Blue Monday: Beyblade for Kids

It's vacation time and my kids are at home the whole day. As expected, they easily get bored and are always looking for things to do and toys to play. Just recently, they asked Mommy to buy them Beyblades (it's the modernized version of "trumpo" or "spin top"). When hubby and I did the grocery last week, he bought them a Beyblade arena.

That's the Beyblade Arena that their Dad bought them

Their Beyblade, one each child

Busy setting up their own Beyblades

It's time for the Beyblades to compete

Hubby and I would like to encourage our kids to play games that would involve face-to-face interaction, rather than play in front of the computer or their game consoles. Outdoor games and sports would keep their body healthy and also they would learn how to socialize and deal with other people.

Mommy Moments: Valentine's Day 2011

Since Valentine's Day fell on a Monday, I thought that it will be an ordinary day. We had a pre-valentine celebration February 13, so I was not expecting much on what will happen on the Love Day itself. But when hubby called and told me not to prepare anything for dinner because we will have our special date, I felt delighted.
We had a late dinner date and then we went to a coffee shop (our favorite one) afterwards. I was not able to take pictures of the chocolates hubby gave me. But they were a box of Ferrero (another favorite); my little boy gave a Valentine note to his Dad and gave me a bunch of kisses and hugs.

Overall, Valentine's Day was indeed a very special day for the entire family. I guess what's important is the fact that the kids see how their Dad loves Mommy; so that when they grow up they would know how it is to treat their special someone.

16th Hotair Balloon Festival

Despite our toddler's tantrum on early Sunday morning; we have managed to attend the 16th Hotair Balloon Festival at Clarkfiel Pampanga. It was a post birthday celebration of hubby and a pre-valentine celebration with my cousins (Sha and soon-to-be-mom Pong). I had to wake up everyone as early as 5am; and guess what, they are all complaining because it's a Sunday and they are not supposed to wake up early. I can't understand children's behavior; they were too lazy to rise from the beds but when I told them it's okay they can go back to their sleep we would not proceed anymore; they immediately fixed themselves (but not their beds-duh!)
Here is the compilation of some of the photos hubby took during the festival using a regular point-and-shoot camera; (no budget yet to buy DSLR).



High from les pangilinan on Vimeo.
Next year we will go to this event at nightime and be amazed on how these hotair balloons look in the dark. i hope by that time we were able to buy our DSLR to capture the photos vividly.
One important MommyLESson learned in this event, family bonding is very important in order to understand the children's behavior much better.

Mommy Moments: Love Notes for My Tres Muskiteros

Valentines Day are not just for lovers; mommies can also celebrate this special event their kids. For this week's Mommy Moments theme, it is about love notes for their children. I am a very sentimental person, in fact I am weak when it comes to my children. But I have this belief that I should not show my weakness to my children because they depend on my strength. So for my Tres Muskiteros, here is mommy's special love note:

Jeon, Kuya Gab, Kuya Jet

Dear Kuya Jet,

I would like you to know that I love you very much. You are my first baby and you will always be special to me. You have witnessed my struggles in life and during those times, you never left my side. You have seen me cry for so many reasons, and yet you never questioned any of my wrong decisions. Now that you are growing up to be a young man, I hope that I have inculcated good values in your life that may come in handy as you begin your own journey in life. Remember that  I may not show it often, but I love you and I am proud to be your mom.

Dear Kuya Gab,

You may think that I don't love you as much as I love your brothers; but that is definitely not true. I love you with all my heart, and it pains me to see you grow without confidence. You are special to me and you are well-loved by your brothers, Tito Joey and the rest of the family. Do not think that you are inferior because all of us are special in God's eyes. I hope that you get over this awkward phase in your life. Remember that life is not always fair and good; as much as I want to protect you from all harm I cannot to do so. That is why it is important that you learn to take care of yourself and be strong. It is a tough world out there, there is no place for the weak and that is a harsh reality. I want you to grow up confident and secure of yourself. I love you so much and I am proud of you.

Dear Bunso Jeon,

I am so thankful that God has given you to me and your Dad; you made our lives complete and you remain to be the string that binds us together. You may be young but you are one smart little boy. You have so many questions and you are very curious about what's happening. You smile brightens the entire home;and you love your brothers so dearly. At an early age you have displayed how you value your family, I hope that as you grow old you would still have that kind of attitude. Just like your kuyas, I love you too with all my heart.

Happy Valentines Day to you my Tres musketeros and I always pray to God that He would allow me to live longer to watch you grow. I am afraid to leave this world without knowing that you have achieved your dreams. If that time arrives earlier that what we hoped for, I hope that you will still love one another. Mommy may always nag or may sound unappreciative, but deep in my heart I only want the best for you. I love you so much and again, Happy Valentines Day.

Kids and School

Although within a couple of months now, school year is about to end. I am already making a list of the things I need to buy for the coming school year. Aside from sparing myself with the back-to-school rush; I would be saving a lot of money if I buy school stuff this early.

personalized duffel bag of posylane

 The first thing I have in mind is to find the perfect school bags for my kids. This year they have broken around three bags because they need to bring a lot of books in schools. I am thinking of getting  personalized duffel bags to make sure all the books would fit it. Since duffel bags are spacious and sturdy, there would be no problem about bringing a lot of books in school. Having it personalized would make is much easier for them to identify their own stuff. There are also personalized designs to choose from to suit the child's personality.

posylane kids backpack

 As for my little boy, he wishes to have a bag with trolley but I think that will be too big for him. I think I would still stick to using kids backpack for him to use in school. Since he does not need to bring a lot of books, it would be more convenient to use backpack bags instead of trolley bags. Most of these backpacks have colorful designs that my little boy would love.

If I am very much concern about my kids' bags it is because I want to give them the best stuff that I can afford. I wish their school would do the same, especially when maintaining their manicured school lawns. But I believe the school administrators are also doing their best to provide the best school ambiance to their students; if only they can hire people from Dallas lawn maintenance I am definitely sure they will. Because they are also after the welfare of their students.

First Aid Kit a Must in Every Home

jet's chest

 Accidents happen no matter how careful you are especially if you have kids at home. Last night, my eldest son who is almost 12 years accidentally spilled hot water into himself. What is he doing? he was preparing his specialty, cooking pasta noodles for the spaghetti. This young man is fond of cooking (which I like because he can help me out), and for his teacher's birthday he decided to prepare spaghetti for her.

our first aid kit

Good thing, I make it appoint that we have first aid kit at home. Since the little boys can get rowdy most of the times, bumps and bruises are becoming normal ocurences at home. But this is the first time (hoping it would be the last!) that one of my kids would experience getting burnt. What are the first aid kit essentials? Well here is a short list of must have in your first aid kit:

• Band aids and gauzes to cover cuts and burns
• Cotton balls and cotton swabs for cleaning and application of ointments and antiseptics
• Antibacterial  ointments and creams to prevent setting of wounds
• Antiseptics (alcohol and povidone-iodine) to clean the wounds
• Pain reliever medicines and other over the counter medicines like paracetamol, cough and cold medicines and anti-diarrhea medicines (most especially if you live far away from the nearest drugstore)
• Thermometer to take body temperature easily.

When hubby arrived we brought him to the clinic where hubby's sis-in-law practice (thanks Glo and Jayar) and we have Jet injected with anti-tetanus and he was prescribed antibiotics to make sure that there will be no complications. We also got Jet a medical certificate to present in school.

Jet's prescription

 Another valuable Mommy lessons learned in this experience, kids are kids and no matter how passionate they are in cooking as much as possible we don't allow them to do it unsupervised. (I'm a bad Mom! awts) Of course, also have a first aid kit at home because we don't know what accidents may happen. Lastly, remain calm and stay in charge even if the situation may cause you to panic, do not panic.

Planning Ahead for Summer

In three months from now, school year is about to end and I am thinking on how to make this summer productive for my kids. I want to engage them in sports so they could learn how to discipline themselves. Who knows my youngest son who is fond of playing basketball may have the chance to make it in Boston College Eagles.

My eldest son Jet loves swimming; in fact he can spend the entire day without getting tired of swimming. He loves to swim whether in the pool water or beach. He does not care if he turns really tan because of swimming. On the other hand, I think Gabby should be enrolled in self-defense school like Taekwondo. I want them to learn sportsmanship at early age; and I would like them to taste the bitterness of losing a game and the sweet victory too.

Although it's still a couple of months away from summer vacation; I think I should start saving up for their enrollment in summer sports camp. For the meantime, they can practice using Wii sports to enhance their talents. How about you mommy bloggers; have you made plans for the kids this coming summer?

Mommy Knows No Fear

Admit it or not; but most of us Moms are always frantic and we fear almost everything most especially if we know that it can harm our children. But a 44 year-old mom is literally not afraid of anything. Snakes? Spiders? Haunted houses? Name it, and she is definitely a mommy who knows no fear.

According to studies conducted with the Fearless Mommy; she has a rare genetic brain-damaged  which damage a specific brain structure called Amygdala.

As Wikipedia described it, "it is almond-shaped groups of nuclei located deep within the medial temporal lobes of the brain in complex vertebrates, including humans.^[2] Shown in research to perform a primary role in the processing and memory of emotional reactions" It is the one responsible for making people feel fear in threatening situations.

Being fearless can be really dangerous most especially to mothers like us. We need to identify what is dangerous and what is not. However, it could be an advantage too because she is able to show example of bravery and courage to her kids. But in totality, I would rather be called coward or panicky in several occasions rather than be totally fearless.

How about you? What could be your greatest fear? Or are you pretty much like the Fearless Mommy?

Wordless Wednesday

Our little Christmas tree

Wordless Wednesday

My sons, Jet and Gab

enjoying a quiet boat ride during their vacation.

My Boy Lollipop

Jeon dancing to the tune of My Boy Lollipop

Last Thursday, 28th of October my son Jeon once again joined another school event. This is actually his 4th time to participate in school events (Nutrition month in July, Buwan ng Wika in August and October would be World Teacher's Day and the school's foundation day). This time his elder brothers were able to go with us because they are on school break) and also his Mama Sha went along with us too.

Kuya Jet, Jeon, Kuya Gab, Mama Sha and Mommy

We went to the event early (the picture will show that we were the first ones to arrive at the venue); so we can get better seats in the front row. However, some undisciplined parents were thick enough to stand in front of our seats thereby blocking our view. I was irritated with such actions and started complaining to these people. A mom then reacted that I should not complain because that's just the way it is. Her reasons were so lame and in fact she admitted that I was right, but since majority do it that way then I should go along with them. (Hmmm..I wonder how she discipline her child with such outlook in life).

Jeon and (POVofanEngineer) Daddy

I was so irritated before the program started, when I saw my son standing in front among the group of other students his age. I felt so proud! He performed well and was flashing his sweet smile every time he sees us.

another one of his dance moves learn from his teachers

His performance was a success and because of that we treated the kids for a lunch out in one of their favorite restaurant. It such a memorable day for me;  I've learned my lesson never to argue with people who are narrow-minded or they will ruin your entire day and even your entire life. We are looking forward to another performance of Jeon this coming December.

Mama Sha's Birthday Celebration

Xtremely Xpresso

My cousin Sharon or Mama Sha as my kids call her celebrated her birthday with us (it was supposed to be with the kids alone, but they have no choice we have to drive for them). We went to Extremely Espresso as recommended by my hubby. He was always telling story about the extra large size pizza, so we thought of giving it a try.

Mama Sha with Jet and Gab

Of course my youngest son Jeon was so excited about it because he already saw the big pizza on the table beside us. So when our pica-pica was served with was Nachos with all the toppings you can think of (cheese, mayo, black olives, ground meat, veggies etc); he did not even took a bite. He said he does not eat chips and would rather wait for the pizza.

Nachos

And when it was time for the pizza to be served, you could see how Jeon's eyes sparkle with excitement and could not wait to eat it.

Jeon with the XL Big Albino Ben Pizza

The Blue Lemonade is the best partner for the pizza and the nachos. It was a fun and gastronomically fulfilling experience to dine at Xtremely Xpresso. I am definitely sure that this won't be the last time we would be visiting the place. In fact, the kids can't wait for payday because we promised them that we will go back to the place.

Blue Lemonade

Because it was not only the kids who enjoyed eating at the place, even my hubby enjoyed it because it was not "damaging" to the budget compared to other restaurants.

Hubby getting another slice

Jeon Said

My four-year old son seem to be to smart for his age. There are moments when he gives witty remarks, ask "silly" questions and utter words of "wisdom" from a pre-schooler's point of view. I hope you will enjoy some of his remarks, most of them in the Filipino but I will be translating it to English.

Scene 1: One dinner time
His kuya Gab stood up to get himself a drinking glass
JEON said (using his Mommy-like tone)" Aba! Aba! Aba! tapos ka ng kumain? Konti palang nakain mo ah, tatayo ka na agad"
(Hey!hey!Hey! you're done eating? You have barely eaten your meal and you are already standing)
All of us were laughing after hearing him talk to his elder brother that way.

Scene 2: Lunch time
Mommy would never eat with her favorite soda served on the table, then without asking permission Jeon's elder brothers took the bottle of soda and pour into their glasses. Jeon again made a remark to his brothers
JEON said: "Kuya, ano ka ba yung softdrinks pang Mommy lang yan di pwede sa family yan. Mommy lang iinom nyn sa umaga, lunch at gabi..db noh Mommy?"
(Kuya, the soda is only for Mom, family members are not supposed to drink soda. Only Mommy can drink soda in the morning, lunch and night, am I right Mommy?"

Scene 3: Homework Time
After coming home from school, it is part of our routine that Jeon and I will be doing his homework. But since his dad is at home, I asked my husband to be the one to assist him. They finished doing all the homework in a breeze; then I was teasing Jeon that all the homework were wrong. I continue doing that for couple of minutes and then he blurted " Mommy, na high-blood na ko syo ah. di ba Mommy yung high-blood yung naiinis? kaya na high-blood na ko syo" (Mommy my blood pressure is rising, Mommy isn't high blood means that you are getting annoyed; that's why I am getting high blood pressure from you)

Frantic Turned Proud

I admit I am guilty; I have been spending too much time writing articles; I forgot to double check Jeon's assignments. I became complacent because my hubby was here and he was the one helping Jeon out with his school works. Morning of October 5th, I read Lani's (Jeon's classmate Leanne's mom) comment on my Facebook status. She was asking me if I will go with my son at SM Clark for the school program. I became frantic after reading it. I didn't know that he is part of the school program. I asked my hubby if he read about it in our son's reminder notebooks. He said he didn't. Immediately I sent SMS to my cousin who is a teacher in that school. She confirmed that there is a school program scheduled that day. Even though I was not really feeling well that time, I prepared to attend the event. Just in time when my son came back from school. He said that he is part of the program but does not know what to wear. OMG! What am I supposed to do? My hubby decided that he wears smart casual outfit and to bring the PE uniform. It was the right decision, because they don't have costume, they just need to wear the best outfit.

To make the long story short, we made it through the event. My hubby and are were really proud to see our youngest son dance on the stage. All smiles and doing his best in this Teacher's Day event. Our frowns and worries before the event started were changed into big smiles.

Zombies are back

My three kids and my hubby are crazy about Plants vs. Zombies. Once they started the game; you can't take their concentration off the game (unless of course they start to hear the stop-it-or-else voice from me).  I asked them what is it about the game that they can't leave behind. My hubby answered that the game is more than the zombies eating the brains (eeww! kinda gross me out); it is about strategy. You cannot just plant everywhere; you have to know where to place the plant and what type of plant to use.

Honestly speaking, I have not tried the game yet. I am reluctant to start playing the game; because I may not be able to stop playing. My hands are full all the time and I may not be able to finish other tasks if I start playing this game. I have tons of writing assignments to finish.
So for now, I will just have to bear with occasional screaming from my kids. Also be patient whenever my hubby's attention are on the zombies. At least, this game keep my kids busy which means there are less mess to pick-up because they are busy in front of the computer.

True Happiness

me and my family

For the past couple of days, I've been spending the whole day with my hubby . He is on a paid vacation leave and for the past three years that he has been working; this is the only time he was able to rest well. No phone calls or texts messages to take. When he was not around, I keep my eye on how much I eat. I have been trying to lose weight for the past couple of months. I was already on my way to achieving it; until he filed his vacation leave. Now, I am back to zero (OMG! all the hard work failed) But it's okay! I can also go back to losing weight when he gets back to work. And that is still a week away from now.

During the time he is here, I have come to realized that my hubby and my kids are the reason for my true happiness. Money can't buy you happiness. We live on paycheck to paycheck and most often we are having hard time to make ends meet. Money is scarce but our happiness is abundant. Enough to keep us going; and more than enough to give us good sleep at night.

I am lucky to have such understanding children. They don't expect too much material things from us (we are lucky to have Mamita to take care of this). Although most kids today are into gadgets; my kids enjoy the simple life that we have. At their young age; they are aware that happiness cannot be measured with the material possessions.

My hubby and my kids are my great source of happiness. My only source of true happiness.

Mead Johnson Nutrition clarifies issues on Philippine FDA order

Responding to an administrative recall order from the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to remove current supplies from distribution and sale, Mead Johnson Nutrition (MJN) Philippines assured consumers that there is no safety issue with the products Alactagrow® and Sustagen.

The Philippine FDA has issued a Class III order, the lowest level, which is used for products that have technical compliance issues. The regulatory definition of a Class III order specifically states that the use of or exposure to the product “is not likely to cause adverse health consequences.”

“Safety is Mead Johnson’s highest priority and the company spares no effort to comply with the laws of all of the countries in which it operates,” said Paul Richards, President and General Manager of Mead Johnson Nutrition Philippines. “All of the company’s products are produced in accordance with the CODEX Code of Hygienic Practice for Foods for Infants and Children.”

The Philippine FDA said it was issuing the order because the fat content in the products is below the new standard listed in the revised CODEX Standards for Follow-Up Formula, which it has recently adopted in the Philippines. 

Richards explained that when the Philippine FDA recently adopted additional CODEX regulations applying specifically to follow-up formulas, Mead Johnson proactively cooperated and has stayed in frequent communication with the Philippine FDA to ensure that Mead Johnson products would continue to be available for the families that use them, and in compliance with the new regulations. The process of reformulating the products so that they comply with the new CODEX regulations is elaborate and requires considerable time so Mead Johnson requested a renewed Certificate of Product Registration (CPR) prior to the end of the product’s term. CODEX is an international organization that develops and promotes food standards.

"Our company is committed to bringing safe, effective, nutritious and high quality products to meet the nutritional needs of the Philippines’ children," said Richards.

Richards said they were surprised by the recall orders, but said they are committed to resolving the issue with the Philippine FDA so that Mead Johnson can continue to offer the children in the Philippines the many nutritional benefits of Alactagrow and Sustagen Junior.

Mead Johnson stressed that all of their products currently sold in the Philippines, including Alactagrow and Sustagen Junior, have passed stringent Philippine FDA health and safety requirements and are considered to be safe for consumption and of high quality.  While the fat level requirement does not relate to the safety or quality of the product, Mead Johnson is taking steps to meet that requirement also.

Mead Johnson is launching today a reformulated version of Alactagrow that meets the new regulatory requirements.  Work is also underway to develop an updated version of Sustagen to meet the revised standards.

Richards emphasized that Mead Johnson is committed to its mission to nourish the world’s children for the best start in life. Mead Johnson is involved in efforts to address malnutrition through a country-wide feeding and growth-monitoring program called Feeding Hope in partnership with Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the non-government organization Kabisig ng Kalahi. In addition, since 1991 Mead Johnson has provided sustained support to children afflicted with rare metabolic diseases.

Consumer health and collaboration with the government and the Food and Drug Administration are Mead Johnson’s top priorities. The company has been for some time and is currently in regular contact with the Philippine FDA regarding the recall and the Certificate of Product Registration (CPR) for the affected products.

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No Need to Worry Mommies

Mommies may have  been really worried when they heard the news about the milk products of Mead Johnson: Alactagrow and Sustagen Junior. The news said that the fat content of these products are not within the recommended value. In line with this; Mead Johnson issued statement to clarify the issue. Here is what Mead Johnson has to say about the issue:

“Safety is Mead Johnson’s highest priority and the company spares no effort to comply with the laws of all of the countries in which it operates,” said Paul Richards, President and General Manager of Mead Johnson Nutrition Philippines. “All of the company’s products are produced in accordance with the CODEX Code of Hygienic Practice for Foods for Infants and Children.”

The issue arise when the Philippine FDA has recently made changes in the CODEX regulations specifically on the follow-up formulas. CODEX is an international organization which aim to delvelop and promote food standards. The formulas in the market right now has passed the stringent rules of Philippine FDA. So the Mom's out there need not worry about buying  these two Mead Johnson milk products. At present Mead Johnson has launched the newly reformulated version of Alactagrow and Sustagen Junior.

"Our company is committed to bringing safe, effective, nutritious and high quality products to meet the nutritional needs of the Philippines’ children," said Richards.

Our community can still expect assistance from Mead Johnson most especially when it comes to feeding program. It will remain part of Feeding Hope program initiated by DSWD which aim to feed and monitor the growth so Filipino children.

To have a complete view of the press release statement of Mead Johnson; click here.

Home Alone

I can't actually remember the last time I was left home alone. The kids spent the weekends at their Lola Naty's place and hubby went out to attend his stated meeting with his Freemason brothers. So that left me alone in our home sweet home. I took the chance to finish household chores like clean our house. Although I know for a fact that the moment the kids step inside the house, everything will be topsy-turvy again. Messing up the house became a habit for them most especially to my youngest son.

I finished the laundry as well and did some writing assignments. I have updated my status in Facebook a lot of times too. Now here I am updating my blog, after this, what else am I going to do? OMG! I never thought that life can be so boring without hearing my kids whine over small things. I have gotten used to having them around, in fact I can even find time to take a nap despite their noise.

I have all the time in the palm of my hands right now, but I don't know what to do! I remember the story I have read long time ago; there were two moms complaining how rowdy their kids are and how messy their house is and then from behind them another mom shared her story. She said that she would not mind having to pick up her kids toys all the time; their house is filled with silence because a tragedy happened to their family that caused the lives of her children. This story left the two moms dumb-founded.

Truly you would never realize the value of a person until he or she is no longer at your beck-and-call. Mothers have the tendency to be too uptight without realizing that our kids are growing older and soon they will be entering their own world wherein you may not be  even allowed to enter.

It's nice to be on your own sometimes but I am sure most moms would agree with me, your kids voice shouting at the top of their lungs is actually a pleasing sound to a mother's ear.

In Celebration of Nutrition Month

July is considered as Nutrition Month, most schools would prepare nutrition related activities. Some would have a Nutri Quizbee while others would simply prepare nutritious food to be enjoyed by the entire class. For my son's school they had to perform as the culminating activity of the Nutrition Month.

As for our little big boy, since this is his first time to go to school; it is also his first time to dance on stage as part of the school program for Nutrition Month. Although he was a bit shy at first, but he was able to finish the dance without crying. Unlike the other preschoolers who were also part of the program; I am proud to say that our Jeon did well.