This Little Kid (not so anyway)

I miss this little kiddo here. The vibrant, talkative and cheery kid that I know. He's not living far from me but being a mother makes you realize that every moment with your child should be spent with joy to make a beautiful memory.

I was looking at old photographs of my children and it brought me down the memory lane once again. How time flies indeed, and I wondered if I missed something, some milestones of my children perhaps. I hope I didn't.

The reason why I looked at old photographs was I had the chance to be with my son today. Of course we see each other all the time but we weren't able to bond like we used to. So I brought him to school where I am working and let him play while I do my reports. He checks on me at the office from time to time telling me what he's "discovered" outside. And when it was time for lunch, we went to a cozy restaurant to indulge. Every single moment I had with my son today was a revelation anew to me. He is still cheery, vibrant and talkative but his stories now have more depth; probably because he has grown and has discovered a lot of things.

He reads everything he sees, from the establishment signage to the menu; and asks for a translation if he doesn't understand a word. I have always known him to be intelligent in his own ways. He does not possess the bookish type of intelligence; what he has is the street smart type - the type that will make him survive the spiteful and deceitful world we are living in. And I am okay with that.

And so before this post goes any farther, I realized that I need to spend more quality time with my kids and talk to them, like adults do, from time to time. Have serious talks and learn about their interests and insights about certain things and bond with them more. Anyway, let me share a part of our conversation this afternoon while eating lunch.

***************************

Aloy: Ma saan tayo pagkatapos dito? (Mom, where are we going after this?)

Me: Balik sa school kasi may tatapusin pa ako. (We're going back to school because I have to finish some things)

Aloy: Pwede na ako mag uwi? (Can I go straight home instead?)

Me: Bakit, marunong ka umuwi mag isa? (Why? You already know how to go home by yourself?)

*thinks for a while*

Aloy: Ay huwag na lang, baka ano pa mangyari sa iyo sa school pag ikaw lang isa doon. (Never mind, there might be something bad that will happen to you if you'll be alone in school)

***************************

Swimming

The kids enjoyed their swim yesterday. They swam for at least 5 hours non stop! They are all suffering from minor sunburns today but they're still asking us if we could go back to the resort again. Geez, when will they get tired? We had so much fun, needless to say.
The boys were the ones who cooked. They grilled pork belly which Caillou really loved and a big tuna that was so juicy and enticing. Caitlin raided the citrus fruits while I tried getting my forty winks when everyone's busy swimming. The resort was all jam packed so we opted to swim at the children's pool instead. *rofl* And so when we went home, the kids' eyes were all droopy and then I became The Flash for an hour and cleaned them up, fed them and put them all to sleep. After which I did the laundry and went to the midnight sale after we had our dinner. Blah. I was not even tired hah! After the midnight sale, I logged in to the digiland and chatted with BFF Pam to share some secrets. :p Tonight might be our last night here and I am treating the boys and their girlfriends out for dinner. I so love vacays!

I'm Back!

I have done nothing but slack these past weeks and I've been so unproductive blogging wise and scrapping wise. It's just that I don't know how to blog anymore -or where to start at least.

Anyway, the kids received a birthday party invitation yesterday to be held at a local food chain which most (if not all) Filipino kids love, Jollibee. Since I have three kids, my mom and dad had to accompany us to the party, one for each adult! The twins are so thrilled especially when the mascots came out. Caitlin couldn't help but be amazed and so she really touched the mascots' clothes, hands, hair, everything! And she always had her bright smile. Caillou, on the other hand, just couldn't stop looking at the mascots and occassionaly touches them as well. Aloy just participated with the parlor games and sat down when the mascots came out because he said that it's only for "little" kids. But he joined with the picture taking nonetheless. Here they are.

I am okay now I guess, I don't feel lazy anymore unlike the past days. I am now ready to kick ass! I have to say that the unplanned blog leave really did good on me.

The Bully?

I was called by Aloy's teacher this afternoon with the word TROUBLE running in my head. So when I talked to the teacher, she told me that my son had "cut" his classmate's skin. I asked his teacher if his classmate was hurt or was there any blood but the teacher said none of anything. But the child reported the incident to her parents and so the parents went to school to complain to the teacher about the behavior of my son. It's a non issue for me because I know that Aloy won't start a fight so I told the teacher that I'll talk to my son about the incident.

So before we went home from school, I asked him why he did that to his classmate and then he blurted:

"Kasalanan niya man kay ginupit niya ang buhok ko eh di ginupit ko rin ang balat niya!"
(It's her fault because she cut my hair so I cut her skin!)

Although I am relieved that he really didn't start the fight, I still told him not to fight back to his classmates who have wronged him but report the incident to their teacher instead. And upon hearing my son's explanation about the incident, I am going to talk to his teacher tomorrow and tell her what really happened. I don't like to be a stage mother and I don't think that I am one, not even close I guess but that's not for me to say, but sometimes I have to defend my son to those who think of him as a bully.

And I am also relieved to know that my son knows when to fight back when needed thus won't make him a victim of the real bullies.

The New Hair

The boys had their haircut today because obviously, their hair are already long. So for a change and a late summer look, we had them almost bald. Here they are.

Aloy from this....

To this...

Caillou from this....

To this..

So what do you think of their new 'do?

Patiently Waiting

I have ordered two photobooks from Artscow and took advantage of my 50 5R prints for free. A few weeks ago as well, I ordered some mineral make ups from EverydayMinerals but I haven't received asingle package until now. Although I am not in a hurry to see my photobooks or use the make ups, I'd like to have them before I leave for Davao City next week.

Holy Week's approaching and I'm thinking of spending the week some place else. My first choice would be Camiguin and the second one would be Koronadal. Heck, I might end up spending the Holy Week in front of the computer and chat with my friends and look for great bargains!

Anyway, here's another photobook I've made which I'd like to share. I didn't like the cover as usual and some pictures are not well edited in my opinion but I didn't bother to edit them again because I'm so excited to have it shipped to me asap. Anyway, only a few people cares about a photobook being perfectly edited. As long as the pictures and journal's there, it will always be perfect in my eyes. Last week, I was thinking of making a photobook and make Aloy as my subject so that I'd be fair to all my kids. I was thinking of using his pictures during his first visit to his sperm donor and I realized that he's not worth the shipping fee and my efforts in photoshop editing. (Willa I know what you're thinking) So now I'd be using his other pictures and just print those visit pictures of him.

Have a Blessed Sunday and hope you'd all have a great week ahead.

You Like It?

Hello and Happy Sunday!
Did you like my new layout? I am trying to fix this thing and I am 80% getting there. I hope I'm going to stick with it for at least 8 months, haha! I got tired of three column layouts that's why I went back to the 2 columned ones. I did the same thing for my Techiecardia site which, by the way, has been fixed after my second attempt to contact Namecheap's live support. Lesson learned: When buying your own domain, do not let other people fix it for you, you have to try fixing it yourself before asking someone to do the work for you. :p

I was supposed to have a haircut today but when I was at the salon, my aunt called me for an office emergency so I postponed the cut until tomorrow. I'm getting a not so short 'do, maybe just a trim. And I have a date with my son later tonight, we'll be dining out on a not fancy restaurant called McDonald's haha! Anyway, speaking of my son, he's okay now. His doctor required him to have typhoid vaccine by next month. e's very much okay, in fact, here's my so handsome not-so-baby-anymore child.


That's all for now. Be a blessing!

Sentiments

Prior to us being discharged from the hospital yesterday, I thought of this:

Sentimental + Moments = Sentiments

Makes sense right? Anyway, during Aloy's last night at the hospital, he was in a sentimental mood. He asked me why his father never called him to ask how he's doing. I couldn't answer and told this to a friend whose daughter was also hospitalized (although in a different room). Aloy was not really down but he asked a lot of questions why in spite of the fact that they talked when he was still in the ER, the good for nothing sperm donor never bothered to call or text me to ask how his son was doing. So I asked my son,

"Do you want me to tell him that you're already dead so that we'll know if he cares?"
and Aloy said,
"No. I don't want him to cry."

I know that my son has a good heart and I always tell him to never hold a grudge but I know he's disappointed. Well, later that night, my friend went to our room to ask Aloy about his donor. My son was mum and got mad at me for sharing his sentiments to other people (and when he grows up and eventually read this blog entry, I think he'll get mad still haha) and spanked my hand. My friend told Aloy this:

"Alam mo yang tatay mo walang kwenta yan. Kita mo ngayong may sakit ka di ka man lang tinawagan tapos magalit ka pa kay Mama mo. Dapat ang mama nila-love lang yan, ang mga tatay yan ang dapat patayin. Pag ipunan mo yan ng lakas ang walang kwentang tatay mo para paglaki mo makabawi ka sa kanya. Naintindihan mo?"

Aloy just replied "opo". Of course I couldn't stop my friend because I really don't want to. I had long been wanting to tell those things to my son but I can't because I don't want him to grow with hatred in his heart but that night, I had let my friend "poison" his mind a little. It crushes my heart to see my son disappointed like that and that was the first time I have seen him wallowing on self pity.

In Sickness and In Health

Aloy has a fever. His temperature had shoot up to 43 Celsius last night and he was in a delirious state so I was not able to sleep much. I was so scared because he's been saying things like "wag mo akong itapon" (don't throw me) and "wag mo akong iwanan" (don't leave me) while he's asleep. He vomited five times last night and twice this morning. He was so hot that I have to give him ice cold sponge bath from time to time. He's in recovery state but he still has a fever. I will have to bring him to the doctor tomorrow if his temperature hasn't gone down.

Oh, I'm a sleepless mom. Aloy even declared today as Aloy's Day because, according to him, I should be taking care of him or else he'll die. Hahaha. So I was absent from work this afternoon so that I could take care of my baby. I hope everything's going to be alright tomorrow.

Wordless Post

Merry Christmas

It's like this. Four years, four months, and ten days ago was our last meeting. He was touching my tummy feeling our child's kicks. We were happy. We still are. As friends. Cheers 2008!

Usual Update

Caillou's not sick anymore, thank you Lord! He doesn't have to take antibiotics since his condition's getting better. However, I still had a sleepless night since I am still computing my pupils' grades.
The kids and I will be decorating our classroom tomorrow and they are excited to showcase their works to their parents. We need time off from academic activities and decorating the room is a win-win thing for the kids and me. :D Speaking of time off, the parents had suggested to have a get together next month in a pool near our city. Honestly, I am hesitant with this activity because it's too risky. But it's the parents themselves who suggested that they sign a waiver for my protection so I couldn't say no. The principal had already signed our request so it's probably final. :D

I saw this test below from Darlene and decided to take the test myself. I am appalled by the result for I don't see myself as the center of attention.

Others see you as fresh, lively, charming, amusing, practical, and always interesting; someone who's constantly in the center of attention, but sufficiently well-balanced not to let it go to their head. They also see you as kind, considerate, and understanding; someone who'll always cheer them up and help them out.

Aloy's recent fascination is the Rubik's cube and he's been playing with the standard 3x3x3 type of cube. A few weeks ago, he completed one color face which I never did so I have to say that my kid is smart. Dang he's only four and I don't even know how to play Rubik's cube! LOL.

All Right

Hello all! I was busy computing the grades of my pupils and signing their class cards so my eyes are often tired plus I also have a sprained wrist so I can't type and write for long. So much for excuses..

Aloy arrived all right last October 31 with an old RC car without the control and batteries, an old pair of jeans from ukay ukay, and an old shirt. That's what his dad gave him. Purely hand-me-downs, not even a hundred pesos for a Jollibee treat. Hahaha! And to think that they want my son to stay with them until December! Kawawa naman ang anak ko, magmumukhang pulubi with all the hand me downs from the ukay pa (although i have nothing against ukay ukay but that's not what you should give to your son/grandson who you haven't seen for four years). I was about to text the dad and ready to attack him with insults but then again, I thought, it's the thought that counts, so I was able to control myself. *clap clap* And then this morning, the dad asked me of my email address because he wants to send me my son's pictures which I will gladly share with you in the coming days if the pictures are of good quality. And I'm still thinking if I will let Aloy be with them next month for the Christmas holidays although the chances are slim. :p

One good thing about Aloy's vacation with his dad is that he's happy to have lots of daddies and mommies. Actually, when they arrived, he eagerly told me that he has a new Mama and Daddy (he calls me mama and my parents mommy and daddy) in the person of his father and grandparents. We just told him that he's so fortunate to have lots of daddies and mommies which he happily agreed on.

It's Friday again tomorrow and even though I will be busy with the computation of grades, I'm glad to finally be able to wake up later than usual. :)

For the First Time - Iligan Version

As obvious in my title, I am not talking about the movie which was shown a few months back.

My first born, Aloy, is in Iligan to meet his sperm donor father for the first time! Yes, after more than a year of deliberation with my parents and brothers, we finally came to decision to let Aloy see his father. I made the decision two days ago and for the record, I never had plans of not letting the "other side" meet my son, I was only waiting for the right time. And well, I gues the right time is now.

Funny thing is that when I was preparing Aloy's stuffs this morning my brothers gave him a pep talk. They told Aloy to break all the vases at his dad's house and that he should punch all of them in the face. Hahaha! Aren't we such a sweet family?! So anyway, when my brothers did their pep talk, all Aloy could say was: "Uy bad yun, magalit ang lola ko." Hahaha! He's talking as if he already met his grandparents. As for me, I didn't give Aloy any pep talk anymore because I am confident that I raised him well.

Thank God for Good Health

Aloy celebrated his 4th birthday yesterday. We didn't have a grand celebration, we just went to church and prayed for good health, wisdom and more blessings. My little tyke is not demanding, thank God. When I told him that we can't buy PSP, Gameboy or Wii for him, he said he's okay with that. When I kissed him after dinner, he said "Ay yun na gift mo sa akin? Kiss? Thank you Mama." I raised a good child.

Baby No More

Aloy will be celebrating his 4th birthday on Wednesday and he wants to celebrate it with his classmates in school, complete with clown and a magician. I don't think we can afford a clown/magician this year and I don't have accurate plans yet for his birthday. But we will definitely celebrate it alright. And oh, the ambitious child of mine wants PSP too. Haha! He even told us that if we can't give him a PSP, we have to give him a Nintendo Wii instead.

Oh well Aloy, I will definitely give you a big hug and kiss on your birthday. :)

Back with a Vengeance!

I'm back! After a long hiatus I finally found time to post. Hehe. So here's the reason why I wasn't able to post for the past days/weeks. I finally had a vacation! With Aloy! Apparently the Graduating Class Association and the Yearbook Staff had a few extra money from our collection and our advisers decided to give us some treat. We were given an honorarium and an all expense paid trip to Davao City for four days and three nights. Everything's free and we're all so happy. I finally had time to bond with my first born (not that we don't have QT together) and get to know him more. And you probably would laugh at what I discovered.

Apparently, when we left Paradise Island, Aloy told me this:

Aloy: Pangit man dito Ma, walang sexy.
Me: Hindi ah, marami nga sexy dito, madami ngang naka two piece.
Aloy: Hindi man sila naghubad. Dapat maghubad sila.
So is he a perv in the making? LOL.

Obviously, he had lots of fun. So much fun that he cried when we entered our house, he wanted to stay in Davao.

And well, did I tell you that he escaped from me when we were swimming at the beach? Everyone had to look for him and when my friend Dindo found him inside the restroom, the maintenance team told him that he just pooped and they had already cleaned him up. Smart boy, huh? So Dindo interviewed him as to why he escaped...

Dindo: Bakit ka tumakas?
Aloy: Kasi makatae man ako.
Dindo: Dapat nagsabi ka kay mama mo.
Aloy: Gusto ko man mag adventure!
Dindo: Adventure? Bakit naman?
Aloy: Nagahanap ako ng sexy. Gusto ko ng sexy.
Dindo: Hala ka kabata bata mo pa ganyan na ang gusto mo.
Aloy: Yun man talaga ang gusto ko.
Dindo: Hala ka nag iyak na doon si mama mo sige hanap sa yo.
Aloy: Dali na bilisan na natin!

Here are some pics though...

1.) Boat ride going to Paradise Island.

2.) Lunch time.

3.) Photo op while playing.

4.) Another photo op while relaxing.

5.) At the mural.

6.) At the mall with his cousins who were also in Davao at that time. This picture's funny because the four of them are all illegit children. My tita and I really had to take this picture.

7.) In our hotel room playing snakes.

8.) 12AM at Shakeys. I couldn't leave him alone in our hotel room, could I?

9.) At Davao City's Freedom Park.

So that's how we spent our vacation! :)

MJ Speaks Tagalog

Is Michael Jackson Filipino?

I asked because that's what Aloy told me. Hahaha. His expression nowadays includes TUMPAK, KOREK and TAMA. Our conversations would sound like...

Me: Aloy, after mag-eat, brush agad ng teeth ha.
Aloy: Opo. Tapos magtulog? KOREK?

or...

Aloy: Mama di ba pagkatapos natin magsimba magbili tayo ng laruan, TAMA?

or...

Aloy: Ma, mamaya manood ako ng cartoons ha.
Me: Okay, basta yung Dora lang o Ben Ten.
Aloy: TUMPAK!

....then...

Me: Saan mo nakuha yang TUMPAK na yan?
Aloy: Sa The Singing Bee!
Me: Sinong nagsabi nyan sa Singing Bee?
Aloy: Si Michael Jackson.

I rest my case. MJ is Filipino.
Hahahaha!

Quality Time, Quiet Moments

Belated Happy Easter to everyone!

I finally had a chance to sleep for more than 8 hours during the Holy Week and I now feel recharged! I was also able to read a book, courtesy of my brother's mini library, of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. As I always tell my nonreader friends, want some culture? Read Marquez. I always have new learnings whenever I read his novels and that makes me feel a notch up on the intellectual part. Hehe.


During Good Friday, I went to Grotto with my friends and Aloy for a quality time together. We did the Station of the Cross there accompanied by our Muslim friend, Mohd. It's so nice to have friends who, beyond religion, are there to witness and appreciate the activities of us Catholics. Mohd took us this picture on the left while our new friend Dee (leftmost girl) took the picture on the right. It's also Dee's first time to do the Station of the Cross because she just came here from US and she's thrilled with our devotion. ;)

I got a chance to chat with a man from the past this afternoon and I can do nothing but raise my eyebrows. All we did was share pictures of the twins and compared as to "who" inherited "what". And, sad to say, until now he's still hasn't changed. He can't make decisions by himself and still can't stand by his own two feet. Tsk tsk. I feel sorry for him because he's wasting all the opportunities that's coming his way. I feel sorrier for his mom who carries the burden of having a spineless son like him.

Anyway, I feel good, I feel really good today because I feel cleansed once again. My mind's not polluted with useless thoughts and my heart feels serene. I love this feeling and and I'm gonna savor it until it last.

when Aloy speaks

This is Aloy's analysis why Caitlin is a girl.

A: Ma, alam ko na kung bakit girl si Cait.
M: Talaga? Bakit?
A: Kasi ako, boy. Si Cail, boy. Kasi may buntot kami ni Cail tapos si Cait wala.
M: Anong buntot?
Aloy points at his penis.
M: Aah, okay. Kay Cait pala, ano meron?
A: Puwet.
M: Bakit?
Aloy removed Caitlin's diaper, showed me her vagina and said...
A: Tingnan mo man, puwet lahat sa kanya.

I have a smart kid after all.