Helloooo! :)  Can you sense the ticklish delight in my greeting!  ;)  First, I have to ask, have you seen Abby’s recital video yet?  No?! *gasps wide-eyed in total shock*  My oh my!  *still open-mouthed*  Go check it out first!  Hahaha.  I’m just kidding, of course.  It’s my inner Annabel Rama…the patroness of stagemoms.  Not!  Nyahaha!

Are you ready for another one of my weekend updates?  I have to do something about this habit of waiting until I’m overflowing with stories before I update.  Then again, it really can’t be helped….two hands, three blogs, house chores, Abby home for summer break, paid opps.  Whew!  I am not complaining one bit!  Promise! :)  Let me get on with the updates then.

Special Feature

In my, uhm, “glory days” not too long ago as COO, that is, child-of-the-owner, in the family business (come to think of it, I AM still child-of-the-owner!), I’ve had my fair share of media mileage.  I appeared on tv twice.  First in GMA’s  ”Extra!  Extra!” on one of its taped “Extraordinaryo” episodes  hosted by Paolo Bediones & Miriam Quiambao and second, live in “Magandang Umaga Bayan” in the segment hosted by Winnie Cordero.  Then, there were several interviews and photo ops for print media, which included the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the Philippine Star and Good Housekeeping Magazine (January 2003 Issue).

Nowadays, I get a different kind of media mileage.  *giggles*  In the last 4 days alone, including today, my “works” have been featured in 4 different blogs.  That’s new media for you.  This time, it’s not our handcrafted decorative metal sculptures that take center stage, but, of all things, my handmade cards.  Hee hee.  Yes, many more of my snails have reached their destination.  Yipee! 

Last Friday, I woke up to wonderful updates from Bloglines.  My fellow Wifespeaker, Jen and a fellow Mommy blogger friend, Feng, featured the cards I sent them in their respective blogs.  The snails reached Philippine shores on the 23rd and 24th of June.  Last night, Gracie, my Dubai-based friend, left me a comment that she got her snail, too.  And just now, after Abby and I got home from doing today’s errands, I got another surprise as I was checking out Bloglines (again!).  Keith, my KSA-based cousin, got his snail, too!  The Middle East bound snails arrived in their destination last.

Jen, Feng, Gracie and Keith, like I said, you didn’t have to thank me in such a big way.  A note of thanks via email would have sufficed.  I am deeply touched by the heartwarming messages on your respective blogs.  Thank you for going the extra mile to feature the snails you got.  I guess in this day and age of high technology, snail mails still have a much more magical effect on people.  Enjoy your loots, you guys!  Huwag gawing pambalot ng kung ano, ha?!  Hee hee!

Abby’s on Summer Break

Finally, Abby’s on summer break.  That translates to an extra hour (or two!) of beauty rest for me.  Majority of US schools have been on summer break since the last week of May, if not earlier.  Abby’s school, being a private montessori, follows it’s own schedule at the cost of one month extra tuition for us parents.  Hee hee! :P  Come to think of it, it’s ok really.  We would have probably spent the same amount on summer activities for Abby anyway if she got out of school earlier.  So, I say it’s just quits. 

Last Friday, to kick off Abby’s summer break, Abby and I did our first ever baking project together.  We made some banana choco chip muffins.  It’s the best ones that ever came out of our oven. :D It’s from the recipe given to me by Kris, a blogger friend of mine who’s kinda MIA for some time now.  I’ve used this recipe soooo many times.  It’s fool proof and made better only by the fact that Abby baked them with me.   For the complete recipe and step-by-step procedure complete with photos, click HERE.  What the heck, here’s a slideshow from that fun afternoon of baking.

Little Mermaid

Abby has been bugging Hubby and me to take her swimming at the community pool for quite some time now.  For two consecutive early evenings, which is still bright as day in this part of the world anyway, that’s exactly what we did.

The shrieks of laughter from Abby as she was enjoying her time in the pool with her Dad (Where was I? Taking pictures, of course!) were just priceless.  She absolutely loves the water and is so much more confident and more comfortable in it now.  After she turns 4, we will sign her up for swimming lessons.  She would definitely love that! 

I was feeling a tad guilty that we didn’t sign Abby up for swimming lessons this summer.  Fortunately, I found a way out of that guilt after I read the July issue of Parents magazine.  Apparently, 4 is the “magic age” for swimming lessons.  ;)  I can scan a copy of the article for you if you don’t believe me.  Hee hee! :P 

We’ll be making more trips to the pool in the days to come.  I have to stack up on snacks to bring.  Our trip to the pool yesterday was cut short because Abby was looking for something to munch on, and her Mom didn’t bring any!  So shame on you, Abby’s Mom!

Here’s another slideshow for you from those two days of swimming.

Today

Today, we haven’t done anything out of the ordinary except do some errands for Hubby, which included going to Pak & Ship, the bank, Wal-Mart and paying the rent.  We did have a lunch date at McDonald’s though.  That, so far, is the highlight of Abby’s day.  We still have a few hours to go before the day’s over and I’ve still got a couple of tricks in my bag.

I vowed to myself that Abby and I will have loads of fun this summer.  That means less time for my on-line sideline.  Nyahahaha!  Abby is my priority anyway. 

I’ve bored you enough.  That’s all I have to report for now.  I wish you all a wonderful week ahead!  Cheers and God bless!

Kuha ang mga larawang ito sa paaralan ni Abby noong Agosto ng nakaraang taon.  Kaarawan niya nang kunan ang mga larawang ito at ilang araw pa lang nagsisimula ang school year 2008-2009.

Sa isang montessori nag-aaral si Abby.  Gusto ko ang paraan ng pagtuturo sa montessori.  Sinusubok nang mabuti ang kakayahan ng mga bata sapamamagitan nang paggamit ng mga materyales tulad ng nasa larawan at ang makikita sa shelves sa loob ng silid. 

Pumipili ang mga bata kung ano ang gusto nilang i-explore bawat araw.  Self-correcting ang mga gamit na ito.  Kaya kahit mag-isa, matutuklasan ng bata kung saan siya nagkamali kung kaya’t hindi mabuo ang kailangang buoin.

Sa montessori, tatlo hanggang anim ang gulang ng mga bata at sila ang magkakaklase mula pre-school, pre-kindergarten hanggang kinder.  Natuto ang mga mas batang mag-aaral na humingi ng tulong sa mas nakakatanda sa kanila at ang mga nakakatandang bata naman ay natututong magbahagi ng kaalaman o tulong sa mga nakakabata sa kanila.  Tulad ng sa ikalawang larawan, maaaninag ang isa pang bata na tila tinutulungan si Abby sa pagtayo ng toreng kulay pula at bughaw.

Isa pang lahok para sa LP DITO.

I’m not a self-proclaimed stage mommy for nothing. :)  To me, everything Abby does or says, is blog worthy. :D  I just have to restrain myself sometimes. 

Abby’s latest blog worthy moment, one of a grander scale, was her dance recital.  She started attending weekly dance classes through Kinderdance in September.  It was in early November when I posted Abby’s 1st video in dance class.  And then, I posted a few more pictures and a very short video clip in one of my holiday entries.  Abby has come a long way since these earlier videos and photos.  Like every other child her age, she still has to work on focusing.  Hee hee.  You’ll see what I mean when you watch the video. 

O sige na nga, ito na.  If you have about 10 minutes to spare, I promise you, it’s going to be all worth it. :D  Please excuse the sound which is rather sabog.  I think it was the overall soundsystem really and not my camera.  Hee hee.  Napadaldal na naman ako…here it is for your viewing pleasure…Abby in her dance recital…

What do you think?  I’m only accepting praises.  Hahaha!  Did you notice how at one point in the finale number, Abby had to take a closer look at the little girl next to her who wasn’t dancing?  I find that hilarious.  It makes me laugh every single time!  And it wasn’t I whom you might have heard sing “star” ahead of the song when the girls were dancing “Swinging on a Star”.  It was the lola behind me.  I just had to make that clear.

That’s all folks.  I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.

Enjoy the rest of the week!

Hello!  Hello! :)  I hope all of you had a wonderful weekend.  We did!  More than a wonderful weekend, we had a wonderful week.  I’m dying to tell you all about it.  You might as well expect a lengthy and picture-heavy post.

First, I wish to thank everyone who has been leaving comments.  It is very unlike me to not reply.  And I’m so sorry I haven’t been replying to the comments.  I will get around to doing that soon.  I’ve just been terribly busy.  Promise.

Now, on with the updates!

Monday to Friday

On 14 June, I mailed the loots to everyone who celebrated my blog’s 3rd anniversary with me.  I guess some snails move at a faster pace than the others. :)  One of ‘em got to New York on Monday.  One arrived in Holland in Tuesday.  And Friday, they got to Malaysia, Australia, Idaho and Florida. :)  Tin and Ela both featured their loots in their respective blogs.  It was weird for me to see my, er, handy works.  Hee hee.  But I’m giddy with excitement nonetheless.  And I’m happy everyone liked what they got.  It does feel good to spread some lovin’.

Wednesday, 18 June 2008

Hubby and I met with Abby’s teacher for a one-on-one meeting last Wednesday.  Abby’s school holds a parent-teacher conference twice a year.  This was the second (and last) for the 2007-2008 schoolyear.  The first one was held in January.

Abby, in a nutshell, has learned and developed so much since January.  She mastered the letters in the uppercase form (Yeah, yeah, so your 18 month old child can, too! :P) and does very well in phonics.  She’s working on mastering the calendar, US geography and the continents and is starting to learn simple addition, subraction and the alphabet in the lower case.  There was a line in Abby’s evaluation sheet which we found funny: “Loves to help others even though she should be doing her work.”  This has been an “issue” in Abby’s first evaluation as well.  She tends to “supervise” and show her classmates how things are done even before she is finished with her own work.  This early, she’s already showing signs of becoming a power executive in the future.  Not bad at all.  Hee hee.

Abby goes to a montessori school.  I have to say that I am now a montessori convert.  If only we can find a Catholic montessori school ala OB Montessori in Greenhills!  The Montessori curriculum does not just focus on academics.  It gives due attention to practical living as well.  That means, Abby has also already mastered a lot of the things that are done inside and outside the home.  She can fold clothes, button & unbutton, zip & unzip, buckle and unbucke her own clothes.  She can go and do her thing in the toilet without any assistance, that includes “wiping” and washing her hands (but I still help her every now and then).  She can dust, wash, polish, sweep and do other minor household chores.  I think I should give her chores to do here at home now.  :D  Another wonderful idea!  Hee hee. 

Abby started school two years earlier than hubby and me.  At the rate she’s going, I know she will do so much better in school than hubby and I did. 

Saturday, 21 June 2008

Abby’s School Carnival

Saturday was our busiest day last week.  It was the most fun, too!  To celebrate the end of the 2007-2008 schoolyear in Abby’s school, which will come to a close this week, a school carnival was held at the school grounds. 

There was a giant inflatable, snowcones…

…a clown named Bonzo Crunch who made balloon sculptures…

…a mini petting zoo with goats, a bunny and a very pregnant pig…

…and face painting.  

If that face painter looks all too familiar to y’all, it’s because that’s me. I was able to put 5 years of Architecture education and 7 years of product design experience to good use.  I may have just found myself a new career. ;)  There was a number of us parent volunteers who helped in our little way for a good 30 minutes each.  Some manned the giant inflatable.  Some made snow cones for the kids.  And some painted faces. 

I have no face painting experience whatsoever.  I thought I had enough skills to draw a flower, a butterfly, and what turned out to be my bestselling design…a rainbow.  When I saw the “works” of the face painting parents before me, I wanted to backout.  They were sooo good they could have been doing it for a living.  When time for my shift came, I was ready to paint a flower…a butterfly…or a rainbow.  Guess what my first customer requested.  A unicorn!  Ugh.  Good thing I have enough experience drawing horses for my Mom.  Hee hee.  I say I did a pretty decent job. ;)  My rainbows were the best sellers.  The smiles on the little girls when I showed them the be-glittered finished product with a handheld mirror were just prices.  “It’s beautiful,” they would each tell me.    Good thing my shift was up when a little girl requested that I transform her entire face into a cat.  Ugh!  Saved by another parent face painter!  Hahaha.  Another kid requested that I paint an elephant on her arm.  The little girl was kind enough to tell me it did look like an elephant and that it looked nice.  I told her I love her.  Hahahaha! :)  Does anyone need a face painter?  Leave me a comment.  Hahaha.  Or send me an email at facepainterATmunchkinmommyDOTcom.  Kidding.  That email add doesn’t exist…yet.

Abby’s Dance Recital

The school carnival was from 9am-11am.  Abby’s dance recital was at 1pm, but she had to be at the venue by 12:45. Pretty hectic, huh?!  By 10:45, we were out of Abby’s school.  We had everything we needed with us just in case there won’t be enough time to go home and change.  But Abby was soaking in sweat after more than an hour of running and playing at the carnival.  We had to rush home and give her a quick shower.  I want my prima ballerina to look and smell perfect for her big stage debut. ;) On the way home, we bought take out lunch from McDonald’s and had our lunch inside the car. 

After a quick warm shower I got Abby ready.  One thing I never learned to do is braid hair or make a bun.  So I just kept Abby’s hair off her face the best way I knew how.  Before we left for the recital, I took picture after picture of Abby.  She was unusually game.  Hee hee.  Here’s a short slideshow of the photos we took at home and about 3 or 4 from the recital.

The recital was held at Grace Presbyterian Church, which explains the cloth with a cross in one of the photos.  Where are the dance photos?  I’ll treat you to something better.  I’ll post videos in the next few days.

All the parents were beaming with pride.  The girls and the one and only boy did a great job and no one had to be coaxed into performing on stage…except for one girl.  You’ll see her in the video. ;)  We will definitely enroll Abby for dance lessons again, either with Kinderdance or with another dance studio.

National Flip Flop Day

We had an unexpected treat from Tropical Smoothie Cafe which is just around the corner from where we live.  We usually walk going to that place for a quick smoothie fix.  Anyway, for the second year in a row, they declared that the first day of summer, the 21st of June is National Flip Flop Day.  The first 500 people to go to the cafe wearing flip flops will get a free 24 oz. smoothie.  I wrote about it in my Weekend Snapshot entry for Cafe Munchkin.  Do check it out if you’re curious.  Hahaha.  Needless to say, we made an impromptu detour to the smoothieshop coming from Abby’s Dance recital.  We all changed into flip flops first though.  Hee hee.

June 21st is National Flip Flop Day

Flip flopping mommy and daughter

And there’s a flip floppin’ Dad to complete the picture.

Sunday was spent pigging out on Asian buffet and catching up on much needed rest after the long and busy Saturday that we had.

That’s about it. ;)  I’m expecting this week to be just as if not more wonderful than last week’s.  For not particular reason really, except that I want it to be so. 

Let’s all have a great week then!  Cheers!

Mabuhay!  Narito ang mga larawan ng aking asawa nang siya’y maging ”Bagong Ama”.

Sa ospital,  dalawang araw mula ng si Abby ay isilang.

Mahimbing na mag-ama, kuha noong hapong umuwi na si Abby sa bahay mula sa ospital.

Di niyo naitatanong, kaya rin yata ng asawa kong matulog ng nakatayo.
 

Kuha naman ito sa cable car sa Sentosa sa Singapore noong Pebrero 2005.  Magaanim na buwang gulang na si Abby noon.
Isa pang lahok para sa Litratong Pinoy, DITO.  Magandang araw ng Huwebes sa inyong lahat!