Sow Fee Tell Weekend

On the long weekend commemorating Araw ng Kagitingan, Raffy had the splendid idea of organizing a getaway. The weather forecast, being stormy or rainy, foreclosed any plane rides or long drives. So we cheated and checked into Sofitel, a good 20 minute car ride away :) Instead of a getaway, it was a staycation - which wasn't bad at all. In fact, with 2 rowdy boys, it's the perfect solution since this allowed us to use up all our energy on the boys instead of the trip to and fro. And we didn't need a vacation from the vacation after all was said and done.

Upon seeing pictures of Sofitel, you should have heard the chants of "sow-fee-tel! sow-fee-tel!" that erupted and the matching march around the condo. The river-like pool punctuated with bridges, waterfalls and boulder/rocks sealed the deal. And the kids were not disappointed.

After 2 -3 hours of swimming, it was date night - but with kids. The mokongs had a very adult dinner in Casa Armas ... yummy! Over dinner, I realized that 5 is the age where it gets tougher to make kids try something new. When Baz was around that age, he practically refused to touch red food or anything that looked new to him. Now, he was willing to try everything with the assurance that we won't force him to eat it if after trying he didn't like it. And now, it is Hadrien's turn.... oh well..... At least, there was 1 less person to fight with over chorizo.

It was a great great weekend and it lived up to the kids' excitement. Oh, and before I end this, just couldn't resist posting this photo of Hadrien brushing his teeth. Too funny! Thanks for capturing this, Raf!

Video Catch Up

or should I say video-editing-galore-to-make-space-in-space-deprived-hard-drive? Not that I'm complaining. Better now than when its too unwieldy.

This video is a compilation of video and photos from Baz's first swimming culminating activity. We were worried about swimming classes at first specially since we knew it would be extremely difficult to be there to watch each week. Can you imagine how Baz would have felt if we made him sit out? He loves school work - math and all - but he LOVES football and swimming. Between the two, he loves swimming more! You can just feel how happy he was even by just watching this video.

This video was taken when we had to do a DIY pictorial at home for the mokongs' violin recital. True to form, Hadrien put on his thinking cap to show us that aside from his "violin skills", he could also be a drummer. Trust Hadrien to find multiple uses and "sowutions" for things around him and to make sure he puts on a good performance in front of the video camera!

And here's a video of the Golden Band's first performance. Mommy and Baz on the drums (designed by Hadrien) while Hadrien belted out Happy Together (even if he only knew ... let's see .... 1/5 of the words of the song!).

Elections 2010

Election came and went. And much to everybody's relief, it went by in relative peace. Someone mentioned that the election automation was the first of its kind - considering that we were going from 0% to 100% automation. Despite glitches that led to predictions of election failure and implotion of the automation process, the PCOS machines and CF Cards did not disappoint. We are one with the majority who say (for now, at least) that the election was a success!

The Mokongs' interest in politics came about during the aftermath of President Cory's passing as you can see here and here. After that, they asked about government, laws, Marcos, Gloria, Ninoy AquinoY. It was only natural that come campaign season, they were well-prepped and had opinions of their own on who should lead our country.

H to his classmate: I want Noynoy to be President!

Teacher J: Why?

H: Because I went to his house.

Classmate: How about X (another candidate)?

H: No, I didn't go to his house!

Another classmate: Me, I like Villar!

H: Why?! You want the roads to be zigzag?!!

(Teacher J remarked that this conversation helped her understand the controversy about diversion of roads WAAAY much better!)

_______

H: Villar made the roads zigzag. Remember, Tagaytay and Ko-Asia (Croatia)?

_______

On the way to Calatagan where the road became winding and some roads were only partially cemented -

B: Villar, what did you do?!!! (in a whining and irritated voice)

_______

B: When did Gloria become president?

Mommy: In 2001.

B: What?! But the last elections were in 2004!

Mommy: You're right but in 2001, the people kicked Erap out. So since Gloria was the Vice-President, she became the President.

B: But you can only be President for 6 years!

Mommy: Yes, but that is only if you became President through elections. Gloria was not elected in 2001.

B: But 9 years is too long to be President!

(At his young age, he knew that occupying the highest position of the land for 9 LONG years is much too much.)

___________

They also did some campaigning of their own.

B: Please, Grandma, puh-lease, can you please vote for Noynoy?

___________

Hadrien was also adept at reading cues. He knew who his grandparents were voting for. But he had this to say about Gramps.

H: Gramps is voting for Noynoy. If he is talking to other people, he says he is voting for Gibo. But if he is talking to Grandma, he says he is voting for Villar.

___________

They were also hungry to learn about the election process.

B: Where are the elections going to be?

M: All over the country.

B: There will be many elections?!!

___________

On the day of the elections, a slightly feverish Baz could not be deterred from participating in the elections. As we were accompanying Raffy to vote in Las Pinas, I did not want the boys to go in blue and/or yellow. But it was pointless to try to get them to do otherwise. They've waited so long for "their" votes to be cast - and they wanted everyone to know who they were rooting for.

Here are some photos of the mokongs having their first taste of the electoral process:

(waiting patiently in more than 30 centigrade heat)

(making his Laban sign, just in case someone was in doubt as to who his candidate was. in korean kasi ang campaign material sa shirt niya!)

(posing with the friendly policemen who were making sure that everything was going smoothly)

(Mokongs: There, Aquino! Lacson! - The Mokongs making sure that their Daddy doesn't forget who to vote for. The future generation is taking the future into their hands. Their logic is simple - vote for someone who (at least for now) follows the rules. If you can't obey the laws, you can't be President)

(Waiting for the "congratulations" on the PCOS machine's screen.)

At dinner time, their election fever was still high -

H: Kuya, If I run for VP and Noynoy will run for president, who will you vote for?

B: There will be 3 presidents before Hadrien will be allowed to vote and 2 presidents before I can vote. (I thought I was good in math but it took me a while to digest this statement and verify its accuracy.)

It's not that I want my boys entering politics any time. But I think it's a good sign that they're concerned about their country and having an opinion about things like these.

One Very Hot Sunday Afternoon

Raffy organized a trip to Pila, Laguna so that the kids can see Philippine ancestral houses. It's a pity that there are very few left of these houses for the kids of their generation to appreciate. Not even the blazing heat could take away from the rare sight of the plaza surrounded by well-preserved Filipino houses.

While there, Baz got to review what he learned during their theme investigation on Philippine houses such as callado, bangerahan and ventanillas. Sadly, we learned that some of these houses are uninhabited except for the token care-taker. Some are owned by corporations and therefore used as offices. And because it's election time, many of the houses were plastered with campaign materials. Obviously, the boys were happy to see the Noynoy/Mar campaign posters - and covered their eyes as they came upon Villar's.

It was quite a drive so the first order of the day was lunch at a local carenderia off the town plaza. And Raffy was actually okay with the kids eating carinderia food!!!! For the kids, we played it safe with sinigang (which they re-heated in the microwave as an extra precaution) and grilled fish. Don't worry, we did bring our own set of utensils for the kids. Hahaha!!!

As for us, we took a chance and tried the menudo. We were rewarded for our bravery :)

Sidebar: Look at the little mokong here. Ano ba, Hadrien? Were you bored, intrigued, shocked or captivated by the movie you were watching (while Mommy and Daddy were eating in relative peace)?

After lunch, we visited the St. Anthony de Padua church - beautiful both inside and out.

This is what the sun does to poor Hadrien ...

A quick stroll around the plaza and a first-ever tricycle ride followed, complete with lubak and all!

(Agra house in the background, Daddy and a wilted Hadrien in the foreground)

(in front of the Rivera house)

(in front of the Pila Municipal Hall)

(St. Anthony de Padua Church in the background)

(their first tricycle ride c/o Mang Jessie)

On the way back, it would be unforgiveable not to take a photo of the lush green ricefields. Thinking that we would actually go into the ricefields, Baz cautioned: We must be extra careful or we will ruin it!

Then another quick stop at UP Los Banos. but not without stopping to picky up milk from the Dairy Husbandry. YUMMM!!!

More Facebook Updates from Mommy

M sees two kids clutching their ears. The reason: a truck playing the song of Villar passed by. H is now shouting: STOP, VILLAR!! OK?!!! (4/11/10)

B and H are so much into politics these days. They both refuse to eat, wear or even see anything orange. If anyone says they like "V", they immediately berate that person with "why?! do you like the roads to be zigzag?" (4/10/10)

Comments:

1. There goes their beta-carotene! Tsktsktsk! Hahaha! - T. Jojie
2. The roads to be zig zag... HIGHlarious! - Nikka
3. When when we were playing with the toy bowling....they refused to hit the yellow pins..but they put the orange ones up front so that it would be the first one to fall. LOL!! grabe na 'to!! - Aunti Ritchie

B: Daddy, I have to ask you something. What does a lawyer do? D: Lawyers help people understand the laws. They also help people when they appear before the courts, like the Supreme Court. B: What is a court? Like a basketball court? (Laughter) B: Is that part of the government? D: Yes, you remember there are ... (3/24/10)

Baz's reaction to chat not working: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is so so so Very BAD!!!!!!!!!!! x-(. (3/13/10)

Baz: I watched Noynoy (obviously a big fan) on the news. They called him "Senador", not "Senator"... Must speak Filipino to them more often. (3/13/10)

The kids were upset during yesterday's brownouts. H asked me if he could go to heaven and turn on the lights and come back to earth. At some point (10 minutes into the brownout) they both got cranky so I told them that they should learn to be still. B asked me what he could do in the dark (I figured they got bored talking to me), so I said why don't you talk to God. And he said "God, please fix the power plants!" (3/2/10)

M's 4 and 6 year old rushed to meet her and Raffy as they came home. B reported that H hit him on the head. The reason for the scuffle - they had an argument as to whether "infinity" was a number! Needless to say, the scolding for the physical fight was half-hearted. (3/1/10)

H's attempt to make her feel guilty with: "Mommy, when you go on trips without us, I want you to get this, this, and this... Make sure when you go that you get this, this and that. Ok? Promise?" (pointing to a Thomas the Train catalog) (2/14/10)

H: "Mommy, I love you to infinity!" But this is the same kid who made paper flowers for 3 of his favorite girl classmates - and none for me! (1/20/10)

M fooled B into thinking that she turned eggwhites and salt into icing and then chicken! (1/18/10)

Shoe-ssess

Let me preface this with .... I SHOULD HAVE DONE THIS SOONER!!!!

The Kinder Koala's Shoes culminating activity was held October last year. And it took me more than 4 months to blog about it. Sorry, Hadrien! You'll see .... I'll make it up to you.

The theme on shoes came after "sari-sari" store. In keeping with the theme, instead of footprints, the path leading to the Kinder Koala's room was peppered with cut outs of various kinds of shoes, hand painted by Hadrien and his classmates. This set the stage for a month-filled activities involving shoes. Even if Hadrien skipped school for about 2 weeks to attend Tita Bel's wedding in Dubrovnik, he was on shoe-theme mode making sure he took pictures of the shoes he saw:




These were nifty additions to the kinds of shoes he learned in school - sneakers, ballet shoes, slippers, boots, ice skates, etc. His new-found expertise on shoes also added a good 5-minute to our routine everyday as he showed off his knowledge on the parts of a shoe - outsole, insole, heel, vamp and accessories (e.g., glitter, buckles, velcro, straps, etc). Or when he insisted on wearing black leather shoes and white sport socks on days when he was already dressed in shorts. (At this point, I might suggest adding to the lesson which shoes go with which outfit... sneakers do not need shoe polish or that black polish should not be applied to brown shoes.... but I digress...) On some days, he went through our shoe drawers to to point out that shoes could be made out different materials - such as rubber, leather and fabric.

They were supposed to go on a field trip to Marikina to see how shoes are manufactured. But because of Ondoy which inundated Marikina and other parts of the Metro, they decided to collect shoes and other donations for people who make shoes. This was a great lesson in itself.

During the culminating activity, the Koalas recited "There Was An Old Woman Who Lived In a Shoe" and another poem which they composed. They also sang and danced to a couple of shoe songs. They held an exhibit where they showed off their shoe designs (both sketches and actual finished products) and allowed us to see and touch a sampling of shoes. We were allowed and encouraged to ask the kids questions. And they were mostly NOT shy to answer our questions. It was an activity filled morning - with the parents and yayas getting the chance to play shoe relay and nibble on shoe-shaped cookies.

I must mention that T. Jojie even came dressed with a pretty-shoe-printed blouse. Talagang sticking to the theme!

Flowers, Flowers Everywhere!

Baz's 5's and 6's (aka Prep) class had a culminating activity on flowers last week. For about a month or two, they learned about the different parts of the flower, what flowers are used for, what flowers need to survive. They also learned about 2 painters who were famous for their flower paintings - Vincent Van Gogh and Georgia O'Keeffe.

They had 3 field trips. The first to see different kinds of flowers at Greenbelt Park - a bit poetic since as we were growing up, the park near Shakeys that became Strumms, now Greenbelt 5, looked like a lush mini-forest. The second was to Flower Farm in Tagaytay where they saw greenhouses, learned that chrysanthemums are "tricked" into thinking that there was continuous sunlight by the use of light bulbs strung across the flowerbeds. The third was to Market! Market! where they interviewed people from a flower shop, learned about the flower trade, how to make flower arrangements and put some math into action by buying flowers and making sure they received the right amount of change.

In science, they dissected a flower and saw first-hand what the stamen, pistel, ovules, ovary - in addition to the run-of-the-mill stem, leaves, roots, petals and sepal. They witnessed capillary action at work when they put white flowers into 3 separate jars containing yellow, red and blue dyes - causing the flower petals to change colors. They learned how to measure flowers and chart the lengths.

During the culminating activity, the 5's and 6's opened their very own flower shop - aptly named Flowers & Flowers. We were wisely instructed to prepare P10 and P1 coins and were given an order slip showing how much our order cost. Raffy had his film-tubes of coins and Baz counted out exactly how much he needed - P95 to be exact. The business part out of the way, Baz went into flower-arrangement-mode. His aesthetic was Ikebana-esque. And he snipped and cut away like an expert.

Then we got to see their paintings - all inspired by Van Gogh and O'Keeffe. I couldn't believe how artistic these kids are. There's something to be said about not requiring kids to do projects at home. Their skills are really harnessed and honed - no parents doing their kids' projects here! Still, it's a lot better than I would have expected from these 5 and 6 year olds.

To cap the activity - the kids sang "Starry, Starry Night" - a song inspired by Vincent Van Gogh's life and paintings.

Obviously, we're mighty pleased about what our kids are learning at Keys. And what's more, they are REALLY REALLY happy in school.




Next post: Hadrien's shoe culminating activity....

Daddy Is Not Independent

For a long time now, we've been trying to get the kids to sleep on their own beds in their own (shared) room. But every now and then, we'd give in to pleas to allow them to sleep with us. Lately , I felt that I wasn't getting enough restful sleep with elbows and knees periodically nudging me so I began to put my foot down. Today, as Raffy was prepping them for bed, I overheard Baz say: "Daddy, you're already almost 40 and you're still sleeping with Mommy! So you should be more independent."

What did you say, Daddy?

How Do You Pee?!

The hazards of having to take your son to the public bathroom when you have no choice but to have him stay in the stall while you do your business...

The following conversation is a variant of a similar conversation last week. This one took place at home as we were all getting ready to leave.

B: Mommy, can I see your penis?

M: I don’t have one.

B: What?!!! How do you pee?

M: Baz remember your lesson about flowers? There are boy parts and girl parts.

D: Mommy has A stamen. Ha ha ha ha ha ha…


Note: The last two lines were typed by Baz. So, for the record, he can say that he started blogging at age 6 :). He even wanted to be accurate in the number of "ha's" to type, asking Raffy how many times he laughed.

See Kwet

The boys like secrets (or as Hadrien says it - See Kwets). I'd see them huddling in a corner, whispering into each others ears and I'd smell trouble. For the most part, Baz is able to keep secrets. But it's not the same from Hadrien, who, once you give him a pleading look, easily gives in and spills the beans.

Last Monday, as the kids were preparing to say their evening prayers, Hadrien says he has a secret. It didn't take long for him to share that it was his favorite girl's birthday the following day.

H: Mommy, it's B's birthday tomorrow and she llllllllliiiiiikes strawberry cupcakes (with matching gigil face).

M: Do you have something to give her tomorrow?

H: No, but I have a plan. Tomorrow, early morning, yaya must go and buy a strawberry cupcake.

Yaya interjects and asks me if Hadrien told me his secret.

H: Mommy, my secret is that B is still my girlfriend. But don't tell D as D might tell B and B might tell T (who apparently is B's original or real girlfriend).

The "konsitedor" that we are - the next day, Raffy and I were on hand to buy B some strawberry shortcake and personally deliver it to H's classroom, with a home-made crown fashioned from orange cartolina (according to Hadrien's specs).

There's more - he wanted to make sure B knew exactly how he felt. He actually sang 4 songs for her, 3 of which were christmas songs :0



A couple of days later, as I brought Hadrien to his classroom, I spied T walking behind us. I asked Hadrien if I could tell T his secret. He froze and furiously shook his head. I guess when it counts, Hadrien can really keep a secret :)

Update: B's yaya told us B liked the Strawberry Shortcake from the little mokong. Wagi!

Masterpieces - Part 1

Just wanted to show off some of the mokongs' masterpieces. They've been having informal art classes with Papa and just started painting last week. The boys play art director by telling Papa what they want him to draw and where. They then put their paintbrushes and markers to work, and....voila!















By Hadrien














By Baz














By Baz

Christmas 2009

'Tis the season that's so busy. Lalalalalalalalalala.... What with all the christmas parties, programs, get-togethers, reunions, shopping lists, wrapping and gift-tagging marathon on top of all the work that needed to get done before the end of the year. We have a lot to be grateful for during the past year. But as I look back, foremost of all the blessings showered on us is the presence and assurance of the constancy of family and friends.

During the holidays, we celebrated with:

1. Hadrien's class where the little mokong sang We Wish You a Merry Christmas, Silver Bells, Happy Birthday, Jesus, It's My Favorite Time of the Year (teachers J and N, correct me if I'm wrong:) ). While Hadrien LOVES performing and attention being lavished on him, he seemed to be a bit distracted while performing. Is it because B (who was in China attending a wedding?) was not there? Hmmm..... At the party, we picked up hand-made christmas cards by the little mokong to go with our christmas gifts to family. The cards were a big hit among our families.

2. Baz's school during the christmas concert held at Xavier School. Now performance is something that Baz does not particularly relish. Actually, that's an understatement. Baz detests having to perform and all the attention that goes with it. This has to a certain extent rubbed off on us as we anxiously looked forward to these occasions. But each opportunity gives us reason to hope. And again, we were not disappointed as he performed beautifully during the class numbers - never mind that he did not join in the Swahili song performed by all his school-mates.

3. students and sisters of the Padre Annibale School in Marikina. This was the Mokongs' Christmas Project as conceptualized and implemented by them. So moved were they by the effects of Typhoon Ondoy that they decided to break the piggy-bank to buy school supplies, food that don't need refrigeration, spam, popsicle sticks and other staples. In preparation for their sharing, they weighed and 50 3-kilo bags of rice and packed all 50 care packages. Family and friends were on hand to help out as well - Auntie Ricci helped us shop for school materials in Binondo and came with us during the sharing, Mama and Papa helped us pack and contributed to the Jollibee snack fund, and Raffy's office friends added art materials to the loot enjoyed by the children. It was a chance for the boys to meet other children, hear first-hand how the flood affected other children, share their blessings and serve in their own small way.

4. Office christmas parties and other yearly traditions. December 23 was jam-packed. The kids started off with lunch mommy, mama, papa, Tita Ed and Tito Mikel then attended the children's christmas party at SRMO then had a leisurely afternoon tea at the Peninsula where they posed for their annual picture by the gigantic tree (no fake Santa this time!) then attended the IUBI/mommy's law office christmas party. Phew!!!!

5. Christmas Eve in Alabang with mommy's family and Christmas day in Tahanan with Daddy's family. Needless to say, there was a LOT of gift-giving this year which the boys thoroughly enjoyed. Back at the Parc, as soon as each boy finished his dinner, Santa rang the doorbell to individually deliver the Little Amsterdam blocks for Baz and the Beams and Girders toy for Hadrien. The boys had to earn their christmas gifts though by practicing packing away, patience and participating more in school.

6. a Marian Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Lipa, Batangas and to the Mountain of Salvation where a lady named Emma de Guzman has been experiencing visions of Mama Mary. We helped ourselves to the spring water at the grotto and said a special prayer for our intentions. On the way between Lipa and Batulao, we drove by Taal lake for a wonderful view of the volcano. We were treated to traffic on our way back down to Manila which presented us with another opportunity for more eating!

7. geek lunch with Mai, Nonie, Jill, Miguel and Gabby at The Frazzled Cook, Hadrien's restaurant of choice which is conveniently located right by his school. The boys had fun with Nonie's boys while the DVD player served as nanny to the boys. Now, if only the DVD player could take them to the toilet....

8. Tita Ed and Ickyboy on December 29 at Dragon Gate. Mokong Hadrien chose to wear his superman costume to lunch that day, and earned his brother and him another opportunity to go to Raffy's office to show off.

9. Lunch with Tita Ed, Jolly and Kristine on December 30 at Bistro Filipino. This might be the only adult-only event during this break. We feasted on Filipino food with a twist and had way too much food for one meal!

10. New Year's Eve at Alabang. This is the first time the boys managed to stay awake until midnight and buena noche. Probably because this was the first time they really understood that new year's even marked the end of 2009 and the beginning of 2010 (as as Gramps put it, the beginning of a new decade!). Like last year, we judiciously refrained from buying any paputok and enjoyed fireworks at, literally, our neighbors' expense!

11. New Year's Day at La Vista. The boys got to play with their cousins more this time and gave us a glimpse of christmas, birthday and new year parties to come!

Happy new year everyone. Thanks for sharing our journey in 2009!

Video Catch-Up

My form of de-cluttering is organizing photos and uploading videos to somewhere safe just in case.... Enjoy!




Now if only I can figure out how to efficiently move videos and pictures to one computer (as we downloaded to 2 computers) so that I can finally print and make more photobooks and slideshows.

Not sure if I posted these videos here but just in case I haven't.....

"2" from malou.khan on Vimeo.

"Sabay-na-Sabay" from malou.khan on Vimeo.

Happiness is Hadrien from malou.khan on Vimeo.

The Baz Connection from malou.khan on Vimeo.

So Happy Together from malou.khan on Vimeo.