Baby Kangaroo

Virgin Beach, San Juan

2009-08-30T09:51:00.009+08:00

Our beach daytrip last Saturday, August 22 at Virgin Beach, San Juan. The place was nice. Suuuuuper hot at the beach!

Here are some pictures:

Mama, Papa and Joey (we all got dark!)

"i want coke..."

They were swimming in open water here. We went on a boat ride and stopped to feed the fish, then the others went in the water to go snorkeling and Julia wanted to jump in too! Scary! But Julia enjoyed it alot!

view of the beach

lolo and joey

mama, lola vicky, julia and lola marl

The past two weeks at a glance

2009-08-15T09:43:00.007+08:00

Aug. 3 (Monday)- Had dinner with my two best college buds at Mexicali, ATC. I haven't seen them in ages so we did alot of catching up. Thanks Cha and Sheng! You guys really made my day! Till next time!

Aug. 8 (Saturday)- Lia is here for the weekend so we planned an all girls gimmick. Went to Cuisine and Embassy at dFort. I had fun with the girls! But I honestly think that Embassy is a little bit too much for me. Haha! I'm OLD.

Before leaving for gimmick :)

group pic before going home

Aug. 9 (Sunday)- Drago's birthday! We went to BF and ordered pizza for everyone. Then Drago had to pack and head back to clark that afternoon. Weekends go by so fast!!! :(

Aug 14 (Friday)- Linggo ng Wika celebration in Zobel. We were asked to dress in Filipiniana costume. The kids had a parade and alot of other activities. What a tiring day!

When I got home I just rested for few minutes then had to head out again to go to a co-teacher's bday bash at Parque Espana, stayed there till around 10pm then left to pick up apa in Sucat. He spent the day with his family in his dad's side.

Now it's Saturday! Finally gonna see Drago again! :)

Fun Monday :)

2009-07-27T21:38:00.006+08:00

We didn't have school today because of the SONA, so I went with Apa in his morning activities: tennis at 6:30 and swimming at 10:30. That boy is a bundle of energy! He was out and about the whole day and didn't even take a nap.

Anyway, it's been ages since i've played tennis so i was a little bit rusty. But I had fun! It was great getting all the endorphins out :) We played from 6:30-7:30, got home around 8, had breakfast and rested for a while before getting ready for swimming. It was Apa's first day of swimming lessons and we all went with him. Julia had the most fun of all! As usual :)

Here are some pictures:

tabachuy :)

bugoy :)

my babies!

mama and joey

After swimming, Apa's other grandma picked him up and took him to lunch and shopping. He got back around late afternoon. Then, for dinner, we went to Mexicali. What a long , tiring, but FUN day :)

Tomorrow, back to work.

hiatus

2009-07-24T23:34:00.006+08:00

I have been on a MAJOR hiatus for the past few weeks (obviously, i mean look at my blog!). I just can't find the time! And whenever I do, I'd be too lazy to blog or even go online.

I'm getting old.

So anyway, since i don't want to go into so much detail, here's a bullet point version of my updates the past month:

My parents arrived from the states on July 11 (with my nephew Apa who will be spending his summer break with us) and so I got my new laptop and alot of other stuff from my sister :) I love getting my loot! Sorting through all the pasalubongs really excite me! Thanks ate for all the food, clothes, shoes and all the teacher stuff that you sent me :)
Drago left for Clark the very next day :( So much for the excitement. I really really miss him and i'm still getting used to the idea that for two years we'll only be seeing him on weekends.
At least my nephew is here and i've been spending most of my free time with him, showing him around... I took him to the mall, ate at all the places he wanted to try like Jollibee, Chowking and Shakey's :) and took him to the grocery to buy snacks that he likes and to ruins to get games for his DS and dvd's that he could watch. He seems to be having a good time naman, considering he spends most of the day with my mom and dad. hehe. He's a really good kid, it's not difficult having him around.
Been really busy with work, putting alot of serious effort into it like i never have before. I didn't realize how much i missed teaching until I started working in Zobel again. I guess the one year break helped ease the burn out :) Though I have to say, I've had better days in Zobel with the company of co-teachers who have become such really good friends, spending time in the faculty room chatting and lauging and eating (and whining and complaining...hehe...) Hay, I miss those days! Now it's just work, work, work.
I've been out of the social circle for such a long time, but honestly, I just really don't feel like going out lately. Especially since Drago left. I prefer spending time at home with Julia because she makes me forget that weird sad feeling of not having Drago around most of the week. She's such a smart and happy kid and I really enjoy watching all her antics. There's just too much of her dad in her!
So right now, I'm into lesson plan making, nephew-entertaining and daughter-watching. That's basically it. Hopefully, there'll be more exciting gimmicks in the next few weeks :) That's if I feel like doing something fun outside school/work and our house!
Oh, it was Krissy's birthay today and we went with Drago's family (minus Drago) to a family KTV place. It was alot of fun! Julia had a blast! (Is that considered gimmick?) =p
I don't even have any decent pictures of Julia (the last time I was able to take nice pictures was during our trip to Ark Avilon Zoo--posted in my facebook). I'll take pictures of her and Apa this week to show my sister.

Meanwhile, this is all I have :)

Jumping on the bed... her new hobby =p

di naman masyadong detailed no?

FINALLY!

2009-07-12T09:27:00.002+08:00

I finally got my new laptop! Thanks ate! :)

Hello online world, i'm back! :)

updates and pictures soon.

Julia's Bday dinner at Chi's

2009-06-20T12:07:00.009+08:00

We had our family dinner (Sabitsana side) for Julia's bday at Chi's yesterday. Good food but our orders took so long to be served. Tapos hindi pa sabay sabay dumadating. Nakaka bitin! But it was good nonetheless. All were present except for Tita Jill :( Julia's line up was not complete! It was fun, even though the girls, Maddie and Julia (actually mostly Julia, because Maddie was sick), was super hyper inside the restaurant. She kept on saying hi to the people at the other tables and banging on the glass doors. Nakakahiya =p

Thanks everyone for joining us for dinner! And thanks for all the gifts! Julia got a pretty dress and a huge box of Froot Loops from Ninang Krissy and Tito Chu, para hindi na daw sya mang agaw ng froot loops ng classmate nya :) Ninang Char gave her a cute dora shoulder bag, disposable toilet seat covers and a cool first aid kit that fits into my bag! Thanks Char! It's just what I need! Thanks also Tita Jill for the xylophone-slash-noisemaker! Our peace and quiet ends where Julia's fun begins! :) Hehe!

Here are some pictures taken at the dinner:

Highlights of the past few days...

2009-06-18T19:06:00.014+08:00

June 15: Julia's first day of school at KinderCare
Drago and Ninang Krissy went with her :) She was crying at the beginning (as expected) but she warmed up after a while. I think her favorite part was snack time! hahaha.

crying...

working with clay

snack time! (she likes eating her classmates' food! haha)

June 17: Our first day of school in Prep and Julia's birthday!
It was a suuuuper busy day! Good thing i prepared everything i needed for my class the day before. I just did a few last minute stuff in the morning before heading to KinderCare at 10 a.m. for Julia's bday party. I only asked for a 1 hour off so i had to rush. I passed by Red Ribbon to get a bday cake and then straight to Julia's school. Good thing Drago brought everything else already. We also prepared the loot bags the night before so we're all good. We served popcorn (which they loved!), wafer sticks and juice. Oh, but Julia was crying for a whole hour before the party started. I arrived at her school around 10am, just as they were about to set up and she was still crying! It's because parents and yayas weren't allowed in the room anymore. Guess that's why she got so agitated. Kawawa, bday pa naman nya. Anyway, the party was fun! She stopped crying when we gave her a stick-O. Cute ng kids! They sang happy birthday, then ate, had their pictures taken and then lined up to give gifts and get their loot bags :) It was a memorable event for us coz it's Julia's first school experience. I'm glad we did this! When she's bigger I can show her the pictures and she'll know how special it was :)

I posted all the pictures on facebook

By the way, my class that afternoon went well :) It really pays to be prepared, especially on the first day. I had fun meeting and getting to know the kids. I forgot how much i loved classroom teaching :)

Ok, 9 and a half months before summer vacation. Hehe!

2009-06-03T16:58:00.004+08:00

It's been a very busy couple of days after Julia's accident. Mostly because of work and going back and forth to U.P. to accomplish requirements for my M.A.

Being a freshman is hard because of all the procedures you have to undergo, but being a freshman in U.P. is a totally different story! It could have been much easier if I went to La Salle instead. I can go on complaining endlessly, but all the hassle aside, i'm pretty sure i'm going to like it in U.P. once i'm already there. I've always loved their campus (compared to the impossibly congested DLSU) and even though I still need a map to find my way around, it's actually quite fun. Besides, as they say, it's the U.P. experience :)

Anyway, i still have to go for my advisement and enrollment on Friday. It's the last day so hopefully I finish in one whole day. Or else, i'm out.

Here are some pics I took of Julia with her stitches :)

We had the stitches taken out today. The driver took yaya and Julia to MCP where they met Mama. Thanks Mama for assisting them!! As expected, Julia cried like a madman. But she's fine now. We're going to bf tonight so Julia could see everyone who just got back from Leyte and Bora :)

Whatta Day... :(

2009-05-27T22:13:00.006+08:00

Earlier today Julia had an accident :( While she was trying to get down from the toilet she fell and hit her head on...i can't even explain what part of the bathroom it was. I got yaya's text around 10:45 and rushed home to see a profusely bleeding Julia and I guess I just freaked out. I kept on thinking why is there so much blood? I started calling people... drago, the driver, mama, ate jill and finally the neighbor. Anyone who could possibly help us get to the hospital since we had no car. Julia's and yaya's clothes were all soaked. The floor had little puddles everywhere. I didn't even attempt to look in the bathroom.

Anyway, we went straight to the E.R. of Asian Hospital. The doctor checked the cut and had the nurses cover it with bandage to help stop the bleeding. It was small but kinda deep. Of course Julia went wild. For one, I really can't bear to see her crying hysterically when I know she's in pain. I don't even go with them to the doctor's room when she gets her shots because i can't take the sight of her being pinned down. The doctor at Asian wanted to sedate her and administer general anesthesia but i told him I wanted to consult our pedia (and mama) first. It's a good thing they let us transfer coz as it turns out, sedating her wasn't really necessary. Though she was really going wild in the O.R. at MCP, I'm just glad that mama was there as well as Dra. Romero (who's been her pedia since day 1) and alot of other familiar faces. I was already pretty calm when we got to MCP. Seeing Mama, ever so calm and cool and generally unperturbed... nahiya naman ako maghagulgol diba? :) Plus Drago was already there as well. I made him stay with Julia in the O.R. Even Tatay arrived a few minutes after! It turned out to be a family affair. She ended up with 2 or 3 stitches and a dose of local anesthesia. Even after everything, i'm just glad it wasn't that serious. It could have been worse and we're really lucky. We're so thankful for all the people who helped us. It's one of those times, Drago says, that he's glad his parents are doctors. And i'm glad too!

PHEW!

Now she seems to be all better. We're just asked to observe her for 2-3 days for any symptoms like excessive sleepiness, vomiting, dizziness etc. Because if any of these symptoms manifest, she's gonna have to undergo a CT scan. Yikes! Wag naman!!!

This image is soooo much better compared to what I saw after the accident.
Now it just looks like a tiny bubu on the forehead.
Tibay talaga ng noo ni Julia! Mana kay Drago!

2009-05-21T07:19:00.002+08:00

Last Friday, May 15 my mom and dad left for the states. It's been 5 years i think since my dad's last trip to the U.S. and less than a year since for my mom who's been going back and forth on a fairly regular basis. My dad seemed reluctant to go but hopefully he finds himself having a great time (with my mom in tow that's quite a challenge...hehe!), besides among all of us in the family, my dad's the one who needs a vacation the most!

Enjoy your vacation guys! :) Pasalubong ko ha!

***

Last Monday, Julia went to a trial class at Kids' First. She joined the toddler class with kids ages 1.5-2yrs. I loved the place! They recently transferred from Casa Vicente (beside ATC) to Madrigal Business Park so it's nice and new :) and the teachers were super nice too! Julia kept on crying at first so I had to stay inside for a while, then i eased my way out and made yaya stay instead. She was fine towards the end. They did some art, had circle time (songs and storytime), and snacks--which we didn't bring so her classmates had to share with her. Seeing Julia in a classroom with other kids made me realize how big she is already! And how excited I am about putting her to school!

After that, I decided i want to put Julia in a toddler program in a school that accepts students on a monthly basis. Since my dad is away for a more than a month and his car and driver are just here, I'll try to arrange a schedule so that Julia can be dropped off and picked up in school (as much as I would like to bring her, i'm already starting work in Zobel on the 25th). So, I really loved Kids' First, but they only accept quarterly and it's a bit expensive. Then Char told me about Kindercare in BF, they accept monthly for only 5k for the entire month, 5x a week, 2hrs. a day. I'm planning to visit the school today or tomorrow to check out the place and make further inquiries. It's probably too soon to tell but i think i'm going for Kindercare. Though I really loved Kids' First because its super nice and all, I'm not really very particular anymore since Julia will only be there for a month. Besides, i'm only after the socialization and supervised play. Julia learns so much at home already but sometimes she learns irrelevant stuff from watching Wowowee every single day (ex: "Rexona...piso a day!") Hahaha! Yeah, she does that alot... with actions and all.

***
After 1 year, my "long vacation" with Julia is over :( I've been so used to being with her everyday the past how many months that i'm actually having apprehensions about going back to work. But when I think about my new set of students and the classroom i'll be decorating, i feel kinda excited! Hehe. Mixed emotions :) I guess that's the reason why I want Julia to join a playgroup or a toddler program. Coz i don't want her staying home the entire day doing nothing but watch TV and solitary play when she can do so much more.

Will post pictures next time. Nakakatamad eh.

Practice Shoot

2009-05-14T09:37:00.007+08:00

Yesterday, my friends and I had a practice shoot. First we went to Filinvest--there's a secluded part there that was good enough for some nature shots. They don't usually allow people to hang out in that area so we didn't stay long.

Anyway, I didn't really get to take alot of pictures because Julia fell while running and bruised her elbow...again :( The sad thing is she already has a nasty wound on that same elbow and it was already healing into a scab, and then she fell and hit that same spot so it bled really bad. I can just imagine how that must have felt :( Now her wound looks even nastier. Kawawa :( I felt so bad, we went straight home to clean her up. My friends and I just settled for the front yard of the house to take some practice shots. Oh well.

Julia with Tito Bert
Can you see her wound? wawa :(

On the brighter side, here are some really cool tricks that I learned:

nakakahilo ba?? :)

Thanks Chuck, Bert and Chino! Next time ulit! :)

Family Date :)

2009-05-07T13:36:00.014+08:00

Yesterday Drago was home early because he just had a test at NTC in the morning. And since he had the rest of the day off he took Julia and I to MOA :) I've been wanting to go out (anywhere but ATC, Festival and Southmall!) so I thought MOA would be a good idea :) We spent the whole afternoon there. Took some photos at Baywalk and went around the mall. We stayed there till around 730. We had dinner at this thai place called JatuJak (pretty good!) before heading home.

Here are some of the pics we took at Baywalk:

We didn't stay out there too long because it looked like it was about to rain. I wish I could have taken more interesting pictures. Maybe next time :)

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

2009-05-06T11:23:00.002+08:00

Julia looooves this book :) And as with any other book that she likes, she can already tell what happens next as we read through the story. I think this one's gonna be quite a reader :)

More snapshots...

2009-05-02T15:27:00.008+08:00

Julia with Lolo Art

with sticker-faced Julia (taken on my Birthday)

Julia and Papa: a typical morning :)

Snapshots :)

2009-04-30T08:45:00.013+08:00

pose!

sunset :)

ladyguard :)

pango :)

lily!

~My birthday went by fast. We just had a simple lunch celebration in BF. I cooked baked fish, chicken with stir fried vegetables and walang kamatayang tuna pasta :) It's always nice cooking for Drago's family coz they're so appreciative :) I guess because none of them really cook, so even the simplest dish gets great compliments. Hehe! Thanks everyone for celebrating with me!

~I haven't been running lately because of the rain. It's been raining almost incessantly for the past 2 weeks. The only good thing about it is that it's not humid anymore :) This weather reminds me of schooldays... :)

~I cancelled my original plan to take photography classes because i realized, and alot of my friends who are photography enthusiasts also told me, that it's so easy to learn the basics online. And it is! I watched tutorial videos on youtube and looked through different websites. I took down notes and tried some tricks and techniques, it's quite fun! But I'm out of subjects already. I love taking pictures of Julia but i wish i had a different view/background (aside from our house!). When it gets sunny again, i plan to take a daytrip to Tagaytay and have a practice shoot :) Baywalk is also on my list :) Once school starts I can join Zobel's photography club so i can learn with a group. At least it's free!

~I'm so looking forward to Angels and Demons :) I loved the book and I adore Tom Hanks so it can't go wrong! :)

Greenfield City Run

2009-04-22T09:03:00.005+08:00

Last Sunday we were at the Greenfield City Run in Sta. Rosa. Our friends from Elorde ran the race with us. I ran 5k, Drago ran 10k. It was fun! Especially because it's a no-pressure, non-competitive run...for us at least. There were of course the more serious ones who were in it for the race record.

In fact i took my sweet time and finished the 5k run in 40 minutes. That's kinda slow, but then, not bad for my first race :) My goal was to run/jog the whole way...and I did! Drago finished his 10k in 1:01 (1 hour and 1 minute). His goal was not to go over 1 hour. Sayang! 1 minute nalang! hehe :)

After the race we went for a well deserved breakfast buffet at Poquito Mas :)

right after the race

With Senator Pia Cayetano

I don't even know why we got so starstruck with Pia Cayetano when I see her jogging around our block almost everyday :) She ran an effortless 10k and was cheering for the finishers at the finish line. Isn't she cool? :)

pussy cat :)

2009-04-16T09:55:00.005+08:00

The other night, Julia was so knocked out when we got home from BF around 8:30 she didn't even wake up while we changed her clothes and diapers.

Nor did she wake up when we did this:

meow...zzz....

Thanks to my accomplice, Drago :) We had a really good laugh! haha :)

Holy Week

2009-04-13T23:04:00.015+08:00

We spent Holy week this year with family. Mostly my side of the family since most of the Sabitsanas were away on vacation. We went to visit my brothers, titos, titas and other relatives in Tanauan. We were there Good Friday and Easter Sunday. It was a nice, fast and quiet drive (especially on Good Friday) because there were barely any cars on the road. Everyone's probably away on vacation. Oh well, No outings and getaways for us this Holy Week. We need to set aside extra money for Drago's pre-PAL expenses. I can't believe he's starting in May! Hopefully time goes by fast :)

On Saturday, we were glad that the malls are open again. We planned a day out with Julia and went to Bonifacio High Street. We also needed to sign up for the Greenfield City Run at the Nike branch there so we decided to make a day out of it.

Here are some pictures:

FRIDAY
Spent the afternoon at Tita Vic's house. I took lots of pictures of the Julia and Mia. The two were of course ecstatic to see each other :) Julia didn't want to leave!

*cute purple outfit from Maddie :)

Saturday
We went to High Street. Had a few donuts at Krispy Kreme and spent about an hour at Fully Booked while waiting for Nike to open. That place is really cool! I don't mind spending an entire day there :) Julia had sooo much fun playing in the children's area. I'm going back there sometime soon. Drago liked it too! Then we had lunch at Clawdaddy's. Good food and really big servings!

Sunday (Easter)
Went to the 7am mass in Zobel. Then I hid a few plastic eggs in the front yard so that Julia can have an Easter egg hunt :) I put stickers, candies, crayons, coins and even yakult inside the eggs! (yeah, the eggs were big enough to put yakult inside) Julia had lots of fun! Though it only lasted a few minutes :) At around lunch time we headed to Tanauan. There was a mini get-together with relatives because my Tita had a blessing for their newly built commercial spaces. Spent a few hours there before heading home to avoid the northbound traffic.

HAPPY EASTER to all!!!

Beach!

2009-04-07T11:10:00.002+08:00

Yesterday was a holiday so my friends planned a daytrip to the beach. We went to Canyon Cove, a residential beach resort in Nasugbu Batangas. The place was really nice. Perfect for group or family outings :) I think it's been newly renovated. Actually some parts are still under construction and and the bathroom/ shower, though it's clean, still needs alot of work. But it was ok because the pool was really nice (and huge too!) and the beach area is clean. Plenty of people though since it was a holiday. The fee was 500 per head with 200 consumable on food and drinks. Sulit na :) They also have other fun water activities like scuba diving, banana boat, kayak, paddleboat and jetskii :)

I'm so glad Mama let us borrow the alterra (thanks mama!). We just popped in Julia's Dora dvd and she was quiet during the whole 2 hour drive :) Plus we really needed the space. Imagine if we had to stuff all of Julia's beach inflatables, a pail of sand toys, picnic mat, bags and food in the trunk of our car. Yikes!

Julia had a blast of course :) It was sooooo hot! Negra na kami! :)

I posted the pics on facebook but here's a sneak peek:

beach bums

milk break

mukang native ng Nasugbu :)

After our mini excursion we went straight to BF for ate Jill's birthday dinner :)

Watta tiring day!

Happy Birthday Tita Jill!

My New DSLR

2009-04-05T09:06:00.003+08:00

I've been 'breaking in' my new camera since I got it last thursday night :) I'm really enjoying it! The pictures are amazing! A dslr really takes quality pictures...without effort! It's just overwhelming trying to learn all the settings and manual functions so I just set it on AUTO most of the time. hehe.

Here are my first 100 pictures :)

Among all, this one's by far my favorite:

papa and joey

I'm planning to take basic photography classes this summer and join one of the photography clubs here in alabang. I also have a couple of friends who share the same enthusiasm and i'll probably be asking them for tips and crash lessons :) I'm just not the self-study kind of person. Hehe.

Gotta go get a camera bag!

Canon DSLR

2009-04-02T09:09:00.001+08:00

I'm supposed to pick up my new dslr today. Weeee! Drago has an orientation class for PAL but hopefully it doesn't last all day. We're supposed to meet Kim of Kimstore at MOA this afternoon Can't wait! :)

Okay, so I was supposed to order the Canon Rebel XS from amazon and have someone bring it back for me this April but apparently none of my relatives are coming to visit this summer. The next trip would be around June or July when my mom comes back from her vacation. Summer would be the perfect time to get the dslr since i'll have time to learn how to really use it and join photography clubs or even take a few classes. So anyway, I considered my options and decided that it's ok to pay a little bit more and get the camera here rather than wait til July. Then one of my co-teachers (thanks Eunice for the tip!) told me about this amazing site on multiply called kimstore. They sell gadgets at a relatively cheaper price than most stores. The Rebel XS in amazon is $489 which is roughly P24k and the Canon 1000D (it's version in asia) at kimstore is P26k. So i'll just be paying an additional 2k if ever.

I decided to just go for it =D

Now if i'll be able to get it today i'm still not sure. Kim told me there's only one unit left and she can't hold it for me for long. If someone else wants to buy it she's gonna have to give it up.

Maybe the next picture i'll be posting will be from my new dslr! Or maybe not? We'll see! :)

Karate Kiddo

2009-04-01T12:14:00.003+08:00

stretch...

punch...

smile...

...and pose!

Like my bangs?

2009-03-31T12:36:00.005+08:00

This is a photo of my Mom when she was 1 year old

And this is my Mom's attempt to make Julia look like her picture above.

(playing "this little piggy" with papa)

One afternoon she just decided to cut Julia's bangs coz it kept getting in her eyes.

So there. Apple cut na sya :) Kamuka na nya si Lola.

Back to work...

2009-03-18T21:52:00.009+08:00

I started work back in Zobel as a substitute teacher this month, March 3 to be exact. The first 2 weeks was really busy because we had to prepare for the Recognition Program, farewell party, final exams, etc...etc... I had to give up 2 of the students that i'm tutoring because they're both in Senior Prep, the level that i'm teaching (thanks Krissy for taking Andy!) I retained my grade 1 student though because the mom was very persistent since it's only two weeks anyway. Good thing Claire was exempted in most of her subjects so we only had to study for Reading, Language and Filipino. She's such a good kid and i never have a hard time teaching her so I didn't really mind the extra hour...at least for a couple of days. Except that I feel bad not being able to spend time with Julia as soon as I get home from work. I don't get to be with her til around 6pm :( But today was my last day tutoring! Starting tomorrow until the end of this month i'll only be working from 8am-415pm :) It's also nice following a real work schedule again. We'll see about next school year ;)

Here are the highlights of my first two weeks:

Recognition Day and Farewell Party

Senior Prep-A in action!
(we painted all those hanging hearts and giant letters!)

Just before the program

Class farewell party...plus Julia!

girls with Julia

class picture :)

Happy Weekend :)

2009-02-24T14:39:00.001+08:00

Last Saturday, my brother and his kids came over and spent the weekend with us. Julia was so excited to play with Mia! The two girls were inseparable :) They shared Julia's toys and books, went to the park and then swimming... in the front yard! We dressed them up in bikinis and filled Julia's small inflatable pool with water and hosed them both down. Haha! They had a great time! After that we went to Fun Ranch and let them play for 30 minutes before heading to BF to meet Drago's family for dinner. We ate at Aveneto, loved the eggplant parmigiana as usual! Drago had to leave early to go to the bakery so Julia and I rode home with everyone else. At around 9pm Char and I went to Shopwise. She bought shelves (on sale for only 500 each!) and I got a bigger inflatable pool for the kids. The very next day, as soon as Julia woke up, we let them go swimming! I really really wanted to post pictures here but I can't figure out why blogger isn't responding to my photo uploads (grrr!) so anyway, I uploaded the pictures at my multiply site.

Check them out here :)

Gotta go! My last student for the day is arriving in a few minutes :)

Are Your Children Spoiled?

2009-02-22T10:57:00.002+08:00

I've always found parenting and childcare books, magazines and online articles really interesting especially since i had Julia. I enjoy reading everything from feeding to potty training to choosing the right toys and books to disciplining and more. Anything i can possibly learn and apply in raising a physically and emotionally healthy child. My sister sends me piles and piles of Baby and Parenting Magazines from her subscription in the states and I don't mind reading them over and over again. Those people can write some really good stuff! My favorite online sites are babycenter, Dr. Sears and Dr. Greene among others. Recently, National Bookstore had a super sale and I got 3 childcare and parenting books for only 30 pesos each!

Right now, I'm hooked on reading about child discipline. Since Julia is now a very active toddler and socializes with kids everywhere--cousins, neighbors and friends, Drago and I found it important to teach her good behavior even at her very young age. They say spoiling your baby is fine, and it's harmless...until she turns 1 and begins to learn how to communicate with people around her. I already told myself, I don't think I will spoil Julia, because alot of other people can do that for me :) Plus Julia seems to be such a good natured little girl that i have no problems with her being around other children. Still i know kids really go through some rather difficult stages. I've dealt with plenty of spoiled, rude and generally aggressive kids while teaching in the preschool and i hear parents complain endlessly about them. Some of them are pretty clueless about their child's behavior and worse, about the way they deal with them. They don't realize early on that it's the way they deal with their child that matters more than the child's behavior itself.

This article came up on yahoo news and was featured on Oprah.com:

Are Your Children Spoiled?

No child is born spoiled or a brat--it's only indulgent parenting can make them that way, Oprah & Friends Radio host Rabbi Shmuley says. "Naturally, children are innocent and have a cuteness which makes people's hearts warm to them and helps bring out our best qualities," he says. "When we raise kids who are spoiled, we snuff out the child's natural attractiveness." If you are guilty of spoiling your children, Rabbi Shmuley says chances are, you have brats on your hands.

10 Signs Your Children Are Brats:

They resort to crying or yelling when they want something.
They throw themselves on floor and won't get up.
They constantly throw tantrums or even hit you when you punish them.
They ignore you when you ask a question.
They are rude to other adults and even to other children.
They refuse to share toys or treats with other children.
They are show-offs and are constantly trying to one-up their peers to be the center of attention.
They always want whatever everyone else has. Once they have it, they want something new.
They keep a messy room and never help out around the house despite your pleas for them to do so.
They refuse to go to bed.

What to Do if Your Children Are Brats:

Reward good behavior but NEVER tolerate bad behavior. It's that simple.
If your children yell when they want something, don't give it to them and take away something they like.
If they won't get off the floor during a tantrum, pick them up and put them in their room until they calm down and apologize.
If they hit you or their peers punish them immediately. Put them in a corner and don't let them out until they apologize.
If they won't share, take away the toy or treat.
Always explain afterward, when the child has calmed down, the reason for the punishment. Processing is the key to reinforcing good behavior, not the punishment itself.
Don't just buy them whatever they want. Teach them to earn things.
Enforce bedtimes. Continually put them back into their beds. After a while, they'll stop getting out. You must show there is no other option.
Compliment your children profusely and give them rewards when they do the right thing

Tough as it may seem, it's simple and makes alot of sense. Bad behavior will not be tolerated, good behavior will be rewarded. There's no other way around it.

It's simple and straight to the point diba? If you're aware of the 10 signs then it will be alot easier to deal with your child's difficult behaviors.

Next... potty training :) Gotta do more reading for that!

2009-02-13T08:33:00.006+08:00

I haven't been able to post anything lately because:

1. I'm hooked on facebook (hehe)

2. I've been working double time with my 3 students/tutees the past 2 weeks preparing for the Midterms.

3. I've been running. I ran my 1st 5k with Drago the other night. I plan to sign up for my first race on Feb. 22.

4. I didn't have my camera for 2 weeks because we had it fixed. We just got it back last week.

5. I'm just generally lazy :)

But anyways, here are a few pictures:

sisters!

she would say "funny" and cover her mouth while giggling :)

good dreams...

bad dreams! (hehe)

note: kagagawan ni Drago to :)

Tali Beach

2009-01-26T11:56:00.004+08:00

Here are some pictures taken during our day trip to Tali Beach, Batangas. It's Julia's first time in a looong time to go to the beach! The last time was in Cebu and Leyte last summer when she was just 10 months old :) She had such a great time! She didn't want to get out of the water :)

Happy New Year!

2009-01-04T12:54:00.011+08:00

New Year's Eve and new year salubong in B.F.

First we had a hefty dinner of tacos, baked potatoes, siomai, lumpiang shanghai ribs and more! Everyone had their own food contributions :) Ours was the baked potatoes :) Then we killed time playing wii while Char, Santi and the kids were waiting to leave for QC where they spent the New Year's. I couldn't get the answers right in the Big Brain Academy game! Ang hirap kaya! Drago (the nerd) wouldn't give me my turn coz I kept on losing! haha.

papa and joey

maddie and julia playing with the poppers

happy...

new...

year!!!

The photo on the right was taken last year (julia was just 6 months old) and the photo on the left was taken this year (she is 18 months now)-- and she's wearing the exact same tinkerbell dress that my sister gave us! hehe. Sulit!!! :)

Gonzles Family Reunion

2009-01-04T12:43:00.005+08:00

Pictures taken at our family reunion last December 30, 2008 in our hometown Tanauan, Batangas.

This year was especially special (and fun!) because of all the balikbayans from NY who spent the holidays with us.

Lolo Art and Julia

Me, my cousin Nina from NY, Kuya and Julia

My brother Bam with his 3 month old, Brandon

Papa and Joey

kiddos

The Holidays...so far :)

2008-12-26T15:04:00.012+08:00

December 22:

My tita's wedding in Lipa where Julia and Mia were flower girls for the first time.
The two girls looked really cute together :)

Cousins and buddies! :)

kiss! :)

family picture :)

December 23
Girls' Xmas Dinner at Balducci, Serendra/ After dinner at Piedra, Fort Strip

my highschool barkada :)

December 24 and 25: Merry Christmas!

This is the best we can do for a family Christmas portrait. Notice drago's weird smile. It's because he had his wisdom teeth extracted and his cheeks are still swelling. Nice timing! With all the parties and get togethers and all the FOOD he's not allowed to eat :)

opening presents!

We spend Christmas evening in Bf where we had turkey and baked potatoes for dinner :) Tita Tess (Drago's tita from bacolod) and family spent Christmas with us :)

new slide

2008-12-20T15:47:00.008+08:00

We bought this slide for Julia at a surplus store across the bakery in BF for only P600! :) Julia looooves slides so we didn't even think twice when we saw it. It was a good buy :)

It's a really small/short slide. Just the same height as her. After a few tries, she can already climb up and slide down all by herself :) But then again, it's a really small slide :)

18 months!

2008-12-17T12:33:00.001+08:00

One month since my last post... Haha! :) I didn't even notice!

Here are some recent pictures of Julia :) She's 1 year and 6 months today :) She still has more of Drago in her than me. She's sweet, smart, goofy and such a hyperbunny. Well, the sweet part she probably got from me (hehe!). She's learning so much, so fast! She can name different objects and animals and say people's names. She just recently learned how to count from 1-10 and identify all the basic shapes. Thank God for flashcards, picture books and her Dora dvd! :)

more pictures to follow :)

Outdoors

2008-11-17T22:23:00.008+08:00

The weather's been really nice lately so were always out by the pond (in front of the house) enjoying the sun and the fresh air with Julia :) First time I was able to use the picnic mat i got from SM :) Ang saya saya! One time we just hosed her down to give her a bath in her tiny inflatable pool :)

Morning sun! Still in her pajamas :)

Serious

with Papa

with Mama

Jollibee!

I love this outfit! Hand-me-down from Maddie :)

Just a few pictures...

2008-11-14T09:28:00.011+08:00

I forgot i had a blog to update :) Aside from Julia's first trick or treat experience last halloween, nothing exciting is happening lately. But here are a few recent pictures of the little big girl...

ya like my boots? :)

french fries ("papays") addict

on her new safari table set :)

I'm a sucker for wooden stuff for kids (I got her all sorts of stuff--wooden toy chest, blocks, puzzles and other toys, even baby hangers! all of 'em made of wood and hand painted with really cute prints :)

Do not disturb (watching her Dora dvd)

Big girl in pajamas

lazy

2008-10-20T21:23:00.000+08:00

I've been trying to upload Julia's new studio pics but i'm having problems with blogger cookies. She has one really cute pic on a wooden horse wearing a cowboy hat :) I framed the 2 8x10 pics and asked drago to hang them in the other room to add more life to it. It's such a dull room. I'm trying to convert it into a playroom/ julia's day room/ guest room all in one. I plan to buy collage picture frames and make a project out of my nieces and nephews' pictures.

Oh well, as usual i've been too lazy to do anything. After today's semi-sad news, i realized i have get back to work. Gym (i already wasted one month of my membership), job-hunting and a whole lot of cleaning up and organizing. My mom is arriving tomorrow so God knows this household will never be the same again =p My only consolation... ate's pasalubongs! Can't wait to rip open that luggage :) My sister sends the cutest baby stuff-- clothes, shoes, toys, books etc. as well clothes, shoes and goodies for my brothers and me.

Yey! :)

Hibernating

2008-09-27T11:40:00.006+08:00

Since i found out i was pregnant (again) and all of a sudden started feeling all these symptoms, i just didn't feel like doing anything. I'm always too sleepy or too nauseous to function. I am now a pregnant bum. But the past week or so hasn't been a total waste.

Last Tuesday: Julia's First Playdate
5 kids who were just about Julia's age came to join. It was really fun! Thanks Mira for hosting the playdate :) We should definitely do this again!

Last Thursday: Went home to Tanauan
We came to see Bam's new baby, Brandon :) Ang cute!! I just can't see yet who he looks like. Then we had a hefty lunch at Lola Cely's house. Great food as usual! Julia and Mia had their own little playdate as well. You should see the two of them together. Cute nila! (Ate, do you recognize the dresses? hehe...)

Baby Brandon
Pogi diba? :)

Cousins, Julia and Mia

And yesterday, Friday: Another photoshoot at Picture Company

Char just called and asked if i wanted to let Julia join Mick and Maddie at their scheduled photo session. I'm not a member so i just went to let Julia join in so she could have a picture with Mick and Maddie. We plan to give it Mama and Tatay as a Christmas present. All three of them wore white and khaki. So classy! :) Luckily for me, the photographer took solo shots of Julia as well! We weren't supposed to have solo shots since i'm not a member but she took some anyways :) I haven't seen the uploaded pics since we were in a rush so i'll probably go later or tomorrow to choose prints. Okay, maybe just one print :) And the one with all 3 kids that i'll split with Char. Mick and Maddie have really nice shots! Goodluck choosing Char! =p

I will post the pics as soon as i get my prints and scan them.

Finally

2008-09-16T10:40:00.004+08:00

Finally, i got Julia's solo pic prints from picture company :) Thanks char for picking up the prints and scanning them!

Kids and Studio Pictures

2008-09-12T17:48:00.004+08:00

Julia 1 and Maddie 3, Sabitsana cousins (Philippines!)

My sister's kids, Apa 9 and Gabby 1 year 9 months (New York)

My brother's daughter, Alex, 4 months old (Maryland)

These were all recently taken. It just shows that whatever age the kids are, studio pictures are simply adorable :) If only they're not as costly... :)

Shape Sorter

2008-09-06T15:59:00.000+08:00

This was a gift from drago's brothers for Julia's first birthday. It's one of her favorite toys :)

Baby Signs and Picture Books

2008-09-06T15:56:00.000+08:00

Toddler Discipline

2008-09-03T23:40:00.001+08:00

After observing how Maddie is with Julia, i began to worry about the so-called terrible twos. They say all children go through that stage. Hitting, attention-seeking, tantrums and meltdowns etc. Hopefully I can learn how to manage this stage earlier before it even strikes. Here are some articles I found helpful :)

AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR

Hitting, scratching, and biting are common toddler behaviors, but that may not be much comfort when your toddler starts terrorizing his playmates — or you. A combination of still-emerging language skills, a fierce desire to become independent, and undeveloped impulse control is usually the cause of the trouble. As your toddler matures, he'll eventually learn to express his frustration with words.

Although many toddlers go through an aggressive phase, it's your job to teach your toddler that it's not okay to hurt other people, especially other kids. Keep a close eye on your toddler when he plays with other children. The minute he starts to hit, bite, or push, remove him from the situation and gently but firmly remind him that hitting is not okay. Expect to reinforce this message many times over before the behavior stops. Time out is also an effective way to get your point across. Just make sure to limit the time appropriate for your toddler’s age. The formula is usually this:
The age of the child (in years) = the number of minutes he can be kept on time out.
For example a 3 year old child should only be on time out for 3 minutes maximum.

You should never, under any circumstances, hit your child to teach him a lesson. Some parents do this to show the child "how it feels," thinking that if their child feels hurt, he'll be reluctant to hurt others. Unfortunately, the tactic usually has the opposite effect. If you hit your child (or let others hit your child), it sends the message that hitting is okay.

FamilyEducation.com

***

ATTENTION SEEKING KIDS

It's normal for children to need attention and approval. However, attention-seeking becomes a problem when it happens all the time. Even charming attention-seeking can become controlling. Many children make tragedies out of trivial concerns to get your sympathy. Excessive attention-seeking results in a situation where your child commands your life.

Many children misbehave to get attention. The most notorious reason for misbehavior in young children, this can be the seed for discipline problems in later childhood and adolescence.

Your goal is not to eliminate your child's need for attention and approval. When handled correctly, your child's need for attention can be a helpful tool for improving your child's behavior. Eliminate not the need for attention, but those attention- seeking behaviors that are excessive or unacceptable.

How Much Attention Is Too Much?
That depends on you. How much attention-seeking can you tolerate? The rule is that children will seek as much attention as you give them. You must strike a balance between how much your children want and how much you can give. Even normal attention-seeking can drive you crazy on some days.

Do not let your children's need for attention turn into demands for attention. When children do not get enough attention, they resort to outbursts, tantrums, nagging, teasing, and other annoying behaviors.

Babycenter.com

***

DISCIPLINING YOUR TODDLER

Your child is at a very precious age; your son or daughter is learning how to talk, telling you what they want for dinner—and hitting their younger, defenseless sibling on a pretty regular basis. How do you address this type of behavior, while still celebrating all the wonderful things come with being the proud parent of a toddler? How do you let your son or daughter know that you love him or her, but can’t always support their behavior?

Address the action, not the child.

When you’re disciplining your child, make sure your son or daughter knows that you’re trying to get them to discontinue negative behavior, and that you aren’t devaluing them. Even though toddlers are young, they are more in touch with their feelings than adults can tell. Just because your young son or daughter can’t articulate their feelings all that well yet, they do know when they feel attacked, and are likely to continue acting out if your approach is wrong.

For instance, when you see your toddler hitting other children or refusing to share, pull him or her to the side and explain that what they’re doing isn’t nice. This is different from saying “You’re being bad” or “You’re a mean boy/girl.” Instead, tell your toddler that it’s important to be nice to friends, and that sharing is the right thing to do. The toddler years are also a good time to introduce the Golden Rule. One of the best ways to teach your children a lesson on sharing or good social behavior is to convey that you shouldn’t do something to someone that you don’t want them to do to you.

Ask your children questions like “Don’t you like it when your friends share with you?” or “When your friends are nice to you and don’t hit you, doesn’t that make you feel good?” If your toddlers can tell in your tone that you are reprimanding their actions, but still love them, they are less likely to continue the negative behavior.

googobits.com

Aside from Maddie, my niece Mia who is just a few months older and our neighbor's daughter Hopey who is 2 years old are Julia's regular playmates and both girls are usually passive in play while Julia seems to be the more aggressive one. But nevertheless, she's a fun kid to be around :) If she ever does go through the terrible twos stage, i hope she won't be that terrible :) Medyo lang.

Fun Ranch again

2008-08-31T16:41:00.004+08:00

Last Tuesday, we brought Julia to Fun Ranch. This is already her 3rd time, but she enjoyed it more than the last time because she's already walking :) Yabang na eh!

More pictures

2008-08-23T15:22:00.004+08:00

I recently updated our smugmug site with Julia's pictures. The gallery includes a couple of pictures with Maddie and our BF family :)

check it out! click here

The past few days...

2008-08-23T11:55:00.006+08:00

Tatay's 60th Birthday

We just had a simple family dinner in Bf. The food though was not so simple :) We had lechon, crabs, chicken and more! Happy happy birthday to Joey's one and only favorite Tatay!

Typical night in BF with Maddie and Joey: The Diva and the Bugoy :)

Maddie gets really excited when we come to visit :) She still calls Joey "baby julia" (or sounds more like "babe juya"). And while Maddie is in the screaming and "everything mine" stage, Julia is more like don't-bother-me-or-i'll-hit-you. She keeps on hitting Maddie when she gets annoyed :( Good thing Maddie doesn't hit back.
The two girls are total opposites, but i'm sure they'll get along fine when they're older :)

Free photo session at Picture Company ATC

Thanks Ninang Krissy for arranging a free photo session for the kids! The pictures were really cute! But one 8x10 print costs 800 already. And that's just for one pose! I wish we could get even just the thumbnail soft copy. Kahit pang friendster lang! hehe. Anyway, at least we didn't have to pay for membership and photo session fees :) I will post pictures as soon as I get my prints.

These pictures were taken in the waiting area of the studio. I made Julia wear the apple print dress that my sister gave us. I love this dress! She wore this last Valentines Day and it still fits her! That's like 6 months ago!

see?

Valentines Day (Feb 2008)

14 months

2008-08-18T08:11:00.000+08:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

2008-08-13T09:42:00.003+08:00

Here's a scrap version of the previous post :)

p.s. thanks ate for Julia's cute new outfit! This is just one of the many clothes and stuff she sent us. Watch out for more pictures of Julia in a dress :) (that's rare! hehe) I went crazy with them!

Walking the dog

2008-08-11T12:09:00.004+08:00

Julia's new hobby :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DRAGO!

2008-08-09T14:30:00.004+08:00

bakery manager/ all around guy, frustrated chef and singer, diligent student, closet nerd (know-it-all =p ), a very patient and dependable guy, wonderful dad and husband, Will Devaughn/ John Hall/ Redford White lookalike (hahaha!) and a spitting image of our daughter :)

He's all that and more :) HAPPY BIRTHDAY DRAGO!!! We love you!

walking

2008-08-08T08:44:00.002+08:00

Julia started walking a bit late, but nonetheless, i think she's doing a pretty good job :)

baby's day out

2008-08-06T14:50:00.008+08:00

We haven't been able to take Julia out lately because of the rain and because well, we've been busy :) One of our friends who's in the U.S. army came home to visit for a couple of weeks so we were always out. There were parties and get-togethers here and there. Now everything seems to be back to normal.

We had a chance to take Julia out to the mall today. 11am-2pm is usually the best time because it's not too crowded. So we walked around a bit, let her play in the kiddie area and ate at mcdo after. She was so hungry she practically inhaled her fries :)

window shopping lang

"no more"

go joey!

"more"

the lookalikes :)

Julia has just started walking on her own. I guess i should mark the date :)

Julia started walking (as in standing up by herself and walking) at 13 months and 3 weeks :)

Yey!!!

Maddie and Joey

2008-07-28T11:53:00.004+08:00

After a couple of tries, i was finally able to upload pictures :)

Here's a scrap of Maddie and Joey during Krissy's b-day dinner at Chi's:

Happy Birthday Krissy

2008-07-26T10:19:00.004+08:00

Happy Birthday Krissy! Thanks for dinner the other night! :)

Chi's rocks!

I took a couple of pictures at Chi's that night but I can't seem to upload them here in my blog... The pictures don't appear. argh. I wonder what's wrong.

First real steps

2008-07-19T12:44:00.002+08:00

Walking around the house in a bikini. Hahaha! (complements of Char and Maddie)

SMX and Mall of Asia

2008-07-17T08:40:00.002+08:00

Last Sunday we went to SMX (Mall of Asia) for the Franchise Expo. Panaderia Pantoja had a booth and my dad wanted us to check it out. Incidently, one of my friends also had a booth for Brazil Restaurant and invited us to come too. So i texted a couple of friends who are in for some good clean fun and we made a day out of it :)

semi-good mood

Mae, Tabs, Chef Chino, Me and Julia

traitors

group pic at the Brazil booth

eating free samples :)

Julia was in a terrible mood that day coz she threw up (as in projectile vomit) in the car when we were on the way to MOA. I was literally covered in thick, white.. you know. Yuck. Buti nalang Jean brought a tube top/dress that she was supposed to give our pregnant friend as a gift. Kaya yan, ganda ng outfit ko. Pang buntis :) Thanks Jean!!! You're a lifesaver!!!

Take note, I had to walk around SM department store wearing the tube top with nothing under (as in just my underwear) until i found a pair of leggings to go with it. Hahahaha! wa-poise talaga.

hilarious

2008-07-06T10:31:00.000+08:00

Book, shoes and please

2008-07-05T09:24:00.003+08:00

Just a couple more baby signs she's been using. Her new ones are potty, moon, banana, help, airplane, and painful. I hope i can catch them on video sometime :)

It's fascinating to see Julia use Baby Signs but more importantly it helps her communicate with us better :) I'm beginning to sound like this video :) Watch it and see how it really works!

p.s. i've already said this before, but again, thanks char for introducing this to us!

2008-07-05T08:53:00.000+08:00

I really like this onesie. It's from my sister, hand-me-down from Gabby :) She sends us the cutest outfits! Thanks sis! And i'm glad Julia doesn't outgrow clothes too fast (shoes maybe, but not clothes) coz she's a payatot :) She's still using some of her infant clothes (3-6 mos.) and though her dresses are becoming too short, they don't get too tight. Uso naman micro-mini eh! ;)

Rainy Days

2008-07-03T09:49:00.000+08:00

Been raining alot lately so Julia has been spending most of the day indoors.
Thanks char for this cool Baby Gap hat! :)

Baby's Bestfriend :)

2008-06-28T10:20:00.000+08:00

Julia's usual encounter with Lily :)

New toy box

2008-06-28T09:41:00.000+08:00

I've been wanting to get this wooden toy box/organizer when I first saw it at S&R a couple of months back. It was P2,500. Last week, we were there to pick up some fish fillet for Julia's party and there it was...on sale for only P1,200! I didn't even think twice! It was such a good buy and we really needed it for all of Julia's stuff. Plus, I'm a sucker for wooden stuff for kids... puzzles, toys, wooden stamps, kiddie furniture...

It took almost an hour to put the whole thing together. It was quite a piece of work! Thanks Drago and Romy! :)

I love it :)

Julia's 1st Birthday Party (friends edition)

2008-06-23T11:26:00.000+08:00

Inspite of the bad weather, Julia's party turned out better than expected :) I was surprised alot of people made it. Thank you all for braving the rain just to celebrate Julia's birthday with us.

Because it was impossible to set up tables outside, we decided to contain everyone in the living room. It was a bit crowded pero ok lang, people didn't seem to mind. My tita sent her best all around guy Lito who did practically everything (pumped balloons and decorated the place, set up the buffet and did on the spot grilling, and finally helped with the packing up and cleaning). He was the best! My Tita who is our ultimate party organizer-slash-caterer took care of almost everything (she was the one who did our pre-wedding dinner and Julia's baptism among others). I was surprised there was even an inflatable clown, party poppers and a chocolate fountain! To think i told my friends it was just a simple merienda :) Thank you tita vicky! You're the best! Thanks also to my Lola for the yummy baked orange chicken (one of her specialties) and my dad for the bbq! Come to think of it, i probably only spent half or even less of what i expected for the two parties we had for Julia's birthday since we got alot of contributions from our family. Mama, Tatay, Lola Cely, Daddy and Tita Vic! Thanks so much for everything! :)

Anyway, everything should be back to normal now. Party's over :) Julia is officially 1 year old!

Welcome to the party!

can you recognize our living room? :)

OUR GUESTS:

highschool friends

Elorde friends :)

My co-teachers and very dear friends

Julia's friends =p

You should've seen how Julia's face lit up when she saw tita jill, ninang krissy and ninong melo! Relief and excitement written all over her face as if saying "finally! familiar faces!"

Rainy Day

2008-06-21T17:36:00.000+08:00

It's been raining the whole afternoon. They say there's a typhoon coming (or is already here). I hope the weather gets better tomorrow. We are having a small party here at the house to celebrate Julia's 1st birthday (again) this time with our friends :)

I wasn't going to have another party. It's just too much work and too much spending. We were fine with just the family party. But then again, 1st birthdays ought to be special and worth spending time, effort and money for :) I want people to remember Julia's 1st birthday even if it's just for the food, giveaways or the company of good friends. We aren't expecting too many people, just our closest friends. We wanted to keep it simple :) I just really hope the party turns out okay :)

Dear weather, please cooperate. Our living room is not big enough to hold all our guests.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOEY!!!

2008-06-18T09:08:00.000+08:00

Taken on the morning of her birthday :)

Julia's 1st Birthday (family dinner party)

2008-06-17T11:31:00.000+08:00

Julia's Birthday dinner party last night turned out exactly how we wanted it. Simple and intimate :) We really had a blast! Thanks to everyone in our family for being a part of this special celebration!

For more pictures. Check out our smugmug site. Enjoy!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Special thanks also to Tiffany's Fusion Cafe for the wonderful service and great food! If you are looking for a place to hold small group events (birthdays, baby shower, corporate meetings, etc) I am recommending Tiffany's. They have the nicest private area that is perfect for small parties :) Plus the food is not pricey and the place is nice and homey :)

Located along Aguirre ave., BF Homes Paranaque

2008-06-15T15:01:00.000+08:00

I recently started tutoring and so far it's doing pretty well. My schedule is mondays-fridays 4-5pm.
After I resigned from Zobel I had this nagging feeling that I had to get another teaching job. A small school that accepts part time teachers (it has to be part time of course since I gave up my job in Zobel to be able to spend more time with Julia so it defeats the purpose if i take another full time job) but when i asked around, most schools require full day and there's one that accepts half day but as my friend put it "the pay is pathetic." So unless i'm some millionaire's wife, (no offense Drago :) and teaching is just my hobby then maybe i'd go for that.

And then there's tutorial... It's definitely not full time and considering it will only take an hour or two a day, its not bad at all. The pay is not bad either. So far i only have one student, a first grader and she's quite a character :) So when i did the computation, this will be paying for our monthly gas consumption. As you know the prices are ridiculously high and are still going up. So at least now tutoring will shoulder gas expenses. I'm considering getting another student or maybe even two. If i do, then i'd be earning as much as I did when i was in Zobel--tax free! And the best thing about it is it's part time :)

All the rest of the day I get to hang out with Julia and watch her goof around with Lily while she's practicing on her walking :) Right now she's in the crawling like a madman stage so thanks to char for these wonderful baby legs (we have them in like 6 different designs!) she gets to crawl all she wants without getting her knees dirty :)

Happy Fathers' Day!

2008-06-15T14:51:00.000+08:00

Julia was born on Fathers' Day last year. Guess it will always be a double celebration :)

Happy Fathers' Day to all the dads in our family: Drago, my Dad, Tatay, Lolo, Santi, my brothers Bam and Archie, Patrick (my brother-in-law) and all dads and soon to be dads out there!

2008-06-12T08:17:00.000+08:00

Our bedspacers, Drago and Joey

Flashcards 2

2008-06-10T10:38:00.000+08:00

here's another version of the flashcards video :)

Flashcards

2008-06-10T10:31:00.000+08:00

Sometimes we think she's just guessing, but most of the time she seems to know :) It's a result of playing with flashcards everyday. Gutay-gutay na nga eh! :)

p.s. tito gary, this is for you! :)

2008-06-10T09:58:00.000+08:00

At a Jollibee children's party we attended last Sunday

p.s. We then discovered that Julia is afraid of Jollibee :) Or mascots for that matter. Baduy!

Photo Exhibit at CCP

2008-06-06T15:58:00.000+08:00

My cousin Nina who's a photographer in New York, together with a group of artists, opened a photo exhibit last night at the CCP. My cousin has been working on this project for quite some time now. They've been holding workshops for young, aspiring photographers, providing them professional training and gathering them for project shoots in various sites. One of their major project trips was Sagada and it comprised a big part of the photo exhibit. The photos were beautiful. With the theme "photobaryo" they were able to collect pictures of beautiful sceneries, landscapes and snapshots of people in the barrio and their different activities. The pictures of children were my favorite :)

Nowadays, anyone with a camera can be a photographer. But I realized it takes more than that. Taking a nice picture of your friends at the beach with a breathtaking view of the sea in a black and white or sepia effect is nothing compared to a picture of young children in worn out clothes and slippers playing with empty cans looking as happy as could be, as if they haven't got a care in the world.

Congratulations Nin! You guys did a really great job! :)

The exhibit will run until July 28. If you have friends who are lovers of photography and art, please spread the word!

Drago and what he'll look like 10 years from now

With my cousins

he has a baby goat, i have a baby kangaroo

Julia with my cousin Nina

2008-06-02T15:53:00.001+08:00

It was my last week in Zobel this week. I gathered the last of my stuff, cleared my desk (four years worth of clutter) and emptied all my drawers. I turned over all my files to the new teacher who will be taking over my subject assignment. I went back to my old classroom one last time and disposed all my trash. I gave away some of my nice classroom materials to the other teachers and brought home the ones i think i would still be able to use. After all, I still have Julia to practice on ;)

So while my co-teachers chattered excitedly about their new section assignments and classroom design themes, I went from one office to another having my clearance signed. And somewhere between formalizing my resignation and collecting all my stuff, I felt a sudden wave of sadness :( After all it's not easy giving up a job in a school that's literally like my second home.

I can't believe it's been four years...Id say it was one heck of a journey and a learning experience I wouldn't trade for anything else.

So here's to all the memories, to the many wonderful people i've met and friends i've made along the way; parents, co-teachers, school admin and staff and of course the kids... working with them has been an incredibly rewarding experience :) Something I will always look back to with pride :)

I will be teaching again, definitely. But first things first, i promised my Dad i'd help him out in the bakery and promised myself i'd go back to school for my MA.

And whenever i feel sad and confused about giving up my job, this reminds me of my most important job of all. And suddenly i'm not so sad :)

Updates

2008-05-26T12:03:00.001+08:00

Julia learned a couple of new baby signs the past weeks. She knows how to do book, potty, please and butterfly. She's picking up alot faster now. If I do the sign once or twice she's able to imitate almost instantly. I try to take videos but she doesn't cooperate with the camera on.

So far, potty training has been a pleasant experience for Julia. Though this isn't formal training yet, it's amazing how well she responds to it. She has never resisted sitting on the potty. In fact i'd say she's happy and comfortable being on it. Whenever she sits, we give her a book, and 4 out of 5 times she does her business :) I hope we can sustain this until it's time for the real thing. Now that she knows how to say potty in baby sign, I'm hoping she'll be able to associate it with the feeling of having to "go."

Oh and just recently Julia started using a booster car seat! We borrowed the one Char left in BF. When she outgrew her infant car seat we didn't use anything else for months. So I just carried her on my lap whenever we were in the car (and I actually prefer that since I always nurse in the car) but lately she's becoming really rowdy... pressing buttons, standing up, picking up just about everything within her reach, pulling out the car keys from the ignition and insisting on being on the steering wheel. So now (hoping it's not too late) we're starting to train her to sit on the car seat. Anyway, I think since the seat is front facing and upright, she feels more at ease. She just hates being buckled tight. Well, no choice. Safety first.

It's almost her 1st birthday (according to my ticker it's 23 days to go) and jeez, we don't even have plans yet. I'm really leaning towards having a simple lunch or merienda without games or kiddie activities, just a good meal with family and close friends but venue is the biggest question mark. Alot of people are suggesting to just have it in our house, but with the limited space and all... I just don't feel like setting up tables at the garage where people passing by can see everything. I wanted something like a function room or clubhouse of some sort. But then again, since I am officially unemployed, budget is our biggest problem. So as much as I would love to have it at The Palms Country Club or some fancy restaurant, we'd have to settle for something more affordable. Anyway, i'm sure we'll figure something out. Gulp.

2008-05-26T10:49:00.000+08:00

Last friday we went to the Panaderia Pantoja branch in Mother Ignacia, QC to attend what my Mom liked to call "media blitz." People from various food related magazines came to interview my parents about the bakery. They also had a product photo shoot. Ok lang, it was boring. Buti nalang we brought Julia for entertainment. She was such a goofball :) And there was plenty of food! At one point the photographers took a picture of all of us and a couple of pictures of Julia. Though I doubt it's gonna come out in any of the magazines since my Mom just requested for the pictures to be taken. It was probably not part of the plan. Pressure!

And yesterday, Sunday, we went to Tagaytay with Tatay, Santi and some relatives from tatay's side. We just had lunch, took a couple of pictures and headed back home.

Another Video :)

2008-05-18T10:35:00.000+08:00

Now that i learned that uploading videos via youtube is alot easier and doesn't take as long (compared to blogger) i think i'll be uploading more! Ang saya saya :)

This is a video of Julia doing "in and out" with a hat and a flashcard :)

Finally

2008-05-18T10:03:00.000+08:00

Finally! I was able to upload a video :)(see the post below). This was taken last month during our vacation in Biliran. Char, this is for you! (this is the result of the Baby Signs learning kit you gave us :) Ate Jill, thanks for the tip on uploading videos :) It wasn't so hard :)

Baby Signs and Tricks

2008-05-18T09:54:00.000+08:00

11 months!

2008-05-17T15:10:00.000+08:00

Almost a year old! :) Hay... how fast time flies!

A new addition to the family

2008-05-17T14:41:00.000+08:00

Isn't she gorgeous? :)

Congratulations Archie and Kristin! :)

2008-05-13T20:42:00.000+08:00

Today I...

finally decided to cut my long, lustrous, silky hair... (haha!)

went to Fun Ranch again with Julia and my niece Mia

and took Julia to Town Center to hang out at Brazil! with some friends.

Here are some pictures taken today:

Late afternoon at Brazil

at The Fun Ranch

Julia, master of camouflage (where's Julia??)

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-12T12:15:00.000+08:00

Happy Mother's Day to my mom, my sister, lola, mama, char and all moms and soon-to-be moms out there! :)

Potty and Papa

2008-05-09T12:28:00.001+08:00

Make a Smilebox free ecard

Babies' Day Out!

2008-05-05T00:10:00.000+08:00

I've been wanting to bring Julia to Active Fun/Fun Ranch ever since I heard it was going to open in Westgate Alabang. And today we finally had the chance. We brought the two girls, Julia and my niece Mia. It was just Me, Drago, Julia, Mia and Mia's yaya. For the soft play area, they charge P140 for 30 minutes, that's already for 1 child and one adult companion. Oh, and you gotta wear socks (both kids and adults) and since yaya and I didn't have any, we had to buy them for 50 pesos a pair. Drago wanted us to go for 1 hour since we just had to pay P35 more (P175/hr, 140/30 mins). But since it was our first time I decided 30 minutes would be fine. Oh boy, I didn't think 30 minutes could be so exhausting! I'm glad we didn't go the whole hour! 1 hour would have been way too long especially if you had to carry a 10 month old baby around the whole time. They had fun mostly with the plastic balls. It was difficult to stay in the ball pit for a long time especially with younger kids so what i did, i got a few balls and let them play on the mats instead. Julia ended up chasing a precious blue ball which she got so frustrated with. She was having a hard time getting it with just one tiny hand (she had to keep her other hand on the floor to keep herself stable since she's just crawling. Unlike Mia who was already having more fun walking around and picking up balls on her own---she's already 1 year old).
Anyway, the place was really cool! I was thinking Maddie and Mick would have tons of fun there. There's a giant slide for bigger kids and alot of small ones for younger kids. There's a trampoline, ball pit, hoops and balls for shooting, tunnels and alot more! The whole area was padded which makes it really safe even for younger tots. I think I was the only mom inside the play area. All the rest were yayas. And i was the only one with a camera (bakit ba first time ko eh!)

Here are some of our pictures:

Before going in... can't quite explain her emotions :)

Drago with the babies

Crawling contest

The precious blue ball

Emoting

Inside the ball pit

Happy Birthday Lola!

2008-05-03T17:45:00.000+08:00

My Lola is the most thoughtful person I know. She pampers us like crazy sometimes :) She regularly sends us food, groceries and other supplies as if we were refugees :) She remembers birthdays and gives Christmas presents like we were still 6 years old. Whenever she's in Manila for a doctor's appointment she would always, always treat us to lunch, merienda or dinner. And if one of us couldn't make it, she would always order something extra to take home. It's as if her sole purpose in life is to make sure that we never ever starve.

Well, today is my lola's special day. I wish her all the best... good health, happiness, and the little things that make her life worthwhile :) Happy birthday Lola Cely! We love you!

For lola's b-day lunch, we ate at Tonya's Restaurant in Dampa Seaside Market, Macapagal Ave. Here are some pics taken earlier.

That's my lola beside me wearing sunglasses. Groovy diba?? She doesn't look 81 at all!

My mom and dad with Julia

The rest of the gang

Julia and Lola Marilyn

Big girl na, wearing collared shirt and khaki pants!

2008-04-29T10:29:00.000+08:00

So we're finally back...

To sum up our vacation, i would say it was quite exhausting especially since we had to attend to Julia 24/7, carry her around wherever we go, bathe her, feed her, play with her, change her diapers--even when we're on the go. But nonetheless, the trip was definitely FUN!

Special thanks to these wonderful people, to whom we owe this trip...

Tatay for sponsoring our airfare :) (We owe you tay!)
Mama for the lechon on my birthday in Moalboal :) (lami!)
Lolo, Lola, Tita Letty, Ate Menchu, Kurt, Tito Sandy, Tita Lilot and the rest of the gang in Agta for the hospitality! We had a wonderful stay! Until next time! :)
The family in Cebu for making our stay fun and worthwhile. Mama Baby, Mommy Lou, Daddy Ben, Ate Grace, Kuya Francis, Chuckie, Chiki, also nang Junie and ate Nelia. (attention Kuya Francis, Chuckie and Chiki, we have a pending charades rematch! Go Team Luzon!)
Tita Krissy, Tito Melo, Tita Jill, Mama and Tatay for helping us out with Joey the hyper baby.
Santi and Char for helping us get our camera :) The trip won't be complete without it!
To all who celebrated my birthday with me in Moalboal (again, thanks mama for the lechon!) and thanks for the surprise Krissy and co. :) Torta cake mems!

Once again, pics are posted at our smugmug site. Feel free to check them out.

Oh, and since i'm making the most out of my smilebox membership, here's another one for you to enjoy :)

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

Summer Fun!

2008-04-29T08:56:00.000+08:00

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

These are just a few pictures from our Biliran-Cebu vacation :) For more pictures please visit our smugmug site. Enjoy!

p.s. smilebox is soooo cool! I decided to sign up to get free and unlimited designs. Only $39.99 a year! It's really worth it, especially if you like doing stuff like this. They're also printable by the way!

10 Months!

2008-04-18T16:13:00.001+08:00

Hooray for the 10 month old baby who's leaving for our much awaited family trip tomorrow! Cebu and Biliran here we come! :)

Facts about this trip:

It's my first time to see the much talked about place called Agta in Biliran and Moalboal in Cebu, where Drago has the fondest childhood memories :)
It's Julia's first major trip.
Drago's entire family is going, which makes it even more fun!
We are leaving at 2:30 a.m. to catch the 5:45 a.m. flight (I heard the lines are quite long) so Julia will be sleeping in her day clothes already. We'll just grab her while she's sleeping and hopefully she doesn't wake up till after we land. hehe.
I am spending my birthday in Cebu! Yey!!!
We will be away for a week so no blog posts for the next 7 days or so! (as if i'm able to post regularly. hehe)

That's all!

2008-04-08T13:26:00.000+08:00

Nothing interesting is happening lately... We are bored to our bones stuck in school doing, hmm, let's see, nothing! While we can all just stay at home and Zzzzzzz. After all, it's been quite a stressful 10 months. I don't get why the school requires us to report to work one agonizing day after another when we're already done with all the important stuff like grades, clearances etc...

But! Because we teachers are so resourceful, we figured out a way to spend our time wisely :) With the schools facilities at our disposal, we turn on the ac in our almost empty classrooms (waaaah!), borrow a dvd player with multimedia projector and enjoy a session of hiphop abs and the grind workout! One time we even tried belly dancing. hehe. We are not such bums after all. Other times we play badminton in the gym or kill time on the computer doing non-school related stuff (ahem, blogging). Yes, we are getting paid :) So okay, no more complaining.

By the way, Happy Birthday Atty. Ate Jill! (sorry for the late post=p).

For ate jill's birthday lunch we ate at chi's brick oven kitchen. Nice, cozy, feel good place. Not to mention kid-friendly so good for us since we brought julia along. The staff too were warm and friendly and we even got a free desert for being the first customers of the day. The place serves Italian and Spanish-Filipino food. Not so much to choose from but as far as i've tried, food is yummy! I like their pizzas and puchon (pugon baked lechon) ---some kind of a lechon kawali but baked not fried. Anyway, I really like the place. In fact, i'm going back there this friday with our Elorde friends.

Ok, time to do more productive stuff!

Guess Who Passed the Bar?

2008-03-31T09:38:00.000+08:00

Congratulations Tita Atty. Jill Sabitsana! :)

Aside from my sister-in-law Jill, i only know 3 other people who passed the bar this year:

Jang Moreno -Batchmate in Zobel
Jordan Pugeda- Batchmate and Search-In Circlemate
Jomi Manalo- Husband of my co-teacher

Congratulations!!!

Elorde Awards Night

2008-03-31T08:28:00.000+08:00

Last Tuesday, March 25 I attended the Elorde Awards Night at the Manila Hotel. Here are some pictures taken at the event. (Sayang Drago had exams that night so he wasn't able to make it)

(L-R) Rose, Christian and his girlfriend Ara, Me, Cucuy and manong waiter :)

With Richard, Charlie, Bong, Pacman and his cute little Princess :)

Girls with Gerry Penalosa

Pacman, Charlie, Me, Richard

With Luisito Espinosa :)

Cucuy and I with Manny Pacquiao's daughter Princess (she's literally a princess!)

By the way, President Gloria was there too and gave a short welcome speech. I'm really not a big fan of GMA, but because of all the clamor and commotion i can't help but be a bit star struck. It's probably because of all the cameras, bright lights and the swarm of bodyguards around her. Plus it's also my first time to see the President in person :)

Videos

2008-03-26T15:16:00.000+08:00

Peek-a-boo with Papa (Julia was just 5 months old)

Laughing with Ninang Krissy (New Year 2008)

It's my first time to try uploading videos but i don't have any recent ones so these are just random stuff :) Enjoy!

Swimming!

2008-03-20T18:41:00.000+08:00

Julia skinny dipping in the inflatable swimming pool in bf :)
Thanks ninang krissy for the pics!

9 Months

2008-03-17T21:16:00.000+08:00

This is my struggling attempt on a photoshop-like layout :) Powerpoint lang yan. Hehe. Drago laughs at me everytime he sees me do stuff like this. Sabi nya pwede na daw akong graphic artist. Harhar.

Anyway, Julia is 9 months old today! This photo was taken 2 weeks ago at a baptism that we attended. I wish i had taken more recent pictures. Maybe on my next post nalang :)

The past month, we've been teaching Julia how to sign. Char gave us a complete learning kit and we were so excited to use it! (Thanks Char!!!) We even made the yaya watch the DVD so she could learn it as well. Ang galing! It really works! We just sort of introduced the basics one at a time and of course the response was not immediate. At first she doesn't seem interested at all. Later on she seemed to become more responsive. It's really fun :) We've been teaching her to sign alot more now that she picks up easily. She recently learned how to do the milk and fish sign :) She is still learning to do the eat and more sign but she already understands them when you sign to her. We are teaching her all the basics first. It's so exciting seeing her make a sign. Sometimes i think i'm just imagining it, but sometimes i know it's for real! Even Julia's titas in BF are helping her learn the signs. We're trying to make it a family activity :) it's more effective that way :) If you saw "Meet the Fockers" the baby in the movie does sign language. Ang cute! :)

That Time of The Year

2008-03-14T22:47:00.000+08:00

The last couple of days was the busiest time of the school year for us.

Last March 12 we had our Graduation Program. We look forward to this every year, and this year is special for me because it's my last :( The school year went by so fast! Time flies talaga... In fact, 4 years went by so fast. I can't believe i've been teaching in Zobel this long. Parang kelan lang, i was just a newbie! (hehe)

Anyway, our program was a blast! I cannot be more proud :) The kids did really great! Even Drago says so :) I make him watch our program every year-- he has never missed a single one. It's that important to me :) It's sort of like a culminating activity for the entire school year. Haay... I cannot even begin to describe what we all had to go through to put together such a production. Props making, choreography, costume, logistics, practices, practices, practices! In the end, all the hard work really paid off.

The day after the program we had our farewell party. I brought Julia to school with me :)

Here are some pictures taken during our Farewell Party

(Julia the socialite baby)

And here are some pictures during our Graduation Program

Me and my little Siam Kids :) My class did a number from the musical The King and I.

Just Visiting

2008-03-04T20:15:00.000+08:00

Mishy, my very good friend and former co-teacher visited Julia today. She's 5 months pregnant :) Another playmate on the way! Yey!!! :)

2008-03-03T23:26:00.000+08:00

After such a busy weekend...
A typical night in BF :)

Eventful Weekend

2008-03-03T22:29:00.000+08:00

Saturday, we attended the Baptism of our friend's daughter.
Congratulations Sai and Ruth!

and Sunday..

We went to Tanauan to visit my lola, titos, titas, cousins, etc. We spent most of the day stuffing food into our mouths :) My cousin Nina from NY is here and it's her first time to see Julia. They all said that Julia is such a happy and friendly baby :) She goes with just about anyone and is always smiling (contrary to her first few months). Don't be deceived by her sungit face! She's like me, mukang masungit lang pero hindi naman! Hehe. The other baby in the picture is my niece Mia who is 11 months old (she's 3 months older than Julia). According to my brother Archie, Gabby (my niece in NY) is just about the same size as the two girls, but she's already a year old! Ate, petite anak mo! Hindi mana sa inyo! hehe...

Speaking of my brother Archie... It's his long awaited homecoming! He's here with us for two weeks. Ang saya! It's his first time to come home in 7 years! So we're probably gonna be busy taking him around in the next two weeks. More excuse to eat out! hay! Anyway, my sister sent us more stuff, lots of really cute clothes and toys! Thanks ate!!!! We loooove the new outfits! We're really lucky because we get lots of hand me downs for Julia. From the states pa lahat! Sosyal! Thanks to Maddie and Gabby! :) Oh, and the pictures you're looking at are taken using my new Canon SD 870 IS (yabang!!!)

talaga.

Puerto Azul

2008-02-26T17:47:00.000+08:00

Last Saturday we went to Puerto Azul with our friends from Elorde Gym. It was Julia's first beach experience and judging from how she looked in the pictures, she didn't seem to like it all that much :) She was afraid of the water! Oh well...the beach wasn't that nice anyway.

We are looking forward to our real out of town trip this summer... CEBU and LEYTE! Yey!!! Ang saya! I think i'll be celebrating my 27th birthday there :) i better learn to speak cebuano already. hehe.

Earrings, finally!

2008-02-20T18:45:00.001+08:00

We finally had her ears pierced! I wasn't there though. Drago was the one who took her :) That's how hands-on my husband is :) Thanks papa! And thanks to Dra. Romero who didn't even charge us a penny :) Girl na girl na si Julia! Yey!!!