Today, I paid Sophia’s enrollment fee in full. While I was writing the check and filling up the registration form, I can’t help but worry if I am making the right choice. If you have followed my school dilemma here in this blog or is a constant reader of my blog, you all know by now that my daughter goes to a progressive school called Toddlers Unlimited. She has been in this school for a year and half (close to to two years actually) already. I am very happy and pleased with this school but I think its time for my daughter to move on. I am not comfortable anymore to the setting that TU has as they are play based which I think is better for younger kids. But with Sophia’s age, eligible to be in Nursery Classes of bigger schools, I feel that she is up for the challenge already and is ready for a bit of drilling. Toddlers Unlimited is purely progressive. While others may find this an advantage, I do too, but at a certain age only. I believe at Sophia’s age, she needs atleast simple worksheets already and as I said, some drilling, in preparation for what is in store for her in the coming years. We all have different take on this matter as parents so what I’m writing in here is obviously, purely my opinions only.

This morning, while I was at it, officially sealing Sophia’s entry to big school that is, there’s this thought at the back of my head if it is indeed the right thing to do. And as I was observing Sophia in class this morning too, how she hugs her teachers and how she looks like she’s having so much fun at TU, it really tugs my heart and a part of me is questioning the very decision I just made. Is she really ready for big school? Is the kind of environment in big school the best for her now? Is she really ready for the drilling I want for her? So may questions really. After all the time I spent to give this school issue a thought, here I am still not a hundred percent sure. I guess I got to realize now that we can never really be a hundred percent sure on certain decisions, on certain things. Especially if it involves our children noh? Ako lang ba ito? Am I worrying too much? Is my being “sigurista” to a fault already?

Now that I think of it though, I guess I’m just probably having a hard time leaving a school that my daughter and I had learned to love don’t you think? Toddlers Unlimited has a very homey fell to it, very far from the atmosphere in big schools and their teachers and even aides are so loving to the kids. The kids are just so happy there. I need not explain why after saying all these great things about TU still made me transfer Sophia to another school as I already stated it above but I just wish and pray to God that I made the right choice.

Ang hirap pala. Pakibatukan nga ako at ng matauhan at magtigil na kakaisip.

I was tagged by Eds and Thea.

This is so long overdue, sorry girls

1. That as their parents, we will always love and be there for them NO MATTER WHAT.

2. That everything has a reason. And we all have a purpose in life.

3. That they should always put God above everything else because everything is possible because of HIM.

4. Life is short. Be happy.

5. Lastly, that it pays to be good, period.

Its now your turn Jen, Yvette and Anette.

I am not one of the few lucky mommies who still has flawless tummies after giving birth.  Sad to say, I have a lot of stretch marks which I now call mommy marks on my tummy.  Having such scars is really nothing compared to the joy of motherhood but wouldn’t it be a lot cooler if I didn’t have them at all?  It would, right?  I was one lazy pregnant woman when I was pregnant with Sophia so I really didn’t take precautionary measures to prevent stretch marks at all. I was even given a stretch mark cream when I was pregnant but I didn’t bother using it. With the numerous stretch mark creams available in the market claiming to be effevtive and all, I was so lazy to try them as I wasn’t really sure of their effectivity. I thought it was such a waste of time using a product I actually really did not believe in. Well, I now regret not doing a bit of research on stretch marks as I’m sure it would have made a very big difference. I hope its not too late now though as I stumbled upon a site called Divas-blog.com, which actually is an ultimate resource for skin care solution and they made a recent research on variety of creams available in the market today. Being a blog catering to to the skin needs of individuals, they recently tested revitol stretch mark cream and they were satisfied with the effectivity of this cream as it showed them results. You can check their blog and see the pictures for yourself.  This is such a good news as there’s still hope for me and my mommy marks. I am sure trying such cream now and on my next pregnancy which I am hoping to be really soon as my little girl badly needs to be a big sister now.

That’s how Sophia calls me now. Her yaya left yesterday and I’m solely taking care of her now. The replacement yaya (her previous yaya who recenlty just gave birth) is coming not until Saturday so it’s all me and the little girl until then. My pc time now is very short – two hours a day the most so pardon me for not getting back on your tags, comments and whatevers. Regular programming will probably resume Sunday, LOL! I’ll just try to sneak in a few posts here and there as I have 20 pending tasks!!! Ridiculous, isn’t it?  Super bad timing.

Anyway, have a nice day everyone

Isn’t she?

I just love her photo above. This was taken in the car on the way to school one day. She gladly posed for me as usual. You see, she’s getting to be so comfortable infront of the camera already. Ready to smile anytime

As she grows older, she’s getting to look more like me, I think. My mom and my relatives think so too. This is how I exactly looked like daw when I was a baby. As I look at my baby pics, which I don’t have a lot of, sad to say, I can’t help but agree.

Here are some more of her pics that day …

She indeed has grown noh? Sometimes when I realize this, I both get sad and happy. Sad because obviously, I no longer have a baby who used to depend on me for everything. Happy, on the other hand, because I can see how in no time, she’ll be all independent and ready to conquer the world all on her own. In all honesty and humility aside, I am so happy to see how she’s turning out to be a kid who is very smart, happy and kind. So far, I can’t help but be one proud mommy She’s turning out to be more than what I like and expect her to be

Meet Sophia. She’s 2.10yo and very inquisitive. She asks all kinds of questions that sometimes (most of the time actually!) leaves me speechless making me look like I’m so stupid. LOL.

What will you tell her when she asks …

• Mommy, why is daddy wearing briefs and not panties? (I’ll tell her boys wear briefs and she’ll ask) Why is he a boy and we are both girls?
• Why does the watermelon has seeds inside?
• Why is the sky blue? I want it to be pink!
• Why do you wear bra? I want to wear bra too. Make my boobs bigger like yours!
• Why do I fart? Make me stop farting, please.
• Why is my weewee coming out of my “peh-peh” not on my butt like my poo-poo?
• This last one, how do you explain musical notes to a little girl her age? Her vanity set toy can be turned on and it’ll play some music. Now, on the box of this toy, there were musical notes drawn to emphasize such feature. The little girl now asks me why hers doesn’t have those notes!!! She’ll say, Why mine doesn’t have those things? (pointing to the notes)

Ayayay!

Spending every minute (literally!) with the little girl for the past three days is turning out to be a fun experience. Tiring, oh yes but extremely fun nonetheless. Being yayaless for a while makes me appreciate and respect stay-at-home-moms more who solely take care of their kid/s. I know a few who don’t have a yaya to depend on and I must say, I admire them, really. It’s no joke. I wonder how they manage to take care of their kids, blog, scrap, chat and blog some more all at the same time. I am just simply not one them. They are all supermoms in their own right. You know who you are, mommies Hats off to all of you. As I have always been reiterating, I’m no good at multi-tasking, period.

Right now, Jon’s here watching the little girl so I have a few minutes to stay in front of the computer. My day won’t seem to be complete without doing so. I need to check mails, assignments, and post an entry or two. Blogging has been a part of me already, seriously. For some reason, I need to check and post an update on my blog no matter how busy I am. I find that weird, don’t you?

Today was a good day. We heard mass and the little girl was just sitting in between Jon and I the whole time. No tantrum, no shouting, no anything. Just sitting when asked to, kneeling when its the time to and standing when we need to. Oh goody, is she really that “big” a girl already? I am just so happy and proud She even whispers when she talks to us while inside the church. Oh, one uber proud mommy here We ate at Gloria Maris after and went to Timezone in ATC to give the little girl her arcades fix. She was delighted of course.

Tomorrow, its going to be the end of the year. I can’t seem to believe that year 2007 is over but it is. I can’t be more than thankful to the BIG MAN up there who has been constantly so good to us this year and the years before. He has blessed us with so much that sometimes we wonder if we are even worthy of the blessings he has showered our way. I hope we are.

From our family to yours, Happy New Year! May we all have a bountiful 2008

Such phrase is music to my ears. The little girl blurts that out every now and then countless times in a day and out of the blue Wouldn’t that just melt your heart and is the sweetest thing ever?

These are the joys of motherhood. Simple but definitely priceless.

Jon finds how I treat my mom really odd.

Why?

I talk to my mom like I talk to any of my friends. Yes, I don’t say “po” or “opo”. She’s like just one of my friends I make chika with. I don’t text back on time. Sometimes I text her back a day or two after she texts me or sometimes not at all I most of the time contradicts what she says or prefers. I tell her what to and what-not to wear and buy. I don’t hesitate to tell her if she has done something not nice. I criticize her, all the time We laugh at small thing together. I make her buy stuff for Sophia sometimes without hesitating or feeling shy. I can tell her straight if I’m too busy and lazy to meet her or even talk to her. There are times I answer back with my not so nice tone of voice when I’m not in a good mood. I could go on and on why Jon thinks I’m such one unique daughter to put it tamely as Jon addresses me one bad daughter. What he can’t understand is, indeed, my mom and I have a strange relationship that other’s won’t probably get but we are more than fine with how we treat each other. This has been how we’ve been to each other since we can both remember. Yes, I’m hard headed, she can’t make me do something I don’t like, she don’t dare tell me what to do as she knows I’m going to speak up my mind and she wouldn’t probably want to hear what I’m going to say when that happens. But in spite of all these, I’m telling you, we’re the closest a mother and daughter could ever get. We understand each other. We love each other, no question on that. We don’t get hurt with each other’s hideous remarks or whatever. We both laugh it off. What others may find rude (like my not texting back or answering her calls according to Jon) is definitely more than fine and is just normal with us. It’s so silly, Jon’s been making a big fuss out of it. LOL.

As I’m writing this though, I do realize more than the usual now that my mom and I do have one unconventional relationship, don’t we?

The daddy and baby’s routine just before we hit the bed. Yes, she eats Fisher cheese balls, the ONLY junk food she likes. And yes too, they both eat on the bed.

Bad example ang daddy