In this day and age of iPads, iPhones, video games and PSP’s, getting kid’s to do something other than just finger and thumb movement… Know what I mean?

One of the problems that I thought that I would need to tackle is HOW TO PREVENT SKY FROM GETTING INTO TECHIE GAMES.

In turns out that I need not worry about him getting absorbed with video games or even with the “idiot box” that is the TV.

He has this innate need for MOVING.

Even if he does see me work on the computer most of the time, he never wanted to play on the computer… Maybe, once or twice a month. But, that’s it.

Perhaps, the main motivating factor that I was able to imbibe to him – is I LET HIM TRY ALMOST ANYTHING.

And if he gets bruised or hurt, I don’t make a big deal of it.

But most of the time, I am just amazed with how awesome his agility is at such a young age.

What are the Benefits of Keeping Your Kids Active?

• Instills confidence
• Doesn’t get Sick easily
• Strong bones and muscles
• They’re WAY MORE HAPPIER!

So, the next time your kid wants to do a cartwheel, go ahead and do a cartwheel with him!

This link from the Mommy Mundo website caught my eye when I read about their upcoming bazaar this November. And I thought that it deserved a totally different post here in my blog.

There will be one stall from a popular US retail brand brought in by it’s donor relations, Kristinna Palomo in that two-day event. And get this. 100% of the sales from this stall will be donated to the Visions of Hope school project.

Aside from that, there is also a CHRISTMAS WISH LIST from the children of Vision of Hope. You may leave your donation at the entrance of the Mommy Mundo bazaar or at the Mommy Mundo office by November 30, 2011.

From the Mommy Mundo MomShare website:

VISIONS OF HOPE KIDS’ CHRISTMAS WISH LIST 2011!

VISIONS OF HOPE ROSE OF SHARON CAMPUS WISH LIST (Younger kids 34 children, 4-11 years old)

- Bath towels (for all children)
- Barbie dolls (for all girls)
- Toy cars (for all boys)
- Rubber shoes (for both boys and girls)
- Clothes (T-shirts and shorts for boys and girls)
- School supplies (school bags,etc)

THE VISION OF HOPE MAGDALENA CAMPUS WISH LIST (male children from 12-22 years old)
- Brass instruments for our Drum and Bugle i.e. trombone, cymbals, etc
- Outdoor Sports items; i.e. soccer, basketball, volleyball, badminton, etc
- Knee socks and shoes for soccer, basketball etc
Note from Tin: Although they maybe quite old in their chronological age, their learning skills are mostly that of a Grade 4 student. Poor readers, slow writers, very low comprehension level. Very little english vocabulary etc.

Hope that you can include the kid’s of Vision of Hope in your Christmas shopping too! Or donate what you can from your home that you really don’t use anymore.

Have a BLESSED HOLIDAY everyone! Will definitely drop by at Rockwell tent then!

Watch out for the upcoming Bazaar dedicated for Mom’s (and Dad’s too!) this coming November 19 to 20, 2011 at the Rockwell tent. The Mommy Mundo bazaar is held every year, but for the first time – this is going to be a two-day event. So you have more time to go back and shop around just in time for the Christmas season!

Here are the details:

WHAT: MOMMY MUNDO BAZAAR 2011

WHEN: November 19 to 20, 2011 from 10:00AM to 8:00PM

WHERE: ROCKWELL TENT, Makati City

ENTRANCE FEE: 30 pesos per adult and children 12 years old and below get in for free

Do they accept credit cards? YES!

Do I need to bring anything else? KINDLY BRING YOUR OWN SHOPPING BAG or BUY a NIFTY ECO-BAG THERE!

Please head on to to Mommy Mundo’s website at www.mommymundo.com or Like their Facebook page here for more information!

Today being a holiday, my little man and I went to Trinoma to play and to tick off some errands in my list.

I was quite starving for white cheese pizza from Sbarro – which has become my favorite thing to eat BEFORE and AFTER a long run. So while we were both enjoying our lunch, I went over our plan for the day on how to spend the afternoon at the mall.

ME: “After we eat Sky, I need to get you a haircut and right after that, I’ll leave you at the Martian’s playground to play while I go around to shop for new socks and underwear for you, okay?”

SKY: “Mom, can we go to the playground NOW, after I bite my pizza just more FOUR TIMES?”

ME: “Babe, you need your strength if you’re going to play in the playground with the other kids. And you need that haircut first, BEFORE playing.. Because by the time, I pick you up – you’ll be TIRED and CRANKY.”

SKY: “Aaaawww Mom…Actually Mom, I WON’T BE CRANKY. FIVE pizza bites, then you leave me at the playground, then I get a HAIRCUT and then can we go around and look at the toys downstairs? DEAL?”

ME: “That’s not what we talked about Sky. FINISH your PIZZA, then haircut and then we can look around the toys downstairs. And I am not buying you A TOY. We’ll just LOOK AROUND.”

SKY: “M-O-M! I ate so much bread before we left the house! I WILL THROW UP! PLEASE! Playground, haircut and then JUST LOOK AT THE TOYS?”

ME: “OKAY, here’s the deal. Eat HALF of your PIZZA, then a FAST haircut, playground and then JUST LOOK at the toys AND then we go home. That’s it.”

SKY: “Okay. Fine. You’re not being FAIR Mom…”

I just gave him THE LOOK and another LOOK at his pizza, and then he started eating again.

The lady beside us, couldn’t help but say, “YOU KNOW WHAT? YOU’RE GOING TO MISS THAT… DON’T WORRY, HE’LL EAT WHEN HE GETS HUNGRY.”

I hope that the lady didn’t see my eyes suddenly water up, when she told me that I was going to MISS this. Because, I knew I WILL – when he grows up.

He may not look happy here when he was getting his haircut, but he tightly held my hand ALL THE WAY to the barbershop.

Hopefully, after making some space in your home by giving away some of your kid’s pre-loved toys; you can add in one or two new toys for your kid’s this coming Christmas 2011.

Here are some of the toys that seemed to be the best ones so far from Amazon.com.

1.Angry Birds: Knock on Wood Game - Who wouldn’t want to play Angry Birds for real with your friends? It comes with three Angry birds, some green pigs, wooden beams, mission cards and one slingshot launcher. And two to four players can play this game.

2.Hot Wheels Wall Tracks Starter Set - Sky wrote this down in his Christmas letter to Santa. And I myself, find it really cool to have wall tracks zooming cars around – instead of just the usual floor car tracks. Really excellent twist of a toy that Hot wheels came up with.

3.Kodak EasyShare Sport C123 (Red) (New Model) - Encourage your kids to take pictures while at play with the Kodak Sport. This one comes in two other colors and is waterproof up to 10 ft. underwater. Easy to take pictures with a 2.6- inch display screen and with a whopping 12 megapixels to boot.

4.Cloud b Twilight Constellation Night Light, Turtle - This one I would want for Sky and me! It transforms your bedroom in a virtual planetarium… Well, not really – but you will definitely see stars in your room at night with this Turtle. Kind of like sleeping outside, under the stars – in the comfort of your own bedroom. It has a sleep off timer – just in case you go into dreamland and have not had a chance to shut it off. Hmmm.. Seriously, thinking of buying one of these turtles!

5.Flybar Foam Maverick Pogo Stick (Black/Silver) - Designed for children ages 5 to 9 years old. This pogo stick is perfect for beginners (like myself! except my weight will most probably break it in .03 seconds flat.). The rugged metal frame is covered with durable foam – made for kid’s so this pogo stick will last a long time.

If you’re based in The Philippines and would love to buy any of the toys mentioned above, you can have them shipped to Manila via FRS Freight Shop or through Johnny Air Shop Online! With both of these freight/ courier companies – all you need to do is have your purchases shipped to their offices with YOUR NAME/ PADALA KO (For FRS) or Crissy Jeanjaquet (Johnny Air), send them an email with your details and mobile number. Expect to get a text message from them after a week or two letting you know how much is your total bill and if your package has already arrived. For more information, please visit their websites:

FRS Freight Shop Philippines

Johnny Air Shop Online Philippines

Alright, these are just the Top 5 Toys for Kid’s that I found over at Amazon. There are more that you can choose from by simply visiting Amazon’s website below!

Here’s a snapshot of the Philippines’ official government website where they (will) list down the remaining regular and special non-working days for 2011!.

Official List of 2011 Philippine Holidays and Special Non-working Holidays 2011

Sky has 3-4 boxes of old, but good working toys that he has accumulated this past two years. I have been too busy with my NPTE last year, to do anything worthwhile last Christmas. This past long weekend, we have started to sort out toys and clothes that we can donate by December 1, 2011, just in time for Christmas for kids.

Here are a list of orphanages and foundations that you might want to donate your old kid’s toys and even clothes for a brighter Christmas for children who are not as fortunate as our kids.

The following orphanages are all close to my heart. It was in Hospicio de San Jose, where I first had a chance to visit an orphanage and play with kids back when I was in Grade school. I spent a whole month over at Chosen Children Village rehabilitating two kids with Cerebral palsy back in 1998. And Sky celebrated his 2nd birthday in one of the Virlanie homes in Makati City too.

For  this year, I found out that there is a nearby orphanage run by DSWD for children 7 years old and below right behind SM North EDSA. This is where we will be sending Sky’s old clothes and old toys for this year.

If you are interested in donating toys to the following foundations/ orphanages – please get in touch with them below. Or simply drop off your donations there.

CHOSEN CHILDREN VILLAGE, INC.

#6 Ilocos Abra St., Philamlife Village, Las Pinas, Metro Manila, Philippines

email: chosenlp@mozcom.com

Telephone: (632)872-5022
Fax: (632)872-1760

HOSPICIO DE SAN JOSE

Ayala Bridge, 1099 Manila

Map Location for Hospicio de San Jose

Please note that Hospicio de San Jose’s website is maintained by Sr. Maria Socorro G. Evidente, DC from Australia. You may email her at mspg.evidente@gmail.com for any queries, or simply drop-off your old clothes and toys in the orphanage.

VIRLANIE FOUNDATION

4055 Yague St., Brgy. Singkamas,
Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines 1204

Tel: +63 2 896.2289
Fax: +63 2 895.5232

Email: info@virlanie.org

Reception and Study Center for Children (RSCC)

Misamis St., Bago-Bantay, Quezon City, Philippines (Right behind SM North EDSA)

Tel no: (632) 927-4244, 926-6750

Still scratching your head on where to bring your kid’s to go trick or treating this coming Halloween weekend?

HALLOWEEN @ ETON CENTRIS, QUEZON CITY

OCTOBER 29, 2011 from 1:00PM to 6:00 PM

 Halloween Weekend at Mercato Centrale

October 28 10PM-3AM (for the young at heart), October 29 and 30 from 7:00AM to 2:00PM for the young ones!

ONCE UPON A HALLOWEEN @ BONIFACIO HIGH STREET

October 30, 2011 at 3:00PM

MYSTICAL HALLOWEEN EXPERIENCE @ THE MANILA OCEAN PARK

October 29, 2011, Concourse mall at 1:00PM

My apologies for a late heads up! Just in case you were too busy like me to plan out for anything… But, I did get to finish Sky’s costume for tomorrow.

Have a rad weekend you all!

I have been using Sulfate Free shampoo and conditioner for about 7 months now. I do alternate it with Gugo or VCO coconut oil for one week, after using sulfate free for 3-4 weeks at a time.

Sulfate Free shampoo and conditioner is not that readily available in supermarkets in The Philippines, but you can get it from all Healthy Option branches within the country.

First thing people will think – Eeeek – it’s expensive! Magre-Rejoice or Pantene na lang ako!

But the truth is, the bottle that you see pictured up there is priced at Php195.00 each at 532mL (that’s half a liter!) – AND WOULD LAST for more than a month!

Remember to SUBTRACT any additional expense that you use for hot oil treatment and hair spa, because you really are not going to need it if you regularly use Sulfate Free Shampoo and Conditioner for your hair.

Most regular shampoos have Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) and/or Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate (ALS). These SULFATES is the main ingredient that makes those regular shampoos really bubbly and lathery.

It is also the chemical that makes your hair DRY and BRITTLE.

Isn’t that a surprise?

What are the Benefits of Using Sulfate Free Shampoo?

1. Does not strip your hair of your natural oils.
2. It reduces irritation and dryness of your scalp.
3. Significantly reduces hair loss.
4. Makes your hair color really rich and lustrous. (This is based from my own experience.)

A few days ago a close friend of mine vented out her frustration with regards to one of her son’s English teacher – who was making fun of her student’s work on FACEBOOK. She had the audacity to poke fun of her student’s grammar of their hard work.

What makes it worse was, there was a couple of other teachers who joined in the supposedly “fun” banter.

Even if they knew completely well that they are friends with some of their students online.

Being a teacher is a VERY BIG RESPONSIBILITY. Adhering to a double standard is even the norm for teachers. After all, they are there to GUIDE their students right?

Please read on Adelle Chua’s (Of Manila Standard) take on this issue…

At their expense

Many Filipinos honored teachers earlier this month.  On October 5, Teachers’ Day, we paid tribute to our teachers and reminded them that their chosen profession is not thankless.  Indeed, teachers play a big role in the molding of a child—and in the grand scheme, a nation.

But while we express appreciation where it is due, so must we call attention to some practices that give teaching a bad name.

Take for instance an incident at a so-called progressive school in Antipolo City. The issue is magnified by the immediate, interactive effects of social networking.

What happened was this: Two national athletes were invited to speak before elementary students in this school. After the talk, the students were assigned to write some sort of reaction/reflection paper on the event for their English class.

The students, however, had the misfortune of being under a certain teacher—let us call her Teacher D—who made no secret of her amusement at the children’s compositions. In fact, she was so amused that she posted several status updates on Facebook (where she is friends with some of her students) using phrases from the children’s work.

Worse, at least two of her co-teachers joined the online banter.

Teacher D was “careful” not to put the children’s names as she referred to their work.  Even so, she headlined her post with the phrase “Quotable Quotes”.  She goes on: “Here are some award-winning statements from the Grade 4-6 students’ write up…”  For every quote, Teacher D had a counter-statement: A sarcastic remark, a put-down question.  Maybe she was trying to be cute or funny. Either way, she forgot—or just did not care—that Facebook was a public realm.

She also wrote, in a subsequent post, that checking those papers was exhausting because she had to take a break every so often to laugh. She said she should get a separate pay for checking those papers alone. Why, she even ranked the Top 10 papers—not that they were the best, but that they were the funniest.

For example, Teacher D says, in one thread: “Hehehe yang batang si ** (initials of a student), marami nang nasabing dapat inipon at ginawang libro. (That kid has said so many things that should have been compiled and turned into a book).”

***

A parent was able to forward some of the actual exchanges to me.  She copied them from the Facebook wall of her child, who was friends with Teacher D.

This parent has sent a letter to the school administrators, complaining about Teacher D’s thoughtless acts on Facebook aside from her behavior in class. This week she was able to talk to the school head who told her that Teacher D was on leave for a full week and that the two other teachers—who apparently shared their colleague’s amusement—had apologized to the students for the behavior. The school official would not say whether this was a suspension, careful as they are as well about violating the teacher’s labor rights. Moreover, students have been asked to unfriend their teachers and just maintain communications through the school’s official account.

Indeed there is no law that prohibits teachers from talking to one another about the details of their job.  It’s a fact of life that we talk about our work with our colleagues. Sometimes we poke jokes at one another or people we come into contact with. We air our grievances. But we do so in private conversation —not on Facebook where just about anybody can follow your posts. These days, you have to assume everything you say online makes a digital mark that can never be erased.

Teachers have often been extolled for their sacrificing nature. They forego many opportunities for personal betterment for mere love of what they do. We have heard countless stories about how this teacher helped this child cope with personal problems, believe in himself/ herself, reach for a dream.

What this story tells us is that teachers are human as well. They are given to ill temper, favoritism, and sarcasm. They can get childish and not think of the consequences of their actions.

What matters then is how they own up to their actions, accept the consequences, do something to repair the damage they had caused and ensure it does not happen again.

adellechua@gmail.com

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I do hope that these teachers and school administrators as well – implement actions to help ensure TRUST in their teacher’s and school system.

How can you teach a child to be respectful and kind, if their OWN TEACHERS make fun of THEM?