Toddler School Search: Prep Camp

For the second time, I attended the Prep Camp’s annual Family Fun Day. Just like the first time, I went home convinced that that is where I want my child to attend. I insisted that Franco goes to the event too so he’d have some background about the school.

Everyone was encouraged to buy/wear the FFD shirt. My tita got one for Aki. Cute!

 Check out the sponsors. There were also booths that gave away free bags, vitamins etc.

This was during the singing of the national anthem. See where the hands of the kids were? Funny!

A school family day is not complete without games.  There were also games for dads, moms, siblings and families.

Food stalls.  Each kid had 500 peso worth of food stubs. I have always wondered why schools use stubs instead of cash. The food although yummy, was over priced. I think 50 bucks for a soda in can. 

That is our big boy, Joaquin, during the parade.

And these are some of the slides swings and monkey bars.

I love the schools spacious bermuda grass covered grounds.

The teachers seem sincerely sweet to the kids.

I saw several celebrity parents. It was nice to see them as just parents, cheering for their kids and playing like determined children during the games.

The rooms were small which means smaller teacher to student ratio.

More info about the school here.

Turon for Everyone

 

Because I love my officemates so much , yesterday, I brought them these homemade crunchy sugar glazed  banana and jackfruit spring rolls with toasted sesame seed sprinkles aka TURON.

yum-oh!

This is the life!

 

Here is my entry  for future sleeping baby contests:

Baby’s First Magazine Appearances

I am a sucker for magazine appearances. Our pre nup, my bridal shower and  our wedding pictures all appeared in magazines. I still haven’t forgiven the Philippine Daily Inquirer for not posting our wedding picture in their Milestones section. Hehe

Since I have the most adorable baby in the whole wide world, I think I owe it to everyone to share my little happy pill.

His first appearance was in Moms Today last October 2010.  It is because of this picture that is why we have the cute yellow chair and the big pack of diapers that I blogged about in my last post.

Last January, Aki appeared again. His picture did not just appear, his was also chosen as the winner out of the 3 pages of pictures of sleeping babies and toddlers.

Prizes! Prizes! Prizes!

Some of the prizes I won in the last couple of months.

From Moms Today Magazine, a kiddie chair, 1 pack of Prokids diapers, food containers from Avon Home,  a grocery bag, pen, umbrella and a coaster from Bisolvon. Except for the coaster, all the items are very useful.

From Baby Magazine,  2 magazines, pink pillow, yellow and pink feeding bottles, sippy  cup, training  cup, and infant cotton buds. In short, stuff that we do not need. This is my favorite win but I was really disappointed with my prizes. If anyone would like to have the bottles and the cups, just leave me  a note.

From Mummy’s Review, non-disposable  swim diapers c/o  Tiny Pants. Oh, this is my first international win. Mummy Reviews is Malaysia based but their contests are open to ASEAN countries. Can I just say we are so ready for the N@W Swimming Playdate!! 

A sad love letter

Last week,  two days after Valentine’s day, I received a love letter. A handwritten, enveloped love letter from Manang’s daughter,  Ella Marie. The last time I got a letter written in a pretty stationery was way back in college.  Needless to say, I was so excited to read the letter. Ella is 13 years old and wrote candidly. I could almost see her smiles and  hear her sighs  thru the words she wrote. When Manang went home last week, she brought a lot of pasalubongs from her me and from my mom. I gave the first blouses that I bought from my first pay check. Some toys for her younger kids. And for Ella, I sent several pre-loved dresses and gowns since she will be attending her first prom next year.

She wrote me a love letter to say how thankful she is. But really, after reading the letter, I realized that I actually owe her a lot. Even though she did not mean to, the letter made me feel sad and really guilty.

She started her letter with this:

“Nagpapasalamat po ako na kayo ang naging amo ng mama ko. “

I never considered myself as an “amo”.  I never said  “Ako ang amo dito” even during the times when our ex-helper, Jane, was  getting problematic. The word Amo just makes me uncomfortable. It such  strong word for me. I treat our helpers like family. I always say thank you. I never raise my voice at them. Some moms may be uncomfortable when their yayas kiss their kids. Me,  I always ask Aki to say thank you to Manang and to give her a hug and a kiss before we  sleep. 

 

Wooden Teethers, Anyone?

Manang’s Side Kick

Everybody, please gather around and give a warm round of applause to Manong Aki!

Here he  is helping Manang wipe the sliding doors.

He is the runaway janitor with a mop more than twice his size. (off topic: Am so pleased with my new cam. It was hard to take a good photo of Aki running with the mop but the new little cam delivered and exceeded my expectations.)

Since he loves cleaning, we got him his very own broom! So cute, noh?  My mom bought it at the Los Banos Market. O-oh! Manong’s getting tired.

After a tiring  30 second turbo sweeping, he needs his energy drink.

Yesterday, we were at the mall, eating lunch. I handed him his bib and told him to wipe his messy face. He took the bib and wiped the spills on the table instead! Crazy!

Our Pinwheel Garden

Summer is near. And I can see that my garden is starting to feel the heat and the absence of rain. The little patch of green is now  brown. Since Aki loves pinwheels and since the garden is dying, I got these fun fun fun pinwheels to add  a burst of colors.

I love looking outside our windows every afternoon, when the wind is strong and the  pinwheels are spinning like crazy.

A clean house is a sign of a misspent life

Wabi Sabi.   That is what I am trying to practice nowadays. It is all about appreciating the beauty in the imperfect. Now, I see my  laugh lines as signs that I laughed and loved a lot. My stretchmarks are my battle scars and warrior tattoos that prove that I am indeed a mother. And my messy house is a constant reminder that our house is filled with  improvised toys, peek-a-boos and make-believe games.