Our daughter loves hugs.
She doesn’t like kisses that much but she loves to hug.
Whenever we go to a mall or to a restaurant, she gets very excited and she shares her happy energy to all.
Watch.
Category Archives: Everyday Life
The Clincher Round
In my previous post, we celebrated hard work.
This time, we’re celebrating being a good sport.
One friendly contest in my daughter’s school was particularly monumental for us as it was a huge milestone in her emotional development.
They call it Brain Quest and she was one of the 3 students chosen to represent their class. They were to compete with other first graders from other school branches and Mia was nothing but excited! Continue reading
We Celebrate: Hard Work
The school year is coming to an end (at least on our side of the world) and I can’t believe we have done a total of 16 projects for first grade!
Sixteen! That’s about 4 projects for every quarter!
I’m not sure we want to move up to 2nd grade anymore. Haha.
Our 6-year-old worked so hard finishing these project assignments during weekends so I thought we’d celebrate how diligent she had been.
I told her we celebrate big and small and her efforts on all this made it to our big list.
So this post is dedicated to her.
For all the cutting, pasting, coloring, and long writings she patiently did.
We are proud of how hard you worked, Miatots!
I really hope we managed to make it fun. ?
Here are some of your snapshots from first to fourth quarter. ? Continue reading
What I Wish I Could Tell Schools About The Projects They Give
I have mixed opinions about school projects. Sometimes I like them, sometimes I don’t.
LIKE because it helps our kids absorb the lesson more and it does encourage (or should I say force ?) us, parents, to spend time with them. You know, work together as parent and child to reach a goal. That’s the whole idea, right? And then children feel a sense of accomplishment afterwards. A sense of pride that they’ve created something they haven’t done before.
That is, if we really let them do the job.
Because the crazy truth is –
Most parents do the projects of their kids. ?
Gulp!
I’m not here to judge though. I totally understand! It’s much much faster that way!
If you also tried to make it look like ‘child’s work’?, kudos to your efforts. Don’t feel guilty. Who hasn’t?
The only thing I’m trying to point out here is, this is extra work for us. And we are very busy parents who actually have no time for it.
So what I don’t like about projects is when they are not age appropriate.
I remember when I was in elementary, we were asked to make a parol (Christmas lantern). Continue reading
How Much Should Parents Be Involved in School Projects?
Project assignments.
It would be easier (and faster!) if I do it myself but something tells me not to.
My daughter is in 1st grade and since there are MORE grade levels to come, I thought I’d set the expectations early as to how much (or how little) help she’d get from me.
Well, how much help should we really give?
I’m on the camp who thinks as little as possible. ?
Project making can teach kids so many things – hard work, responsibility, self-reliance, creativity, resourcefulness etc. and we don’t want to rob those learning opportunities from them.
So even if it takes a loooonger time for Mia to finish, I let her be.
I just GUIDE.
“Mommy! Why did you cut those? I wanted to be the one. I wanted to be the one.”
Ooops.
Ok, so I wasn’t a very good guide in the beginning.? Continue reading
MIA: Mommy, I have a question. I’ve been wondering… Was there ever a time that you didn’t love me?
JING: No. And there won’t ever be.
MIA: Even when you get upset or get mad at me, there’s still love?
JING: Yep. Love is just always there. And it will always be there. Why do you ask?
MIA: Nothing. Just wonderin.
JING: Was there ever a time you felt you’re not loved?
MIA: No.
JING: What made you ask then?
MIA: Nothing. Just checking. If you ask me those questions, I’ll answer the same things you answered to me.
❤️❤️❤️
When Hugs Are Not Enough
I often hurt myself by running around and bumping into tables at home when I was young. I would cry and my mom would come to the rescue, smack the furniture, and say, “Bad table. Bad.”
That was her way of easing my pain. ?
Poor table. ?
Sometimes, it was the wall too. “Bad wall. Very bad wall.” (Smack!)
It wasn’t the wisest way to empathize with kids. But for the little me, back in the day, it was very comforting.
To see my mom get mad at an object and put the blame on it instead of on me? Oh, it would hush and calm me down. It was not my fault, right? I wasn’t clumsy or naughty. That furniture! Those walls!
???
To this day, I still trip in the most unlikely places. My pinky toe also gets stubbed all the time as if it has a mind of its own, deciding not to go where the rest of my body is going. But of course, I have matured and I don’t blame the grocery cart with wobbly wheels for it. Or the door that was left open by someone else. Or the hallway lights that weren’t on.
??? Continue reading
Our Kids Need To Play MORE – here’s why
My trips to the playground often teach me a lot of things. This past week in particular, I’ve noticed that many kids (ours included) are not good at playing yet.
It sounds weird. How can they not be? Playing is something that comes naturally to kids, right?
Well, supposedly. But since gadgets are now the new toys of this generation and it keeps kids indoors, most kids today do not know real play.
For example, when it was Mia’s first time to play Langit Lupa (Heaven Earth Tag game), Continue reading
Transitioning to Chapter Books
Did you know that there are gentle and easy-reading chapter books for kids?
I didn’t!
I was not exposed to fiction books when I was Mia’s age. I also don’t have a recollection of anyone in our family reading novels. So you can say I’m pretty clueless on how to transition kids from picture books to text-filled pages with zero illustrations.
I actually almost missed the signs that Mia was ready for it. Have you recently checked if your children are ready too?
Here’s how we started out and it might be helpful to you in spotting for cues. Continue reading
Our Quest for Early Chapter Books
I am currently on the hunt for early chapter books and it has been extra challenging!
Having an advanced young reader is so much fun but it also means I always have to be meticulous in a way that I can’t just pick Harry Potter even though I know she can finish this in just a few days because the plot is still quite scary for her.
So I’m specifically looking for books that match my daughter’s reading capacity AND have storylines that keep the level of innocence of 6-year-olds.
I spent 2 hours at BookSale (I know, too long!) browsing through every shelf, checking subject appropriateness & grade level labels, and reading back cover summaries until the attendants started looking doubtful about whether I was really purchasing something. ?
Well, of course, I did! I was so excited for Mia because I think I found some really good ones.
Here are my best finds that I’m hoping she’ll enjoy. ? Continue reading
Hello Gymnastics!
This summer, we are taking a break from children’s theater and we are trying out new things!
Because she has too much energy and she always attempts heart-stopping acrobatic stunts in our sofa and in our beds, we looked for a gymnastics class. Continue reading
Our Trip to the National Planetarium Museum
It’s summertime! I know everyone’s excited to go out of town but we are going farther away. Our first stop – outer space!
We recently visited the National Planetarium Museum and you may want to check them out too while admissions are still FREE! Their shows are open to everyone (5 years old and above) until May 31, 2017 and it’s a great summer activity for the whole family.
MiaThoughts
Sharing our amusing and sometimes silly-crazy conversations with Mia since she was 2 years old.
We are continuously updating this post so please come back often for new #MiaThoughts. 🙂 Happy reading!
Reading is Love
Today, I’m just sharing some snapshots of how life has been with our early reader. ?
It has been an amazing journey for us as we are often times on the.. Continue reading
Dressed For No Occasion
Do you allow your kids to choose what to wear?
If you’ve read my previous post, It’s Dress Day Everyday, you’d know that my answer to that is yes, we do.
The clothing wars are one of the battles I’ve happily lost. 🙂 Continue reading
Question To Ask To Get Your Child Talk About His Day
One way to know how our kids are doing in school is to ask who their FAVORITE and NOT SO FAVORITE playmates are for the day and WHY.
I tried this many times with Mia and I get interesting tiny details I would have no way of knowing if my question is just the usual, “How was your day?”
It also gives me an idea who she often hangs out with and if there might be kids who are bullying her. Ding ding! Continue reading
A Card for Annie
Our little fan girl made a card for Krystal Brimner today. ?
Krystal is the one who played Annie when we watched Annie The Musical and Mia was totally smitten after Krystal sent us a message saying she wanted to meet her!
In response, Mia brought out her coloring materials and made a card.
She wrote: Continue reading
Why Your Preschooler Can’t Sleep At Night
If you’re wondering why your preschooler cannot sleep at night and you’ve already eliminated sugar high, new toys, scary movies, illnesses, or overstimulation, it may be because there are little things bothering him in school. Yes, just like adults, they think about their troubles at night too.
The school is a social environment and oftentimes, kids get anxious or confused as to why teachers and classmates act in certain ways.
The only problem is they don’t tell us right away. It could be because they cannot talk very well yet or we’re probably not asking the right questions to bring it out. Continue reading
Mia on Ice
Could Our Advanced Kids Be Losing Their Childhood?
Can you still recall what you were doing when you were 5 or 6?
I remember being outdoors, chasing dragonflies, running around with our neighbors, blowing plastic balloon together, sipping the nectar off the stems of santan flowers, eating aratilis, munching on haw flakes after saying body of christ (oops), and shouting Pink 5 after four other kids yelled Red 1, Green 2, Blue 3, and Yellow 4. Continue reading
Parenting Hack Of All Time
If there is one childcare tip you’d give to a newbie parent, what would it be?
I’ll skip my normally long introductions and give mine right away –
TIMING IS EVERYTHING.
“Yeah, yeah, we know that already,” you might say.
But I mean, LITERALLY.
For example.
If you miss the short sleepy window, that magic time Continue reading
My 5 Year Old Says She’s Soon Getting Married
Aug. 4 : THE ANNOUNCEMENT
MIA: You know my boyfriend Zander, he is
JING: Wait wait. You have a boyfriend??!
MIA: Yes. Zander. Continue reading
You’re Not A Good Motherrrrr!
You bet, I’m not.
I wasn’t very proud of myself that day.
I remember it was the week before Christmas when Mia and I were in a crowded bazaar, and she was constantly getting bumped into by eager shoppers.
Must have been irritating for her. Clearly not a place for children.
But I needed to buy some gifts. Fast. Which I should have known is impossible to do with a kid in tow!
What Yayas Do When We’re Not Looking
On the numerous times I’ve been to parks and school pick-ups, I’ve seen different kinds of yayas and how they handle our kids.
I don’t watch their every move, of course. But I overhear them most of the time and they display similar behaviors in the absence of a “boss”.
So consider me your extra pair of eyes when you’re at work. Continue reading
When Being At Home Pulls You Down
I love being a mom. I can shout that many times for all to hear. I LOVE BEING A MOM!!!
But…
I’d be a hypocrite if I say I love every bit of it everyday.
I don’t. I get bouts of sadness from time to time.
Longing to work again, wanting to earn like I used to again, yearning to continue the career I’ve started – you know, all those things that took a backseat when motherhood started.
Sometimes I ask myself, “What have I become?” Continue reading
Meet Kayla
Last week, our 4-year-old was questioning why we named her Mia. She wanted to know why we didn’t pick out a name that ends with La.
In her opinion, names that end with “La” and “Bel” sound prettier. And she of course wants to be.. pretty.
Me: Hey, you have Bel in your name, Mia Isabel.
Mia: But I want La too. Why did you agree with Daddy’s choice, Mommy? Continue reading
When Work Doesn’t End on Fridays
If you’re fond of saying TGIF, I kind of envy you.
I love weekends but they are usually as hectic as my weekdays!
To give you an example, here’s a rundown of how one weekend is like for me from early morning until night.
SATURDAY:
COFFEE. Cook breakfast.
Eat with Mia. Feed for about 45mins. to an hour. Continue reading
The Question You Shouldn’t Forget To Ask When Interviewing A Potential Yaya
In our 6-month quest for an all-around-helper/yaya, I have interviewed a number of applicants, both from friend referrals and agencies, and there is one thing I’ve learned that I want to share to you.
I learned that the best way to know more about a candidate is to Continue reading
Why You Should Not Let A Day Pass Without Hugging Your Children
Have you hugged your kid today?
Hugging has recently moved up to the number 1 spot on our daily To-Do list after Mia left me speechless with her daunting train of thought the other night. It went like this:
MIA: Hug me, Mommy…
ME: Why, are you scared? I hugged you many times already.
MIA: Hug me because Continue reading
Life With A Kid In Tow
HELLO everyone!!! It has been quiet here for almost 3 months and I couldn’t be happier that I got to finally post today!
I swear I always try to write. I really do. I have about 12 drafts waiting (each with a few sentences that I wrote in increments) but none of them seem to close.
Well, until today. Yey! Continue reading