Shine Like Stars: kids

Showing posts with label kids. Show all posts

Showing posts with label kids. Show all posts

Co-Op Participation

We've been part of our homeschool co-op for 2.5 years now. It has been great. It has provided my children and me friendship and support. We are greatly blessed to be part of this wonderful community of families.

Our classes end on May 17. During the summer break, some families continue to get together. We've met at the outdoor water fountains in the local town center. While the kids play in the water, the moms chitchat in the shade. There have also been picnics and beach days.

As we end this year, I kinda feel burnt out. Going to our weekly classes feel like a chore. I see that my children enjoy going. I do not. It feels like it is just one more thing we need to do. It has become more like a burden. I really need to reassess our priorities for the coming school year. I need to make an honest assessment of our commitments and activities. I need to see which ones contribute to the health of our family life and which ones cause stress to us. For now, participation is our co-op seem to be at the lowest rung of the ladder. I am just tired. It is probably my fault too because I have done most of the work in teaching our preschool class. If I were to come back and teach again next year, it will definitely have to be more of a collaborative work, from conception of the class to execution.

One thing I keep asking myself is the reason we joined co-op. We basically joined co-op so that my children will develop friendships with other homeschooled children. I wanted to surround myself with supportive families. I wanted to gain friends as well. I think we have achieved this goal. My children and I have made friends with wonderful families. I think that right now, I am hoping to develop deeper relationships. If we skip co-op, will the friendships we've made survive? Will my children still have solid Catholic friends outside of the co-op environment? As I pray about it, the Lord seems to remind me not to base any of my decisions on fear. I cannot make decisions based on the fear of "what if?" I need to decide based on love. I love God. I love my family. How do my choices reflect this love? How will my choices affect how I love?

There is a lot to think about. There are a few months to pray about it. I ask the Lord's guidance so that I may make the right decision. I pray that I do His will for our family.

Piano Recital

The 3 older kids participated in their first ever piano recital last December 11. And they did extremely well! They did not make any mistakes at all. I was an extremely proud mama!

They each had 2 piano pieces to play although DS had an extra one because he played a duet with DD1. I was teary-eyed with pride as I watched my precious ones perform.

DD2 played Mary had a little lamb and Jolly Old St. Nick. DD1 played My Bonnie and Frosty the Snowman as a duet with her brother. DS played Joy, Joy, Joy and Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring.

At the end of their recital, they were all called to the stage and given a trophy. I had considered getting them flowers too and presenting them after their performance but did not have time to swing by the flower shop. I also thought to order online, maybe have an EZBloomers.com flower delivery to surprise them. I'm keeping these ideas in my back pocket for next time.

Dog Allergy?

The kids and I were at SIL's last Saturday. We were visiting as she had just given birth to her first born. Three of the kids were nursing a little cold so I asked them not to go up to the room. I did not want to expose SIL nor my baby nephew to any virus. The kids stayed at the family room and watched TV with the family's 2 dogs as I happily chatted with SIL and lovingly cuddled my nephew.

Around noon, MIL asked why DS' left eye was swollen. I was surprised to hear this because it was definitely not swollen when we left the house earlier in the morning. When I saw DS, his left eye was almost swollen shut! It scared me a bit. I bought antihistamine from the drugstore and gave him a teaspoonful.

Soon after, a friend of ours who happens to be a PA arrived to visit SIL and the baby. I hijacked her and asked her to check on DS. She determined that it was definitely an allergic reaction that was aggravated when DS rubbed his eye. The boys' beds were turned to exam tables as she laid DS and flushed his eye with saline solution. The swelling subsided a bit.

I do not know for sure what triggered the allergic reaction. The only thing I can point to are the dogs. For now I am claiming that he's allergic to dogs. It's the reason I can give to the kids when they badger me, asking for a puppy.

Sorry kids, we can't have a dog. Kuya is allergic. :)

Quotable Quotes

With 5 children in the family, it is never boring in the house. At some point throughout the day, someone is bound to say something funny enough to print on funny t shirts.

From DD3
(singing) "Why are there so many...songs about reindeers...and what's on the other side?"

"Can I have a guinea pig polvoron?" (aka pinipig polvoron - a Filipino dessert/snack)

My dad saw her growling like a mad dog at the wall...
{him} What are you doing?
{her} I'm just trying to scare the ants!

Baby Milestone: Sitting Independently

She's sitting without support!!! Sigh... I've said it time and again that while I am of course proud of her and happy that she is developing and growing well, my heart is also screaming "not yet!"

Time is moving too fast and I can feel her baby year slipping away. I want to keep her my baby for as long as possible.

When I posted this on Facebook, a friend commented that soon she will be walking! Nooooooo...

Yes, I am in denial. LOL! I'm not sure if I felt this intensely when my older kids were babies. I think that I felt like they came one after the other that I was looking for a break. With this one, I have experienced for myself how quickly children grow up that I want to savor each moment with her as a baby. I may never have another one of these precious littles. Who knows?

Look at the pic. Doesn't it look like she's taunting me? Sticking out her tongues as if saying, "Watch out Mommy. You can't stop this baby!" Before long, she'll be putting on her english riding boots and driving away. LOL.

I will savor each smile, each cry, each giggle, each nursing moment, each cuddle. I will savor every moment.

1 month old

Time flies too fast! My little darling is a month old already! How could that be?

She's back to her birth weight and more and has grown over an inch.

I hope I don't jinx it but she seems to be an easy baby. As long as she's fed, dry and burped, she's fine. At night, she can go as long as 4 hours between feedings which give me enough time for sleep.

During the day, she prefers to be carried more often. Thank goodness for my Ergo baby carrier, I am able to carry her and still have my hands free to do other chores.

Life in our house is starting to get back to normal. I've been able to do quick shopping trips here and there like going to the grocery for food or to Target to pick up some school and office supplies. I'm also trying to get the other kids back into our old homeschool schedule and routine. They're back to their weekly piano lessons after a 2-month hiatus. I'm planning to take the kids back to co-op this week. We've been away for far too long! I know it will take some adjustments but it can be done.

As I slowly return to the land of the living with my newborn, I can't help but be thankful for all the God has given me. Life is good. God is good.

Newborn Jaundice

All my kids had some degree of jaundice during their first week or so. It was never a cause for concern. Imagine my surprise when we were told the morning we were going to be discharged from the hospital that we would have to go back the next day to have DD4's bilirubin levels checked once again.

The next day, she had another heel stick (her heel was pricked and squeezed to fill a vial of blood). After about an hour of waiting, the results came in and her levels were elevated.

We were then prescribed a photo therapy device or a bili blanket as the nurses called it. It was delivered to our home that evening. We were instructed to have it on her ALL the time.

The bili blanket is a wide strip that has the special light to take off the jaundice from the skin. It needs to be in contact with the skin. I suppose it's like sunlight but concentrated. It is probably similar to how hgh supplements work. They augment a normally occurring process in the body.

The cycle of going to the hospital, heel stick, waiting and seeing the doctor continued for 3 more days. The hassle of having to go to the hospital and wait was not the worst. It was seeing my newborn cry while her heels were being pricked was torture. It was too much for me to bear that it was DH who would take DD4 to the lab. I waited in the waiting room. My baby was only days old and she was being subjected to this? Ugh...too much for this hormonal mommy. I was also very tired during that time. Instead of being able to rest, I had to shuttle to and from the hospital. My body had not had time to recover!

Even during that time, I was still thankful that at least her levels were not alarmingly high that she would need to be admitted to the hospital. If that had happened, we would have to leave her at the NICU! Oh my heart! I don't think I could've taken that lightly.

By the end of her first week, we were in the clear. We had kept her in the bili blanket for a little over 3 days and it had done its job. Thank God!

Movies We've Enjoyed Lately

Surprisingly, we've been going to the movies more often recently. By recently, I mean the past year. I suppose it has to do with the kids' ages too. Even DD3 is now able to stay put in the theater seating focused on what's going on on the movie screen. We probably have another year or so of being able to do this before the new baby becomes a toddler and mobile.

We saw Shrek III last year. It was funny but nothing too memorable for me. The hard thing about watching animated films that have a more grown-up storyline is that my youngest does not fully understand it. She kept asking why Fiona did not know Shrek. She was confused by the whole alternate reality concept.

We also saw Toy Story III which I personally enjoyed a lot. And yes, I cried at various parts of the movie. DH and the kids tease me about it. Heck, we have the DVD. The kids were watching it and I happened to pass by. It was towards the end of the movie when Andy passes on Woody and the gang to Bonnie. OMG! I started tearing up! And then that scene when Andy drives away and you see Woody and the rest of the toys watch the car as it moves further away. Ha... I'm tearing up right now just thinking about it! Sigh... might I have some separation issues?

We also got to see Megamind and Despicable Me. We just got the Despicable Me DVD and the kids are smitten! They so take after their father in that they recreate scenes! It is so adorable. They've memorized dialogues. Yes, even DD3. What's even cuter is when they recite dialogues along with their dad. Soo cute! And I sit there with a funny smile on my face, enjoying this little quirk of our family. :)

DH and the kids also saw Yogi Bear last December while I was enjoying my pregnancy massage. I think they enjoyed that too. One of my indicators of whether they liked a movie or not is when they start spouting off lines from it. When they act out scenes from the movie and remember dialogues, I know the movie really hit the mark!

I wonder what is in store for 2011 in terms of animated movies. And I wonder what the kids will be acting out again?

Sweetness

DD1 is truly one sweet girl. Last week, when I was on my way to the grocery store, she asked if she could come with me. DH was home then so I was really looking forward to some "me" time at the store. Yes, it may sound weird but "me" time is rare these days and I will try to get them whenever I can. :) That day, however, DD1 whispered gently and said, "I want to go because I want to buy something for Kuya and {DD3} for their birthdays." Now, how can I resist such a request? So, off to the store we went. As we were at the candy aisle (that was all she could afford after all), she thoughtfully looked at the rows of candy thinking of the perfect one to get her siblings. I tried to help by pointing out what was on sale. It's never soon enough to teach them to look for bargains after all. She squealed with delight when she saw the Sour gummi worms. "Kuya likes that! He likes sour things!" Plus it was on sale! Woohoo! She then picked out a Mr. Goodbar candy bar for DD3.
I am so touched to see the love she has for her siblings. And I love that she has discovered that giving is just as much as fun as receiving!

Heard Around the House

Here are some quips, some endearing, others funny, that have been uttered around the house lately. I've posted some of them on Facebook but I wanted to put them on one spot here. Most are from DD3 because she's just at that age when almost anything she says is funny. LOL! And loves it when she makes us laugh!

{DD3}
"Mommy, who do you love me so much"
"Why did the lost king become a mama?" : as we were reading Tut's Mummy: Lost and Found
"This is like the book about the chicken mommy!!" :referring to the book on Egyptian mummies
"What happens when you don't have eyebrows? You will look funny!!"
"When you're mad, you still love us. When you're happy, you still love us too!"
"I prayed to Jesus so you will not be mad at the kids, ok?"

{DD1}
"Mommy, this is not for me. I'm just making (DD2) breakfast because she's not feeling well. She has too much sipon."
"Mommy will never leave us. She and Daddy will never ever leave us!"
"If saints become saints after they die and go to heaven, how can St. Nicholas come down and leave presents for kids?"

All Saints Day Celebration

I have a confession to make. Back when I was in the Philippines and dressing up in costume was starting to become a popular thing to do, someone had suggested that instead of having a halloween party, there should be an all saints party. I thought it was cuckoo and smelled too much of religiousity. What was wrong with dressing up in costume? Why even have a halloween party if we were just going to turn it into a religious event?

Well, look at me now. My stance has obviously changed. I suppose my views changed when I started to see this as an opportunity to introduce my children to the different saints. It was not just about dressing up as saints and having a party. It is more about giving these children holy people to emulate. My children, aside from DD3, all chose which saint they wanted to dress up as. Maybe they liked what they saw in the picture book of saints we have. Maybe they were drawn to the saint's name. Whatever drew them to choose that particular saint, I'd like to believe that somehow, the Holy Spirit had a hand in it. Maybe their choice expresses their desire to emulate this saint. Maybe their choice represents a part of their personality. What I shall be doing this whole next year is pray to these particular saints to watch over my respective children. They will be my children's patron saints of the year.
DS has St. Ignatius de Loyola. DD1 has St. Therese of the Child Jesus. DD2 has St. Agnes. DD3 has St. Scholastica.

The celebration itself went well. The weather was perfect. It was overcast but did not rain. The sun did show itself a bit towards the end. There were game booths. There was the ever-reliable playground. DD3 chose to play in the playground the whole time and was disappointed at the end of the day that she did not get prizes like her siblings. LOL! DD1 & 2 played the different booths and recieved holy cards and small toys and candies as prizes. DS played in the beginning but had real fun manning some of the activity booths. He had a blast. He has always enjoyed being useful like that. I used to worry that he is too serious for his own good but I am now accepting that this is how he really is. If it makes him happy to be serving and helping, who am I to stop that? Most of the other people manning the booths were teenagers and parents. As I looked at DS, it hit home that he will become a teenager soon too. And yes, we will be mindful about puberty changes, hygiene, pimple removers, etc. For now, I will enjoy having him at the stage where he is, accepting who he is and relishing the joy he brings to me.

I Make Daddy Happy

During our family night prayers, each one says a prayer of thanks for the good things that happened that day. For the kids, they usually thank God for the food, that they were able to go swimming, etc.
Tonight, this was what our youngest thanked God for:

"Thank you Jesus I make Daddy happy. Thank you Mommy tell me a story. Thank you I make Mommy happy. Amen."

Yes, Jesus, thank you for our kids and that they make us so happy. Amen.

We're expecting!

Yes, folks, you read it right. We are expecting. And yes, for those who've lost count, we are expecting our fifth child. ;)
This might be unexpected for most people who shake their heads when they find out I'm expecting my fifth child. However, for us, (although this wasn't planned) we believe that this is a gift from God and we humbly accept his gift, ever mindful of the wonderful privilege He has bestowed upon us.
The kids are really excited about having another sibling. The girls want to have another baby sister. The boy wants to have a baby brother. For DH and I, we would like to be able to hand out Black and Mild cigars when I deliver that baby. okay, so the cigars will probably be candy cigars or something but you know what I mean! Whether the baby is a boy or girl is not the foremost concern though, we pray for a happy and healthy baby and an uneventful labor and delivery for me. For those who know my birth stories, you would agree that we really need to pray for that! LOL!

Really Really Green

DD3 had just finished her bath. As usual, it seemed like a war zone in the tub with all her bath toys, nesting cups and maybe the occasional pool floats in there. She was picking up all these toys and putting them back in her tub toy container.
Me: There's a green cup behind you. (pointing to a dark green cup)
DD3: (turns around and picks it up) That's not green!
(digs into the container for a light green cup) THIS is green!
Me: What color is the other one then?
DD3: (puts both cups side by side) This (light green) is green and this (dark green) is really really green!

A Trip to the ER

Of all the times it could have happened, it had to be on the one night of the week when I was all alone with the kids!

Everyone was getting ready for bed. The kids were brushing their teeth. I was cleaning up the dinner table and kitchen.

"Mommy!!!!!! {sister} is bleeding!!! She has blood all over. Hurry. Emergency!!!" DD1 screamed hysterically from the stairs.

I hurriedly ran up and saw DD2's right eyebrow bleeding.

"What happened?!"
"Ate hit me with the door!" DD2 answered as she wailed and cried.
I put an ice pack on her while I tried to figure out exactly what happened. DD1 finally confessed that after she had brushed her teeth and while DD2 was still in the bathroom brushing her teeth, she turned the lights off and closed the door. DD2 started crying. When DD1 opened the door, she did not realize that DD2 was behind the bathroom door and so the door's edge hit her. DD1 felt so bad and apologized in tears to her sister.

I was hoping that it wasn't a big cut. I called DH who was at work(ortho fellowship) and sent him this picture of DD2. He looked at the wound and assessed that it would be best to take her to the ER. I did not want to have to drag the kids to the ER. Can you imagine what a scene we would be?! LOL! Thank goodness for friends. I was able to drop off the other kids at a friend's house on the way to the hospital.

DH had called the ER (he works here but was not working there that night) and arranged for us to be seen immediately. Yeah, one of the perks of knowing the people who work there is that we do not have to wait for very long. When we got to the ER, the nurse checked us right in. Dr. Jung saw us immediately and was very nice.

It turned out that there wasn't a cut. It was a deep scratch that gouged out the skin. There was nothing to stitch back on so he put dermabond over it. For the first 14 days, it cannot be exposed to the sun. And for the next 6 months, we need to put SPF 15 or higher sunscreen on it and Vitamin E oil supplements. He said that it would still most likely produce a white scar. It is right on her eyebrow so I'm hoping it would not be too obvious.

DD2 was very brave the entire time. When her siblings were still with us in the car, she was laughing and smiling along. After we had dropped them off and it was just the two of us, she said with a small, quivering voice, "Mommy, can you pray for me when I get to the hospital?"

"Of course. Are you scared? You want us to pray right now."
"Yes, mommy."

So I prayed over her and then asked her if there was anything she wanted to say.

"Dear Jesus, please help me not be so scared. Amen."

Hearing her little prayer brought tears to my eyes and I wanted to pull over and hug her right there and then.

I assured her that I was going to be by her side the whole time and that Jesus was watching over her.

As we were leaving the ER, I asked her how she was doing and reminded her of my promise: that I was going not going to leave her alone. As she held my hand, she looked up to me and smiled and said, "I think God blessed me today, Mommy."

Sigh...yes, sweetie, God blessed you today.

When I Grow Up...

DS: What kind of work do you think I can do when I'm a grown-up?
Me: You can be anything you want to be.
DS: I think I want to be a pizza delivery guy.

I wasn't sure if he was trying to be funny so I asked him why he wanted to be a pizza delivery guy. He says that because he does not want to be any of the other things he could think of. He did not like blood so no work in the medical field for him. Police work and firefighting were too dangerous. He did not want to be a lawyer because he did not want to have to speak in front of a crowd. I told him that not all lawyers are like trial lawyers or motorcycle accident attorney. He still did not like the idea.

When he was rejecting everything I was suggesting, I remarked, "Well, you can choose to be anything you want to be. What is important is that you become who God wants you to become. God wants you to be someone who makes the world a better place."

I was initially disheartened to hear the "lack of ambition" in my son. His quip would've been cute to hear from a toddler or a preschooler, not a 3rd-grader. It was just a passing conversation but I already doubted whether we were instilling in him the drive to excel. Then, as if the Holy Spirit enlightened me and I realized that what work he goes into is not of primary importance. That he becomes a man of God is what I should be concerned about.

A few days after...

DS: How about becoming a priest? Would I make a good priest, Mom? Priests make the world a better place, don't they?
ME: They definitely do! And that would be an excellent choice.

9 years old!

My sweet eldest son celebrates his 9th birthday tomorrow. Nine?! Has it been 9 years since I started this journey of motherhood? Really?
He has been such a blessing to us. From the very start, he was no trouble at all. He is just an all-around good kid. He does well in school. Let me rephrase that - he does VERY well in school. He is an intelligent and intuitive boy. He is sweet and obedient and loving. He is quiet, reserved and observant.
Being the eldest, he has taken the brunt of our raw parenting. But we must be doing something right because he seem to be growing up into a fine young man.
Yes, I did say, young man for that is what will be soon. In a few years, he will be entering the awkward stage of tween years. Soon after, he will be a teenager. Soon, we will have to handle the hormonal changes and the practical side effects (like looking for acne solutions?). We'll need to learn the fine art of giving him enough room to be independent yet giving him boundaries too. I don't think I can handle the thought of parenting a teenager just yet. LOL!
I'll stop not before I go overboard thinking of the future. The important thing is to enjoy him at this age. We need to parent him according to his needs right now. Building a good relationship with him lays a foundation that will hopefully hold up during his teen years and beyond. And the most essential ingredient to parenting: prayer! I sincerely pray that God leads us and shows us how to best parent HIS son.

Busy Weekend

We had a busy first weekend of December. Sunday was our community's Christmas party and it was a caroling party/competition. The scary part of it was that our group was picked to do a caroling number. I am not a singer at all but DH is. I helped with the minor choreography to jazz up the medley. We sang a medley of Sleigh Ride, Winter Wonderland, Mamacita, Frosty the Snowman, Jingle Bell Rock and Pasko na Naman to end it. We did an acceptable job, I think but nowhere near competition level. We weren't there to compete with the harmonies and voicing of the other groups. We came to perform for family. Hehehe. You could tell we did not know what we were doing. We didn't even put a mike in front of the group so the guitar kind of drowned our voices. We took it in good fun though.

We did have fun during practices - in all of our 2 practices! LOL! Yes, a total of 2 with the last one on Saturday morning, the day before the presentation. LOL! Cutting it close, eh. It was done at our friend's house and I made a lovely discovery that is not connected in any way to singing. My friend has a pomelo tree in her backyard!! Yumm!!! She harvested several fruits for us. Mmmmm...love it! Is pomelo the same as grapefruit in that it's said to be natural fat burners, you think?

Anyway, the kids had a presentation too. They sang Jingle Bells and Pasko na Naman. Here are pics of DS and DD1 during their part of the program.

Little Miss Perfectionist?

DD1: Mom, I'm trying to draw a star but I can't do it right!!!
Me: It takes practice, anak. When I was young, it took me a while to learn to make stars too.

Later...
DD1: Mom, I try and try but I can't do it nicely. And when I don't do it nicely, my tummy hurts!

Uh-oh! Self-imposed stress? Sounds familiar!

Overheard

DD1 & DD2 were "face painting" each other with markers. They were mighty pleased with themselves of course!

DD2 runs off to her Lola excitedly...

DD2: Lola, I can face paint you too!
Lola: I don't want to!
DD2: Why not? No need to worry, they're washable markers. That means you can wash them off! It's easy.

In fairness, seems like they thought this through before doing it.

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