Happy New Year everyone!
Archive for » 2009 «
A road trip last December 26 brought us to Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija. It was spontaneous… we huddled the kids into two SUVs and off we traversed the long road to… wherever. We didn’t know where to stop or where to spend the afternoon. We just wanted to bond and enjoy the holidays in a different milieu.
The scenery was a treat in itself. It was a picture perfect countryside landscape complete with farmers working in the rice fields.
When I saw a long stretch of clear and clean river, I immediately remarked to my husband that this is the scenery that Koreans like. During summer, they would even put up tents along the river and dip into the cool waters. Driving along, we saw several nipa huts and we assumed they are for rent. We rented one and the kids immediately stepped into the water without care of its coldness.
We waited until sunset and we were not disappointed.
It was an afternoon of carefree fun for our toddler and his cousins. It was an afternoon of fun parenting for hubby and me.
Category: travel/places
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We spent the afternoon of December 26 on a road trip… embraced the scenery going to Gabaldon and found a relaxing spot in Dupingan River…
… inspired by the photo, I found a perfect poem.
Maid of the River by Lovefool Aka
The river meanders
Gracefully passing
Tempting with promise
Calling to me
Beckoning me to dive on in
The river glistens
The riverbanks swell
The river rushes
The river sighs
The river flows
The river screams my name
Drowning in bliss
The river whets my appetite for life
Category: travel/places
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In Cabanatuan City, tricycles rule!
Tricycles are three-wheeled vehicles that are commonly seen in Philippine provinces. These vehicles take routes that cannot be penetrated by the big jeepneys, at least that’s what I thought. In Cabanatuan City, it’s a different story. Tricycles are the kings of the road!
One can never miss the presence of tricycles on the road in Cabanatuan. They are everywhere. They push their presence even in the major roads. They strut their wheels in the busiest section in town. They patiently wait in the gates of schools and univeristies. They line up just outside of malls. They represent the hustle and bustle of the city.
Welcome to Cabanatuan City!
Category: life in the Philippines, travel/places
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With a large family like ours, gifts under the Christmas tree couldn’t be lesser than this:
Little Dynamo received gifts from all the titos and the titas and of course, the lolo and the lola. He had been asking for his own laptop, so Hubby and I got him his own V-tech learning laptop which he received with an open mouth:-). He was soooo happy!
Baby Dynamo got his own supply of clothes. Good thing I did not buy a lot of clothes for him. I knew he will receive a lot of gifts this Christmas. LOL.
Christmas eve had always been jolly. The children are growing up and they now know how to entertain themselves with their own brand of dancing and singing. Lola’s huge garden is just perfect. Kissing and hugging and a lot of noise marked 12 midnight.
Wishing you all a merry christmas!
Category: holidays/special days
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Christmas carollers who go from houses to houses enliven the Christmas season.
Check this out:
I am into co-sleeping. Little Dynamo is so lucky to be sleeping with us to this day (others might have a contrary opinion… LOL). I would have wanted my Baby Dynamo to be sleeping with us on the bed, too. In fact, I put off buying a crib until he was already born and I had been convinced that it would be safe for him to be sleeping on the crib.
While co-sleeping was convenient with our Little Dynamo and to this day, hubby and I believe that it was, and still is, good for him, I have to concede to buying a crib for our Baby Dynamo for safety reasons. His Kuya is unaware of the dangers his movements on the bed pose for his baby brother.
Since I never had the interest on cribs, I did not bother to check its price. I was so surprised with the prices of the cribs in the market! They are expensive! Graco cribs are very expensive at P10,000 - P12,000. Baby First cribs range from P5,000 - P7,000. If transporting the crib to Seoul is not a consideration, I would have wanted a wooden crib. But, my golly! A decent looking wooden crib costs at around P11,000. A very nice-looking crib (one that I would have chosen if I were to stay here in the Philippines) costs P25,000. The prices were killing me!
Good thing I found a local brand crib (Jolly is the brand name) which costs me P3,700. Not bad, eh? considering the prices of the other cribs above. I love the mosquito net. It also has a lever at the bottom which makes it a rocking cradle.
When Baby Dynamo becomes a little bit bigger, I still hope to put him on the bed with us. His Kuya had everything well-prepared for him and had all the attention. I would love to shower Baby Dynamo with the same amount of attention.
Category: parenting
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Do you use cloth diapers or disposable diapers?
I have a bias against disposable diapers because my Mom favors cloth diapers. I just held on to my Mom’s opinion on the matter. And so, Little Dynamo had cloth diapers until he was about four months old. I had him use disposable diapers only when we go out of the house. My Baby Dynamo is also using cloth diapers now. I just think I need to listen to my Baby’s preference this time…
I noticed how irritable and uncomfortable my baby becomes whenever his cloth diaper becomes wet. And it doesn’t take long for the cloth diapers to get wet. Babies pee several times and most often in short intervals. I have no problem with the supply of my cloth diapers. Neither is doing the laundry a concern, many thanks to the nanny. My concern is on my baby’s discomfort. In contrast to disposable diapers which absorb the baby’s urine, cloth diapers do not absorb at all. The baby cries each time and sleep is often disturbed.
My Baby Dynamo now uses cloth diapers only in the daytime. I let him use disposables during night time. This way, his night time sleep would be less disturbed. By the time we go back to Seoul, I would definitely just use disposable diapers. Aside from consideration for my baby’s comfort, I aso cannot afford to wash the dirty cloth diapers:-)…
Category: parenting
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Math was not my favorite subject back in school. If I had Math help back then, it would have been different. Maybe.
Students are lucky these days. They could get help anytime by just typing on their keyboards. There is an Online Math tutoring website called Tutor Vista which could be accessed anytime. Tutors are available whenever the students need them. That’s a lot of help and this program provides a lot of encouragement for students to love, or at least like, Math. Really, if an online Math tutor was available during my school days, I would have readily availed of one. Given back the chance, I would love to love Math.
Tutor Vista offers a free online Math tutoring. Parents, with their children, could try to check on the website and see how the lessons and the tutoring are done. The online Math help is worth availing of to make learning Math more exciting. There’s a free online Math help which helps you access Tutor Vista’s demo service.
Technology has made things more convenient. Now that internet technology is making learning more fun and easier, nothing should stop us from providing a varitey of venues and sources of learning to our children. In this regard, partnering with the internet in furthering education should be given our full support.
Category: education
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I am an advocate of breastfeeding.
I breastfed Little Dynamo for eighteen months. I would have wanted it to be for a full two year period but he painlessly, and without effort, totally weaned out three days before he turned eighteen months old.
I am on a breastfeeding frenzy again with Baby Dynamo. I hope to do this with him for two years. But as with Little Dynamo, I will take the cue from him when it comes to weaning.
Breastfeeding doesn’t stop me from going around, thanks to my pre-sterilized disposable liners which I use for storing breastmilk. I started going to the gym two days ago. I started being on the go (attending Little Dynamo’s school activities and parties, going to the mall as far as Clark) since Baby Dynamo was just two days old. I happily go out sans feeling of guilt as I have ample breastmilk supply especially stored for Baby Dynamo. I just have to bear the “full” and “heavy” feeling when I am out too long. Several times, I go home with my milk overflowing. I would just pray hard that I would not have mastitis.
I rarely use my breastpump but I get to store a lot of breastmilk. How is this done? Whenever I feed, my other breast overflows with milk too. I used to stop the flow by pressing hard a cloth over my other breast. But then I got to think, why not store them?
While my Baby Dynamo feeds on my other breast, my other hand is holding a feeding bottle with a pre-sterilized disposable liner inside ready to catch milk going out of my other breast. Funny! That’s why I always feed in the privacy of my room. Hardly a picture of poised feeding. LOL.
Breastmilk can be stored (frozen) for two weeks. Keep the stored milk frozen until the baby is ready to use it. Just dip the frozen milk in warm water until milk is thawed and warm enough for baby’s consumption. Never freeze the used milk again. That is why it is safe to store up to 3 ounces of milk per liner or just enough for your baby’s consumption.
I will be off to another Christmas party after writing this. Of course, I will be thawing some of my frozen milk for Baby Dynamo’s consumption while I am gone:-).
Category: motherhood
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