Bela, My Sweet Bratinela

Bela's Journal Report: June 22 - 26

2009-07-03T23:19:00.000+08:00

A Busy Week with the Green Cocoon
June 22 - 26

Dear Mom & Dad,

We are on our second week of school and the kids are continuing to enjoy going to our different stations. Aside from our stations the kids are also getting excited everyday, awaiting the Specials for the day. This week for Music and Movement, we had hopping, walking in tip toes and jumping while music is playing to strengthen their gross motor skills. For Cooking, we cooked eggs in different ways and had the kids choose which one they like to taste. Too bad we had no classes for two days, we missed this week’s Library Day and AVR Day. However, we still had fun during Outdoor, when we had a school tour.

Ysabela shows eagerness in coming to class. She listens attentively to discussions and participates in answering questions and doing board activities. For our lesson on letter Aa, she was able to recall examples such as ant and anthill. She loves going to different stations and loves the sand and water play station as she usually goes there first once she comes in. She is able to rote count 1-10 and recite the alphabet by rote as well.

Last week, at the manipulative station she was able to creatively put together different shaped blocks and said that it was a castle. She decorated her name tag deciding on where the sequins and what colors to use. She listened attentively when we had storytelling at the Library and participated when needed. She also enjoys manipulating the computer during AVR day. Plus had a very enjoyable time during outdoors playing ball with her peers.

This week, she was able to arrange letter blocks to form MSS and can also say the name of her school when asked. During cooking, she was very interested and excited to help in preparing and cooking the eggs which we cooked in different ways (sunny side up, scrambled and boiled). After cooking she had her share of the eggs which she had fun eating. She even agreed it was delicious. In writing, although she seeks help, she shows interest in doing her tasks and tries to write the lines on her own when asked. She also enjoyed watching herself and her peers from a big mirror hop, jump, and walk on tip toes.

Teacher Sarah, Eulene and Raizza

On our Stations This Week:

* Sand / Water Play Station – Dig for things found in the school and place them where they should be, tracing standing and sleeping lines, tracing slanting lines
* Reading / Listening Station – Sort pictures that begins with Aa, Sort pictures that begins with Ee
* Literacy Station – Spell MSS using letter blocks, Match people in the school to this rooms / workplace
* Discovery / Art Station – Explore a box with things found in the school inside
* Math Station – Counting from 1-10 using things found in school cutouts, Identifying rooms on the left and right, Following instructions: Putting things on the left or right
* Manipulative Station – Aligning 10 beads, Aligning 20 beads and rote counting 1 – 20, Naming rooms and things I the school using pictures, School puzzle.

Next Week’s Lessons:
* Letters Ii and Oo
* Parts of the face and body
* circle and square
* is and are
* same and different
* curve lines

SALE Alert

2009-07-03T22:49:00.000+08:00

Most of my friends say that the one of the best sale in the US happens every 4th of July and I do believe them. Since last week, my Inbox has been filled with email notifications of sale alerts of the different online stores.

Let me list down some of them:

1. Gap is offering additional 20% off plus free shipping on orders above $100
2. Old Navy is having the hottest summer promo by giving 50% discount on their summer styles.
3. Banana Republic is giving out 20% discount plus free shipping for purchases above $100
4. Piperlime is offering free shipping

I have been avoiding emails like this and so far, I was able to successfully say no to online shopping (except for the Coach Sling Pack that I bought from Faye. LOL). And I also saw a Nikon Coolpix 10 Mega Pixel camera and I even saw a Coach, Dooney, Ed Hardy and other handbag lot from wholesale auctions. Very tempting and very irresistible. LOL.

But I really have to save up as we have a lot of expenses lined up. And I want to save up too for another possible out of the country trip this September. So as much as I want to buy cute summer dresses for Bela from Old Navy, I have to pass for now.

Green Cocoon’s Ice Cream in a Bag

2009-07-03T22:24:00.000+08:00

Every week, the Green Cocoon Class will have a special activity and part of them was cooking. Last week, they cooked eggs in different ways (sunny side up, scrambled and boiled). This week, Bela and her classmates were taught by Teacher Sarah and Teacher Eulene on how to make Ice Cream in a bag.

They sent us the recipe on how to make the ice cream (oops, looks like I will really be needing my Fenphedra. Since last week, I have been eating sweets like leche flan, ice cream and cake since we have left- over from my grand mother’s party so I will really need the best diet pills if I am serious in loosing weight)

So here is the recipe for Green Cocoon’s Ice Cream in a bag as shared to us by Bela’s teachers:

½ cup milk
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons salt
Ice Cubes

Procedure:

Put the milk, sugar and vanilla in a small resealable plastic. Place the salt and ice cubes in a big resealable bag. Shake the bag until ice cream forms.

Sounds simple. I will try this with Bela this coming weekend as Teacher Sarah told me that Bela had a great time while they were doing the ice cream.

Bela's Journal Report: June 16 - 19

2009-07-03T22:03:00.004+08:00

GREEN COCOON’S FIRST WEEK
JUNE 16-19

Dear mom and dad,

It was a successful first week for us in the Green Cocoon class. The kids had an exciting time going from one station to the other for our Work Time. Some went to the Sand / Play Station, some to the Literacy Station, some to the Discover / Art Station, some to the Math station, some to the Manipulative Station and other to the Dramatic Play Station and the Reading / Listening Station. We also have a doodle page ready for those who wish to practice their artistic skills.

They too adjusted well to the routine and were at ease with their environment. They followed the routine well. Starting from Work Time, where they explore the different stations, Circle 1 where we greet each other, accomplish our attendance and weather charts, sing some songs and discuss lessons, Snack Time, a time to fill our hungry little tummies, Circle 2, a continuation of lesson discussion, Specials, where we enjoy various activities on different days. Monday, we have Music and Movement, Tuesday, we have Creativity / Cooking, Wednesday, we have Library Day, Thursday, we have AVR (Audio Visual Room) Day, and Friday, we have Outdoor Play. We too have Chinese time, where we learn to read, write and speak Chinese. All these activities were welcomed by the kids with much excitement.

We hope that the kids won’t loose their interest in these school activities as we have lots in store for them. We also hope that hand in hand we will make your child’s Cocoon experience one that they won’t forget.

Teacher Sarah, Eulene and Raizza
Green Cocoon Teachers

Next week’s lessons:
* Rooms in the school
* Things seen in the room
* People we see in school
* Letters Aa and Ee
* Circle and Square
* Left and Right
* Slanting Lines

On our Stations this week:

* Sand / Water Play Station – Transferring sand from one container to the other, transferring water from one container to the other, Tracing standing and sleeping lines on sand.
* Literacy Station – Differentiating MSS from other establishments, Making rules and decorating them, Trace or Write MSS

* Reading / Listening Station
* Discovery / Art Station – Coloring my school, Drawing MSS
* Math Station – Counting 10 school cutouts, Drawing 10 standing and sleeping lines
* Manipulative Station – Building MSS using blocks

Baby Announcements

2009-07-03T19:45:00.005+08:00

Isn’t she a cutie? I was cleaning up my hard drive from old files and I saw this picture of Bela. This picture was taken when she was just two months old.

My husband was into photography and since Bela is our first child, my husband is busy taking pictures of our daughter’s every move or actions or milestones. So while I was on maternity leave, I got addicted into digital scrap booking.
But even though Bela have lots of pictures from the time she was born, I didn’t even thought of making photo baby announcements that I can send to my friends so they can have a glimpse of our dear princess. And what’s nice about baby photo announcements is that I can even email it to our friends and relatives abroad who are also eager to see our first child. That is what my husband’s cousin did when they had their twins, they sent birth baby announcements to all their relatives so even though they are hundreds of miles from us, we were able to have a glimpse of their twins.

At least now I now, so for our second child, I will definitely get an Announcements Baby to send to all our friends and relatives.

Hubby, Baby Boy and Airsoft

2009-07-01T15:11:00.003+08:00

Hubby is into different kinds of sports. One of his favorite is playing paintball and now he is interested to play airsoft too. That is why when we are having a conversation about baby # 2, it is quite obvious (even though he does not want to admit it, that he wants a baby boy for our baby # 2.

He kept on showing me the different airsoft aeg rifle and airsoft accessories that he wants to purchase and that he is excited to play airsoft with his future son. I know how expensive these toys are but good thing hubby and his friends found a site where they can purchase airsoft rifles, pellets and other accessories at a very affordable price, otherwise hubby will be really broke. LOL.

But I am happy that as early as now, hubby is already looking forward to sharing his love for sports with his son and I can’t wait to post pictures here of my future son and the daddy wearing tactical gears while they play airsoft.

A day in a life of a green cocoon student

2009-07-01T14:39:00.001+08:00

This is Bela’s everyday class routine:

I think they start their day with free play where kids can explore the different stations inside the classroom. Then this is also the time where the teacher does individualized instruction to guide each student in doing their work sheets. Then Circle time is the time for discussions for their topic for the week. Like for example for this week, I think their topic is the different parts of their face, rote counting 1-20, the concept of is and are and other. For Specials / Outdoor, I think Tuesday is for their audio-visual day and Thursday is library day. They also have a Chinese teacher for their Chinese lesson.

So far, I am happy with their curriculum and sometimes Howell and I are really amazed at how fast kids grasps new knowledge. Like when we went to church, I was telling Bela to thank Jesus for giving her good health and then she goes on saying:

“Yes, teacher says God is great, God is good and God gives us food.”

Bela's Music

2009-07-01T14:24:00.001+08:00

“Music, music. I want music please.”

This is what you will hear from Bela as soon as she enters our car and this means that we have to turn on the radio so she can listen to her favorite music. And it is a delight to hear her sing together with the songs that is being played on our radio. (That is why I like to have one of those satellite radios so we can take our music anywhere we go and let Bela enjoy it with us).

Some of her favorites are:

1. Sing by Carpenters – she calls it the La-la-la song since the song’s lyrics begins with the words “La-la-la-la-la.”
2. Yellow Submarine by Beatles and she sings it like this “We all live in a yellow sub-warine, yellow sub-warine, yellow sub-warine.”
3. Three Little Birds by Bob Marley and her lyrics is “Don’t worry about the things….because every little thing, is gonna be all wite….”
4. I shot the Sheriff by Bob Marley again

You see, Bela is always with us or her lolo and lola (who takes her to school every day) so she always hear the songs that is the favorite of the oldies around her. LOL.

Hubby’s Option for me

2009-07-01T14:05:00.002+08:00

Since hubby noticed that I can’t make up my mind for our upcoming trip this August, he laid down several options:

1. We will take Bela with us.
2. We can change our itinerary so we will just be away for 14 days instead of 20 days (but I tried it and it is really difficult to squeeze our list of places to visit in just 14 days since we have to consider a lot like schedule of flights, etc).
3. We will just have a family vacation when we get back from our Euro trip to make up for those days that we are away from Bela.

I like the sound of option 3 better because this means that we have another reason to travel again. LOL. But if you will ask me what is an ideal family vacation for me, then I can say a nice, relaxing time at the white sand resort in Riviera Maya. I read a lot of good things about Mexican Riviera Maya and if we will go here then I don’t have to worry about Bela since their resort is very child friendly since they offer a lot of activities that is perfect for families so I am sure we wil have a grand time here.

But of course, it all depends on our budget. So we will see….

Bela @ MSS

2009-07-01T13:53:00.002+08:00

We have no work today since it is Canada Day so I was able to go with Bela to school today. I was planning to bring Howell’s camera since we haven’t taken a picture of Bela wearing her school uniform and this is the perfect time for me to capture it in picture. Unfortunately, Howell brought his camera for service maintenance at Canon so I just used my Iphone to take some still shots of Bela.

She was still not in the mood when we reached school and she wants me to carry her all the way up her classroom. Since we are still early, we told her that she can play first with the piano outside their room (anyway this is her regular routine before she enters her room). When she is done playing with the piano, I brought her to her room. She doesn’t want me to go at first but Yaya Jenny gave her blocks to play with and so she did not notice that I went out of her room already.

So when Bela was settled inside her room, I was able to take more pictures:

To go or not to go

2009-07-01T10:45:00.000+08:00

This has always been a question that I always find difficult to answer every time hubby asks me to go with him when he needs to go out of the country. This coming August he will be going to Germany for one week training and he wants me to follow him there so we can have our dream Euro tour. At least this time, his airfare is free plus our hotel in Frankfurt will be free also so it is a huge savings already.

But hubby proposed that if we will be going on a Euro tour, then why not make the most out of it so when I am done finalizing our itinerary, I realized that we will be out of the country for 20 days. We can’t bring Bela with us as we will be moving from one country to the next in just a matter of days so I don’t think it will be a good idea to tag her along as this trip will be so tiring for a toddler like her. Also, we only plan to do backpacking as you know how expensive Europe is and Bela hates small hotels and bed and breakfasts. Plus there is really nothing much that Bela will enjoy in Europe except Paris Disneyland.

I am really torn. When I first knew of hubby’s training I was really excited and I was really planning for it. I even looked for the best diet pills so I will be really looking great for my Euro pictorial. LOL. But yesterday, I was acting like a crazy mother as I was crying in my office because it finally hit me that it is almost a month away before our departure and I am missing Bela terribly already. Call me overacting but I guess it is a natural reaction for a mother. I was actually chatting with my kumareng Peachy when I accidentally opened Bela’s blog and saw her picture and I cried just like that.

When I asked my friends, they have different views also. Of course this is a perfect opportunity also to spend some quality time with hubby which we never really had the opportunity to do since we always bring Bela along with us everywhere we go. But I kept on asking myself if I will really enjoy this trip without my precious daughter.

I still have a few days to decide. My ticket is still on hold and it is reserved until July 6. So maybe I have a definite decision next week…

Options...

2009-07-01T10:13:00.001+08:00

Do you have an educational plan for your kids? We never had one for Bela and we are thinking if we should get one for her or not. After what happened to CAP and to another Education Plan provider who declared bankruptcy and so the plan holders was not able to get their college fund for their kids, I got really skeptical of Educational Plan.

So we just set up a savings account for Bela for her college fund. But I know that this will not earn enough interest and the money is just sitting there in the bank and not earning. So I am looking for other investment options for our savings for Bela.

My friend is into stock options and she is encouraging me to try it too. Although I don’t have any knowledge about investing in stocks, she said that all is taken cared of by her Power Options software. This software is so powerful as it does everything for her – it sorts all the available stocks and then creates a report on which options will give a highest return.

I am so interested to try out this software as I know this is a better choice in investing Bela’s savings account.

Bela at 3.7

2009-06-30T23:00:00.000+08:00

Posting some recent pictures of our dear Ysabela.

I can’t believe how much she has grown and how time really flies. She is still so active and playful but her teacher said that she participates in class more now. Not like when she attended her summer class, her teacher said that she always wants to play instead of listen to her teacher during discussion.

But I still believe that it really depends on the teacher's way on how she can encourage Bela because that is what I notice with my daughter. She has a mind of her own but if you know how to encourage her, she will definitely follow.

We also did some shopping for her last week for the school stuff that she needs. I was able to find the other stuff easily but it was a real challenge looking for an apron for Bela. Kelly gave me a tip to look for the SMOX apron from Crayola at toy stores but unluckily they are always out of stock. And it was still Kelly who rescued me since she was able to find a multiply site that sells one. (Thanks really for this girl). I deposited the payment and it was delivered at our doorstep the next day.

I still haven’t taken a picture yet of Bela wearing her school uniform since I did not take a leave on her first day of school since I think she is adjusted already because she attended summer class there. But I will be on holiday tomorrow (Canada Day), so I will bring Howell’s camera when I bring and fetch her to school tomorrow and I promise I will post the pictures soon.

For her 4th

2009-06-30T22:53:00.007+08:00

June is almost over. The past three years, during this time, I am almost finish with all the preparations for Bela’s birthday. That is why the grand parents are already asking me when we had a family get together last time why I haven’t prepared for Bela’s 4th birthday party.

I have a few plans in mind actually:

1. We will just have a child birthday party in her school. We will still have kids party invitations that we will distribute to all her classmates and teachers, then I will just order food from Jollibee then I might get an entertainment like puppet show (if the school will allow and if the budget permits).

Then aside from her school party, we will make separate children birthday invitations to invite our relatives for her party at the orphanage. Just like what we always do every year, I will just book the birthday party package again from Jollibee and hold the party at the orphanage then we will just have a dinner with our relatives after the party.

2. My second option is I will just have a simple party at school then we will have a Jollibee party with all our close friends and relatives. Bela said that she likes to have an “Under the Sea” party with Sponge Bob, Patrick, Mr. Crab, Nemo, Dory and Octopus. LOL. Let’s see about that. But the last time we attended a Jollibee party, all the mascots are present and Bela had a great time so I am thinking of doing the same thing for her party.

Every time we have a party, we always made it a point to have personalized Invitations Kids Birthday. Hubby is always in charge of that but I am not sure if he has the time to do it this time as we are really busy especially that we are both back to school. So I am thinking of having it done by Express Invitations. I saw their site and they do all sorts of personalized invitations so at least that is one less thing to worry about.

MSS's Facilities

2009-06-24T23:21:00.002+08:00

When we attended the Parents’ Orientation at MSS a few weeks ago, I forgot to remind Howell to bring his camera. So here are just some of the pictures that he took of the Green Cocoon Room (Bela’s classroom) using his camera phone:
What I like about MSS is that they have almost complete facilities like a computer room and the audio visual room. I was even surprised when I saw a picture of Bela playing comfortably in one of the computers in their computer room.

Another thing that I give MSS credit for is that they purchased a thermal scanner in time for the school opening specially now that parents are scared for the welfare of their kids because of the A(N1H1) virus. All students, parents and even yayas will be scanned before allowed entry. My mom was telling me that there was a kid last week that has a temperature of 37.7 and was sent home. At least they are really vigilant about A(N1H1). I bet they must have bought a lot of supplies too from Allegro Medical like hand sanitizer, disposable latex gloves, alcohol, face masks and the like to make sure that proper hygiene is being observed at school. I am sure they will find all of this in Allegro since they are the leading online provider for all medical and health care needs.

MSS will be Bela’s second home as she will spend her time there almost 3 hours per day, 5x a week so I am glad that the school staffs are really taking good care of their students.

Green Cocoon's First Week

2009-06-24T22:27:00.004+08:00

MSS have no official website and during class, parents are only allowed to bring their kids in the classroom and will just have to wait for them downstairs while the class is on-going. That is why when Teacher Sarah informed me during orientation that she set up a Multiply site where she will upload pictures taken during class, I was really thrilled as I at least will have an idea what is going on in class.

Here are some pictures that I snagged from the Green Cocoon’s multiply site:

.: @ the romp - Bela's Favorite :..: Doing her Chinese Worksheet :..: Listening to Teacher's Story during Library Day :..: Look how big Bela's classmates are :..: Bela making her Father's Day Card :..: In the Computer Room :.

I got excited upon seeing the picture of Bela looking like a pro when she was in front of the computer at school. Now I know why Bela likes to play with our computer every time she sees me working on my laptop. She will tell me that she wants to play with letters and numbers. And I am so glad that at least basing from the pictures, looks like she is indeed having fun at school.

Loot Fairy saves my day

2009-06-24T22:20:00.003+08:00

For two weekends, we have been checking out almost all Toy King and Toys R’ Us store in my search for an apron for Bela that she needs at school. Kelly informed me that she got Manu’s from the Crayola booth either at Toys R’ Us or Toy Kingdom but I visited Toys R’ Us and Toy Kingdom and I even called all their branches to check if they have the Crayola apron in stock but I was out of luck.

I checked our Mothercare in Trinoma and I found a water resistant apron bib. It is a little small for an apron and it is only up to Bela’s waist but since I can’t find any, I just settled for this. But thanks to Kelly, she gave me the site of Loot Fairy, a multiply seller.

Transacting with Loi (the owner) is easy. I just filled out the online order form, then she emailed me the order form with the bank details, then I deposited the payment at BPI, I just texted her to inform her of my deposit (I didn’t even have to fax the deposit slip), and then the next day she shipped it via Air 21.

So here is Loot Fairy’s SMOX semi water resistant apron for kids.

.: Photo snagged from Loot Fairy's site :.

The size is just right for Bela and Bela loves the design too. Thanks again Loi and Kelly.

For Bela

2009-06-24T01:44:00.005+08:00

My mom has been bugging me to buy a new earring for my daughter. You see she used to wear the earring that I handed down to her. Then I bought her a new pair but being the playful kid that she is, she lost the new earring that I bought for her.

Good thing I remembered Holsted Jewelers which was recommended to me by a friend. My friend showed me this site where she usually buys her jewelries and now I know why she is a loyal customer of Holsted Jewelers.

They have a wide range of designs that has been meticulously crafted by their designers. And since they have their own designers, all their jewelries are unique and something that you won’t find in a retail store. And the bonus is their jewelry sets are so affordable but I can be assured that it is of high quality.

I found a simple and classic earring for my daughter and I even found discount costume jewelry for myself. Do check out their site and I am sure you won’t leave their site without getting something from their collection.

1st week at MSS - SY 2009 - 2010

2009-06-21T22:31:00.003+08:00

Bela survived her first week at her new school. I did not take a leave on her first day and it was just her lola who brought her to school. I was on leave during her first day at summer class and I feel that she is almost adjusted to her new setup so I decided not to take a leave last week to bring Bela to school.

According to my mom she was so excited on her first day. She was already ready by 7:45 AM (her class starts at 8:30 AM so they leave the house around 8 AM), all dressed up in her uniform, and she even fetched her lola at their house and she was saying “Time for school, time for school.” She is also so happy that everybody was wearing the same clothes. Bela kept on saying “We are all wearing white and blue squares!”

I am glad also that the school purchased a thermal scanner in time for the opening of the school and all students including the fetchers, the parents and everybody who will be coming in and out of the school will be scanned first before allowed entry at the school premises. At least this will give us peace of mind that they are vigilant about H1N1 virus. But just the same, I plan to get a Blue Advantage health insurance for all of us so we will be sure that we are covered whatever happens. (Especially we might be going out of the country this August and September).

Every time we arrived home, I will interview Bela on what they did at school and she will excitedly share stories about what happened at school. Here are some of them:

Bela: “Mom we went to the library. We read books.”
(Every Wednesday is their Library day).

Bela: “I have a gift for daddy for daddy’s day.”
(They made a card for Father’s Day).

Bela: “Mom I am the leader. My classmates are following me.”
(I think everyday they are assigned to be the leader for a particular task).

I already received Bela’s first anecdotal report but it just discusses the activities that they did at school and is not particularly written for Bela. I was so amazed also as they have a Chinese lesson and Bela can already identify the Chinese characters for boy, girl, school, and teacher. Hopefully she is really having a good time at school…

Swimming Class @ Ace Water Spa

2009-06-07T09:51:00.005+08:00

I noticed I haven’t posted pictures taken during Bela’s swimming lessons. Well actually she doesn’t have that much pictures because Howell was always working overtime during the first three sessions of Bela’s class so we don’t have a photographer. But here are some pictures that I took a couple of weeks ago(Pardon the pictures since some are a bit dark or blurred since I can’t find the right setting to take good pictures. I really have to buy my own point and shoot cam since I don’t think I will ever learn how to operate Howell’s SLR cam. LOL.:

Howell is really Bela’s official swimming buddy. I have to take his place only if he is working overtime on a weekend, otherwise, he has to be the one who will accompany Bela during class. I prefer it that way. Aside from the fact that the class is tiring (LOL), I want Howell to join Bela because she is not a control freak or an over protective dad like me. If Bela is with me during class, I feel that she is not enjoying that much because I have to stop her from doing things that she enjoys like swimming on her own because you know as a mom, I am paranoid that something bad will happen. But if she is with Howell, Howell lets her enjoy and have fun. (I admit, I am a corny mom. LOL). But I am just after her welfare you know.

Actually Bela is still not finish with her class. She only goes to class once a week and her class was canceled 4 times I think during the summer season so I think she will finish her class by July pa. This is just okay since I plan to enroll her to swimming class the whole year but I am still thinking if I will transfer her to Aqua Logic after her class with BLSS.

Short Summer Dress from Katrice Wear: Shipped

2009-06-07T09:35:00.005+08:00

They’re here, the short summer dress that I ordered from Katrice Wear. As promised, Marissa was able to ship our dresses via JRS Express. She texted me Tuesday to inform me that she already shipped the dresses and by Wednesday, it was delivered at our doorstep.

I was so excited that I ripped open the package as soon as I saw it. I asked Bela that we try it on. Bela was already on her PJs and is sleepy already but wen she saw me wearing the dress, she was all up to trying her dress too. I have to do a little convincing though and I have to tell her that we have to try it on since we will be wearing it the next day when we go to the mall. And she said, “How about we wear it when we go to Singapore?” And I just said Yes, even though I don’t know when our next trip to Singapore will be. LOL.

I know Jane and Marissa carried the dress much better than I am. LOL. This made me realized that I really have to take diet pills since I am really gaining weight already. But good thing the style of the dress is a little loose so my tummy is not showing. But I love it. I love it so much that Bela and I wore it the next day when we accompanied my brother for his Pamanhikan. Howell haven’t downloaded the pictures yet but here is our picture wearing the dresses after we tried it on the nigth that we received the package.

My Future Cecile Licad

2009-06-07T01:44:00.005+08:00

I shot this video when she was just two years old.

At early age, we can already see her love for music just like her dad. Every time we go to our friend’s house, she will never fail to check out the piano of my friend and she will play piano non stop until it is time for us to go home.

Now that she is three years old, one of her favorite TV show on Playhouse Disney is the Little Einsteins. Quincy, one of the characters from the show, just loves to play musical instruments and I think letting Bela watched it has helped developed Bela into becoming a musically inclined kid. Would you believe she can identify all kinds of instruments from a saxophone, an oboe, a tuba, a guitar, a violin, snare drum, bass drum, etc. You name it and she can quickly identify each of the instruments. I don’t know the difference between a snare drum and a bass drum, let alone identify all the other instruments.

But I am really glad that she is developing a love for music. You see, that is one of my frustrations. LOL. So as early as now, I am checking out piano lessons already like the online piano lessons of Yoke Wong which I read is really an effective way to learn how to play the piano. Can you blame me? I don’t have any talents so I want my kids to be as talented as their father so I have to find ways to develop that talent in Bela. And that's our role right, to hone the gifts of our children.

Officially a Preschooler

2009-06-07T01:21:00.004+08:00

Last May 30 was the last day of enrollment at MSS, Bela’s new school for this coming school year. I have asked my mom to go to Bela’s school to enroll Bela as I have a party to attend to that day.

I had to wait until the last day to enroll Bela because like what I said before, I am still thinking twice if we are making the right decision in moving her to a mix progressive and traditional school. But after talking to some of my friends like Jane and Jody, who have been in the same situation as I am, I got convinced that Bela will really have to adjust. eventually It may not be now, but she will be moving to a big school where the setup is totally different from a progressive school, so it is better that we let her adjust now than wait until it is time for her to move to big school.

I always ask Bela if she likes her new school and she always answer Yes so I guess she is really happy with her new school. But I just enrolled her for the first quarter as I am still not 100% happy with our decision. At least, if ever I see that Bela is really having a hard time and is not enjoying school, then I can just move her to another school and I don’t have to worry if I can get a refund from her tuition or not.

Her schedule will be from Monday to Friday at 8:30 AM. I made reservations for the 9 AM class last February but when I called MSS, I learned that the teacher for the 9 AM class is the teacher who commented that Bela is “makulit” (yup that’s her term) when I approached her on the first day of class to ask how's Bela at class. And since Bela’s personal choice is Teacher Sarah, who is her teacher during summer class for Magic Strokes, I decided to transfer her to the 8:30 AM schedule instead.

So there, looks like everything is settled and she is ready for her first day of school on June 16. Look at her wearing her school uniform. It is still a little loose so we have to send it for repair. But isn’t she just so cute? She is now officially, a preschooler.

She is a Lion!

2009-06-06T10:36:00.005+08:00

For a week now, Bela has been wearing this almost everyday (for the whole day) while she is playing at home:

My mom said that she saw a lion while she was watching one of her favorite shows and she remembered that she has a lion costume and so she asked my mom to let her wear her costume. And since then it would be difficult for us to make her wear any other clothes except for her lion costume. LOL.

I can’t believe that she has grown so fast. She has a mind of her own now and looks like she is already making decisions for herself. But I am so proud of my daughter. She is really growing up to be a smart and independent girl.

That is why I am so thankful for my husband for giving me our beautiful, smart, sweet and charming daughter, Ysabela. And since Father’s Day will be in just a few weeks I am now looking for a perfect gift that we can give Howell for his special day. I was just checking free online auctions site like Webstore and I found some great sports memorabilia that I am sure my husband will go crazy for. What is nice about Webstore is that there are no fees if I want to buy or sell anything from their site. I am sure I will be able to find something here as our perfect Father’s Day gift for Howell.

Her Barbie Dolls

2009-05-28T22:35:00.006+08:00

I was watching a documentary on TV about cancer particularly about mesothelioma and I can’t help but feel emotional since my aunt who is very dear to my heart died from cancer. So instead, I turned off the TV and I decided to just blog about Bela’s latest pictures.

Bela is the type of kid who rarely plays with dolls. She only plays with one doll and it is her Baby Alive doll, which was a gift from her Tita Veejay last Christmas and she only took it out from the box just recently and I think she only played with it twice or thrice only.
She is the type of kid who loves playing with her animal toys like her Littlest Petshop collection, her Puppy in my Pocket collection, or her plastic animal toys instead of playing with her dolls. So I was really surprised last Sunday night when she entered our room carrying Barbie dolls and a Bratz doll which is still inside the box. She went inside our second room with her dad and she saw a big paper bag containing my old Barbie Dolls and she got interested and for this week, it has been her favorite toy. She will play with it and she will pretend to be a doctor and the Barbie dolls are her patients. Or she will play pretend with her Barbie dolls and we can hear her telling stories, with the Barbie dolls as the main characters of her story.

By the way, if you will notice the Barbie dolls look a little old and their dresses are filthy. Well it is because they are more than ten years old already because they are my old Barbie dolls which I handed down to my sister and now she handed it down to Bela. I am really glad that Bela is having fun playing with my old toys.