group of island locally found in our region. They are still very raw as far as beauty is concerned and that what makes them amazing and superb. The white sands are so fine, they really felt good underneath the feet. Although it was hot during the time we went there, it was nonetheless fun to behold such beautiful creation. Our trip to Britania was our office's way of celebrating our over-all championship of the Mindanao Palaro held last April. I brought along the kids, too bad hubby was not able to join us since this trip was a working day and he was not able to take a leave of absence. This day was also my youngest 4th birthday, so the trip was my birthday treat for him. The picture on the right was proof enough of the kids' good time at the island. The sands were indeed so nice to play with.

Tinuy-An Falls, Bislig, Surigao del Sur

This is my second time to personally see a falls. The first was the Maria Cristina Falls in Iligan about 5 years ago. Anyway, I really love this falls and it was just truly amazing. The waters flowing from above were so powerful and yet so smooth and cool, it was really fun dipping into the water. The kids loved it a lot too, which could evidently be determined on their faces. My father also loved the water that he wished he could have stayed and dipped longer. Mother was also very impressed that she really went through the falling waters. I had fun lying down on the rocks with the water flowing underneath - - it was like a body massage and sun-tanning rolled into one, lol! See the magnificent waters at left? They would certainly render you speechless when seen in person (well, for me, it did). This trip was indeed memorable.

Bluejaz, Samal Island, Davao

Bluejaz Resort is just a 15-minute trip away from Davao City - - by boat, that is. It was a treat for our volleyball team for being the champion during the recently concluded Mindanao Palaro that we had last April, as mentioned above, that is. We went there as a team, together with our husbands and it was such a blast. We enjoyed dipping into the pool, while sliding our ways through their giant pool slides. There was also a fire dance at night and other forms of entertainment. (By the way, that's me and hubby above, taking a break from the slides to make a pose.)

Fun times are so nice to reminisce, and my summer was definitely one of those fun times.

Back To School

Last Tuesday, June 15, 2010 was officially the first day of school for my three kids - well, for the school year 2010-2011. I was pretty much excited this time because all my kids are now going to school.

Here's a quick pose of the kids my husband took before we headed off to school . . .

Nikki- Grade 3, Justin- Kinder 2, CJ- Nursery

This is going to be a tough year for me since I already have three students to attend to. I am back to waking up early in the morning since the three of them has to be in school before 7:30am. Whew!

So far I have already covered 7 books - - 15 books more to go . . .

Behavior Improvement

We had a scheduled appointment with the developmental pediatrician last Sunday morning, which is a follow up evaluation of my second kid (Justin) in terms of behavior. I was a bit anxious how the evaluation results would turn out especially since the diagnosis of the first evaluation was that he was at risk with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).

Well, I was glad that the doctor said Justin has improved a lot as far as behavior is concerned. "Justin's work behavior is already modified, with better sitting skill, focus and attention span. He could work on his task independently and sustains his attention to finish it appropriately. His hands are still fidgety with difficulty regulating his impulses especially when he gets excited. He listens and responds to prompts appropriately. There is anticipatory and visual distractibility. He has shown good improvements in his cognitive, fine motor and communication skills. He has clearer and longer utterances. He could answer what, who, where questions. Restlessness is evident only when he is off-task but he is already manageable." This is already something that I am more thankful about. The therapy really worked wonders and I hope in time he would fully improve.

Last Sunday's diagnosis was only Mixed Receptive and Expressive Language, Mild with Restlessness and Impulsivity - - far better than the at risk with ADHD previously, lol! One thing that he really needs to improve is his speech. Well, his therapy never failed in that area and I know contant dialogues with him has been initiated by the therapist.

If Walls Could Talk

I was wandering around the house this morning and realized that our walls were mostly covered with pencil writings and crayon sketches. I will no longer put an accusing finger to anyone because I know for sure who the culprits are - - my kids.

I can't help but smile to myself, kids are really just kids. They do stuff they enjoy no matter what the outcomes are, and our walls looking like the one below is no exception. As much as I want to reprimand them, the thought seemed futile as these deeds would be repeated over and over again which I would get tired of in the long run.


If only these walls could talk, they would definitely beg me to clean them and bring back their shiny creamy color. Well, we have to make use of baking sodas and toothpastes then in order to take out the works of art inflicted by my kids upon our walls. This will be a tough job for us because as I have said, most of the walls were covered with writings. Good thing though, it is a holiday today and we have a long weekend to work on it then.

If budget is not tight at the moment, then we could have acquired some painting services, just like the ones offered by Albuquerque Painting.

Belated Greetings

My absence during the past week has disabled me to greet some people on very special occasions. Well, it's better late than never, so here goes my delayed greetings to concerned individuals:

Happy Birthday to my youngest son! He just turned three years old last April 29, which was sad for me because I was in Davao that time. Hubby told me they went to church and had a very simple celebration. The kids were very happy with cake and ice cream hubby got for them. If only I could bring back time and spend the day with them, I could have witnessed their jolly faces!

Next special occasion was the National Labor Day last May 1. Wishing all workers, both in the private and government sector, a continued motivation for excellence in everything and increased incentives too.

Lastly, just before lunch time today, Manny Pacquiao fought against Ricky Hatton of England. It was a fight deemed by many as the fight of the year but Manny proved otherwise since the bout only lasted 2 rounds. And in these two rounds, Hatton was downed three times! Congratulations Manny for another exemplary boxing performance. Truly a world class individual and the number 1 pound for pound boxer!

Here's a video of their reently concluded fight:



Enjoy!

IT Knowledge

I attended my daughter's recognition day last Friday and was amazed at the students' achievements. Their excellence in mathematics, science, and english were obvious on the number of awards they received during the ceremonies.

I noticed that one of the major awards goes to the best in information technology. It was something unexpected for me, and I though it is quite early for elementary students to learn about computers. I was wrong, and they even have those awards to pupils as young as Grade 1.

My daughter was Grade 1, and if I had known beforehand that IT places a significant impact on their academic studies, then I would have let her learn the basics of the computer. Who knows, she might be a recipient of such award in the coming days, lol!

Everything is so modern nowadays and IT plays an important role in almost all personal and business transactions that we have. It is now deemed best to learn and get updated with the latest technology and undergo IT trainings. Lots of schools are now offering IT tutorials and trainings and for those who don't have time to go out, they can also have all the online training they want. If you just pay attention to their tutorial videos, you are off to acquire the new skills in IT!

Never be left behind, even by small kids.

Sick is Uncool.

Being sick is so not cool, especially if it's the kids. Last week, my brother-in-law's 6 month old son got ill and was confined in the hospital for three days. Aside from the sleepless nights they suffered just to look out for the child, they incurred expenses relative to the hospitalization, of course.

The problem with my brother-in-law though is that he just resigned from his job recently. He got no money to spare for the expenses and since he could no longer get some cash advance, hubby had no choice but to shoulder them!

Now it is really important to watch out for the kids' health. This is a hard challenge for every parent since the environment and weather nowadays are so unpredictable. Sigh!

A Mother's Dilemma

If I am to name an activity that my kids do the most, it would be watching television. Especially my youngest son, who is not yet in school, they really love to watch cartoons which left me not being able to watch my favorite television shows at night.

I worry too much about their fascination with cartoons - - not that cartoon shows are bad but there are some shows which were advised by my son's developmental pediatrician to avoid watching. Unfortunately, the shows to avoid were the ones my kids fancy the most, and that is Mr. Bean (both the animated and human ones) and Tom and Jerry. Mr. Bean is a representation of an autistic personality, which could be imitated by its viewers. Sad to note though that my kids are fond of imitating is every action, gah! Tom and Jerry may not be something autistic but its lack of dialogue may attribute to speech delay on its viewers. Actually, the doctor indicated to avoid those cartoon shows which has no dialogue and violent in nature because they do not enhance the child's speaking abilities and triggers the hyperactivity of those kids having ADHD.

My second son has already been diagnosed with at risk to ADHD and I am really having a hard time forbidding them to watch Mr. Bean. Now my youngest would cry his heart out every time I change the channel. I worry about him too because he is going to be 3 this April and yet he still can't speak coherently!

Ahh . . . a mother's dilemma indeed.

A Developmental Pediatrician's Diagnose

I brought my second kid to the developmental pediatrician yesterday because I finally got an appointment. The pediatrician is not from our place and she comes here twice or thrice a year only, so getting to the list of patients for developmental evaluation is not easy.

Well, the moment I have been waiting for finally came and I was quite delighted that my son would be the first one to be examined (that meant I won't have to wait very long). The evaluation went out smoothly and much to my relief, the doctor's diagnosis are as follows:

"Mixed Receptive and Expressive Language Delay, Mild with Heightened Level of Activity, Inattentive and Impulsivity . . . at risk to develop Attention Defitcit Hyperactivity Disorder"

Not that I desired this kind of findings, but I was worried before that my son may have some signs of autism, as what the occupational therapist previously observed.

The doctor listed out some things to do around the house, to control my son's restlessness and impulsivity. Likewise, I have to constantly correct his articulation problem to improve his language and speech skills. She further added to expose my son to lots of familiar objects to enhance his vocabulary.

Whoa! Seems like a tough task for a mom like me. I am afraid ADHD is a lifetime condition, so guidance and support is much needed by my son.

Who Shall Take Care Of My Son?

As of this writing, I am physically exhausted. Well, not really very exhausted, but I can feel the soreness of some parts of my body, especially the back. You see, it has been more than 2 weeks since I fired one of my nanny. And now, I have to help out at home so as not to tire my other nanny.

I pity my second son now, because he has no more nanny. We have made serious efforts already in finding a replacement, but to no avail. Until now, we are still searching and have already asked every person we could think of and we are not giving up. It is really important that we find one, because my second son needs special attention although he is already 4 years old. My other nanny looks after my 2 year old youngest son and it is difficult to care for both of them. They are so much fond of running around the yard and even climbing on those high furniture! Yesterday my youngest son climbed on our gate which has sharp points at the top that could be dangerous. I could not stand the idea of them climbing high areas and make a fall. That would be so much.

If only there's a medical alert gadgets available here in our place, then I wouldn't be worried that much. There's this fall detector gadget which is placed inside the home and alerts us whenever they detected a fall by someone. Then there's also this GPS tracking device system, which would aid us in locating the kids, especially in the parks, or in the malls.

These devices are very great for the old ones too. You could use these medical alerts for your parents of grandparents who can no longer help themselves.

Proud Mommy

I am beaming with pride today as I witnessed my eldest daughter savor her triumph at school. They have their mathematics festival and she was her class' representative for the sudoku challenge for grade 1 level. It was the eliminations for the District level and whoever wins will go on to the Division level.

Well, she got the top spot, for having completed the 4 x 4 sudoku puzzle correctly and fast (the contest was time-pressured). I was so happy for her, super!

And with that, I am off to prepare her for the Division level, where she will compete with the students from other schools in the city. Hoping she could still make it.

I am Spongebob Squarepants!

Everyone has a personality of a cartoon character. Have you asked yourself what cartoon character do you resemble? Answer all the questions below that describes you best and see for yourself what character are you as you add up all the results.

Well, I am a Spongebob Squarepants. How about you? No cheating please! (haha)

1. Which one of the following describes the perfect date?

a. candlelight dinner (4 pts)
b. fun/theme park (2 pts.)
c. painting in the park (5 pts)
d. rock concert (1 pt)
e. going to the movies (3 pts)

2. What is your favorite type of music?

a. rock n roll (2 pts)
b. alternative (1 pt)
c. soft rock (4 pts.)
d. country (5 pts.)
e. pop (3 pts.)

3. What type of movies do you prefer?

a. comedy (2 pts.)
b. horror (1 pt.)
c. musical (3 pts.)
d. romance (4 pts.)
e. documentary (5 pts.)

4. Which of these occupations would you choose? (only one)

a. waiter (4 pts.)
b. sports player (5 pts.)
c. teacher (3 pts.)
d. police (2 pt.)
e. cashier (1 pt.)

5. What do you do in your spare time?

a. exercise (5 pts.)
b. read (4 pts.)
c. watch television (2 pts.)
d. listen to music (1 pt.)
e. sleep (3 pts.)

6. Which color do you like best?

a. yellow (1 pt.)
b. white (5 pts.)
c. sky blue (3 pts.)
d. dark blue (2 pts.)
e. red (4 pts.)

7. What would you like to eat now?

a. snow (3 pts.)
b. pizza (2 pts.)
c. sushi (1 pt.)
d. pasta (4 pts.)
e. salad (5 pts.)

8. What is your favorite holiday?

a. halloween (1 pt.)
b. christmas (3 pts.)
c. new year (2 pts.)
d. valentines day (4 pts.)
e. thanksgiving (5 pts.)

9. Where would you like to go?

a. paris ( 4 pts.)
b. spain (5 pts.)
c. las vegas (1 pt.)
d. hawaii (4 pts.)
e. hollywood (3 pts.)

10. Who would you prefer to spend your time with?

a. someone smart (5 pts.)
b. someone attractive (2 pts.)
c. someone who likes to party (1 pt.)
d. someone who always has fun (3 pts.)
e. someone very sentimental (4 pts.)

Now add up your points and find out who you are!

(10-17 points) You are, Garfield

You are very comfortable, easygoing, and you definitely know how to have fun but sometimes you take it to an extreme. You always know what you are doing and you are always in control of your life Others may not see things as you do, but that doesn't mean that you always have to do what is right. Try to remember your happy spirit may hurt you or others.


(18-21 points) You are, Snoopy

You are fun, you are very cool and popular. You always know what's in and you never are out of style. You are good at knowing how to satisfy everyone else. You have probably disappeared for a few days more than once, but you always come home with the family values that you learned.

Being married and having children are important to you, but only after you have had your share of fun times.

(22-28 points) You are, Arnold

You have lots of friends and you are also popular, always willing to give advice and help out a person in need. You are very optimistic and you always see the bright side of things. Some good advice: Try not to be too much of a dreamer. If not, you will have many conflicts with life.

(29-34 points) You are, Sponge Bob Square Pants

You are the classic person that everyone loves. You are the best friend that anyone could ever have and never want to lose. You never cause harm to anyone and they would never not understand your feelings. Life is a journey, it's funny and calm for the most part. Stay away from traitors and jealous people, then you will be stress free.

(35-42 points) You are, Charlie Brown

You are tender, you fall in love quickly but you are also very serious about all relationships. You are a family person. You call your Mom every Sunday. You have many friends and may occasionally forget a few birthdays. Don't let your passion confuse you with reality.

(43-50 points) You are, Dexter

You are smart and definitely a thinker Every situation is fronted with a plan. You have a brilliant mind. You demonstrate very strong family principles. You maintain a stable routine but never ignore a bad situation when it comes.