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!