Nine days left before Christmas, and we're pretty excited! Seems like it just happened yesterday, didn't it? While you are all catching up with the Christmas sales anywhere, I also would like to catch up this post, which should have been published a couple weeks ago (Sorry I am crazy busy!). This lovely and colorful activity is called Christmas Sensory Bin, which is connected with graphing and sorting Christmas activity.


Here's what we used for this activity.

• 1 kg rice
• food colors (green and red)
• alcohol
• Christmas decors

Here's what you need to do.

Divide the rice equally and put them into separate bins to color. Then wet the rice with alcohol and mix the food color. (Sorry I did not take pictures.) Why alcohol? So the rice will easily dry up. Let the rice dry for 20-30 minutes, and you are ready to go. Put some Christmas decors as desired.

When my child feels bored, sensory play always comes to the rescue. It's great to keep my child busy for hours. Likewise, it helps soothe an anxious and frustrated child. While playing, I named the Christmas decors and asked her to count the number of balls, bells, candy canes, and stars.

She added some animals and buried them into the colored rice. I just let her imagination play.

I hope you'll try this at home. I can assure you it is perfectly enjoyable for your kids. Merry Christmas!

I am glad to present to you our Halloween-themed sensory play of the month, in line with this coming holiday. Since my 3-year old is scared of monsters or "momo" in our dialect, in which I used to scare her every time she misbehaves or disobeys (I must admit it was totally wrong , don't copy that), I came up with this Halloween sensory play to turn his scary thoughts into fun memories. Moreover, sensory play will encourage children to make use of their senses and bring out creativity in them. So I put together all the ideas found online and I incorporated mine too.


Materials needed for the Halloween Sensory Play:

1. large bin
2. black gelatin (2 packs)
3. orange balloons as jack-o-lanterns (3 pieces) idea from teachingmama.org
4. tissue papers cut into rectangular strips
5. DIY bats
6. cotton
7. spiders
8. some scary halloween design (thebestdecor.com)
9. sand

I used black gelatin instead of black beans since the former is less expensive than the latter. The fact that gelatin is edible, it is safe to use with children in case they accidentally swallow it. I also put tissue papers in rectangular strips to add more glow to the sensory bin.



I filled the balloons with sand to stay them in place and tried to draw scary faces but I didn't achieve what I wanted to (I am terrible at drawing...). I also cut out bats and pasted them on the side of the plastic bin.

I also put spider with cotton on it.


My 3-year old was curios of what's inside the balloon. She kept squeezing and shaking it.


She also loved to slice, dig, and bury creepy-crawlies which practices her fine motor skills.




I hope you will find this activity engaging and fun for your preschoolers.
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P.S. Images are edited at picmonkey.com

It's been a week since I gave birth to my second child which made my life and the baby somewhat in peril. It really never came to my mind that my delivery was riskier than my first because in the first place I am no longer newbie as far as pregnancy is concerned. But thank God I survived all throughout the pregnancy period and was able to deliver a healthy and strong baby!
Although my baby would complete its full term (40 weeks) on October 4, 2016, and supposedly my official due date, my doctor had decided to have me undergo repeat CS (my first born was CS because she was in breech position and the second one is automatically or normally CS also ) two weeks earlier than my EDD (expected date of delivery). So we finally set a date for my CS on September 20 and advised me to be admitted one day before the agreed date.

As polite as I am (after all doctor knows best), husband and I went to the Brokenshire hospital late in the afternoon and submitted myself for an interview and several check-ups (weight, temperature, etc). But prior to my admission, I already felt the hardness of my tummy when I was already on the verge of 36 weeks. But I just ignored it and never imagined it would endanger my baby's life.

After the interviews and check-ups, I was ushered to the delivery room for ultrasound using Doppler device to check baby's heart beat for at least 20-30 minutes. While at the half-way of the procedure, they noticed sudden drops of the baby's heartbeat, which made the attending physicians and nurses in the panic state so I was rushed right away to the Operating room for cs. Everyone was hurrying, busy with the assigned task. One was inserting a catheter, while the other one was shaving my private part (no time to be ashamed of). Some were injecting a medicine, getting blood,  putting heart device on my chest and donning sphygmomanometer to check blood pressure. The scariest part was when they asked me to curl up like a shrimp so they could inject anesthesia at the bottom of my backbone. Since then, I slowly felt numbness from my feet all the way to the lower breast. It seems like I was being slaughtered. But the nurses praised me for being so relax and quiet, not knowing that deep inside me I was praying fervently that I could get through this operation.

At exactly 8:45 P.M., I successfully delivered a healthy baby. No amount of words could explain how ecstatic I was the moment I heard her cry. Meaning she was well and alive! Then my husband was called right away to have him see her and take some photos.

Then at around 12:30 in the morning, I was moved from OR to our room for recovery.  While the anesthesia slowly vanished from my body, I slowly felt the pain of surgical incision. I was given antibiotics and medicine to at least relieve the pain. I wanted to cry but it's been said "Big Girls Don't Cry" (hehe), so I had managed to endure the pain. Every 3 hours, the nurse took a round to check my temperature, give medicine, and monitor my pulse as well. Unexpectedly, they saw some irregularities on my heart beats (skip beat as they call ) in which  I had to undergo ECG and blood test.  At the back of my mind, OMG, am I dying? Never in my entire life have I experienced heart problems. I was deeply worried until the cardiologist assured me that everything would be alright. The following day the nurse confirmed that my ECG result and blood test turned negative. I sighed with relief. Thank God!

Sorry I didn't have pictures lying flat on my bed with dextrose and catheter connected. It took me 24 hours to have those stuff removed from my body (see picture below).

I still looked pale and weak, continue fighting with the surgical incision pain.

Happy Granny together with her Apos (grandchildren)

I used to give a certificate of recognition to my students before and  witnessed how the parents feel after receiving fruits out of hard work from their children.

The joy felt by the parents is absolutely relatable! Just a couple days ago,  we received the same certificate from the school which recognizes children who perform well in the class.

It's actually beyond our expectations!

But it doesn't mean we doubted our child's capacity intellectually, but for some of you who do not know yet, Chesska had battled over separation anxiety since the first day of school, which we thought would have greatly affected her overall performance.

However, opposite to what we believe, our child clearly did an awesome job despite the lack of enthusiasm and independence in going to school. In fact, her scores in the test are evident that she can keep up academically with her other classmates.  I know she's too young to understand why she needs to attend school, but am hoping she will overcome her weak points as the time goes by.

A big congratulation to our tot! You did with flying colors.....(boom! confetti fall....)

I know it's too late (or maybe not yet too late ) to diet a few weeks before my delivery!

By the way, when I ate my breakfast today, I still indulge in two cups of rice + a cup of hot milo +  a slice of sweet potato. What a burp! 

It's actually been a thought to start dieting as early as my 1st trimester of pregnancy but I can hardly resist foods to get my cravings satisfied. Anyway,  I'll be undergoing cesarean section so dieting is not that priority to me (hehe). Unlike those who will undergo normal delivery (as they said), should at least follow recommended diet so the baby won't grow fast and big to make the delivery a lot easier.

But what gives me the heads-up to start dieting is when I visited my OB a couple weeks ago for my prenatal check-up. Ideally, before my pregnancy begins, I only weigh 47 kilograms. But when the secretary of the doctor asked me to weigh myself, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw 58 kilograms on the weighing scale. Oh-My-Gosh!  This would have been the cause why I do get intense cramps from time to time.

Pregnancy at 8 months and 2 weeks

Recent Ultrasound - Baby at 8 months and 1 week

These are the variety of foods that I am planning to prepare daily starting tomorrow (fingers' crossed) without compromising the needed nutrients that every pregnant woman should get.

a. Breakfast 

I can hardly give up rice, but in the meantime,  I will go light breakfast. For example just the other day, I happily settled into a bowl of oats lavishly poured with milk. Oats are packed with plenty of nutrients including a fiber which aid digestion process. Whenever I feel hungry, I back up some slice of fruits or bread between regular meals.


b. Lunch

I am currently working home-based so I feel hungry whenever noon time strikes. During lunch time, I am planning to eat not-so-heavy lunch. For instance, my lunch yesterday, I only ate a handful of rice plus a bowl of red beans with broccoli. This viand is loaded with protein, vitamins, and minerals to keep me energized until my work ends at 3:30 pm.  I see to it to include fruits to get a well-balanced diet. I also take a break to munch a slice of fruits such as apple or bread.

c. Dinner

Like breakfast, I plan to go light dinner as much as possible. Most of the time when I eat too much, I suffer from indigestion and can barely breathe and sleep at night due to bloating. A glass of milk paired with sweet potato or crackers will do.

I do hope I can implement my meal plans religiously. After all, only three weeks left to endure. And there's nothing more exciting than seeing my new baby girlalooo very soon!

On the one hand, social media like Facebook helps us connect and catch up easily with friends statuses and photos they post. On the other hand, I choose to remain as private as I am now so my friends barely see me post in my FB account.

As you can see, my tummy is as bulky as the cow's and ready to pop.

And speaking of Facebook, allow me to share a story.

Last week, before my online job started, I posted a status on FB (actually a hint about pregnancy symptoms) just to see how my friends reacted. As assuming as I am, I thought my close friends would guess what I was trying to imply. One of the reactions that amused me when one of my childhood friends, who is also a first-time mom, expressed concern that I had to see a doctor at the same time watch my diet.
Oddly, a seasoned mom, who is supposed to guess quickly about my pregnancy, made a joke that I already feel what aging people feel like her. But here comes another friend of mine, Luisa, revealed that I am going to give birth next month.  My friends who were able to read and follow our conversation would have been surprised.

Honestly, I've never posted anything yet about my pregnancy until last week, which marks my 7 months and 3 weeks pregnancy. On my way to 8th month next week. And I'd like to share with you how it really feels when you are on your way to 8th-month pregnancy. I am actually no longer new to these symptoms because I had experienced the same with my first-born. Here they are.

1. Bulky Tummy

Beginning 4th month onwards, my tummy grew faster month by month.  I don't know if "bulky" is the right term, but in my case due to its bulkiness, I feel that my womb seems crowded which limits me from doing what I want. For instance, when Chesska drops her toys or any stuff on the floor, I can hardly pick them up because I can already feel the weight and size of my tummy and it acts as a barrier whenever I want to bend my body. (lol)


2. Leg Cramps 

My home-based job entails long hours of sitting which may have triggered my leg cramps.  What I do is take a break by standing up awhile or putting my legs up. Good to know that husband always came to the rescue to massage the cramped muscle. Good to know that my employer understands my situation and she allows me to take breaks when really needed.


3. Swollen Feet and Hands (edema)

I don't have beautiful feet, to be honest. But looking at my swollen feet makes them uglier (ugh). I already find it normal because I experience this with Chesska when the third trimester of pregnancy begins. Temporarily, I did not wear my wedding ring because I can hardly take it off every time I use the bathroom.

4. Backache

One of the symptoms that I complain the most is a backache. Whenever I stand or walk longer, the ache starts. I make sure to sit or lie down for a while after doing household chores to at least ease the pain.

5. Craving and Aversion

No certain foods that I am really obsessed of. I have never tried to get "lihi"(as what other old folks said) ever since I conceived my first child. But I have been noticing that I ate more than what's only recommended diet for pregnant. Also, whatever foods pop up in my mind, I include them in my shopping list with my next visit at the grocery. While  I am averse to foods being prepared over and over again.

How about you moms? Have you ever experienced the same symptoms? Feel free to share your thoughts below.

In my previous posts, I mentioned about how Chesska struggled on the first day of school. I also wrote a letter to the teacher, requesting her to find out why Chesska cried during her class which happened during the fourth week of June and making an appointment for a parent-teacher conference. But prior my talk with the teacher, I suspected that my child was somewhat frightened when the teacher allegedly got angry in front of the class as what my child relayed to me. But I soon dismissed the story by the time I talked with the teacher two days after writing her a letter regarding the "crying" issue. I interrogated her as politely as I could with what happened, and I finally realized that my daughter went through separation anxiety. No wonder during the first week of school, she kept begging me to stay by her side all the time. But this issue was already addressed by the teacher, I supposed because I saw some improvement in my child's behavior.

Sorry, it's a long introduction and contrary to the title of this post! (hehe)

By the way, we are almost nearing the end of July. A lot of great things actually happened this month which I regretfully failed to blog (sooooo busy). But the most surprising part (well not totally surprising because I know my child's capacity in terms of academic ) was Chesska's test scores in the first preliminary exam, knowing how she wrestled with separation anxiety over the weeks.

Chesska has aversion to writing but unexpectedly the teacher got Chesska to write her name nicely (applause to the teacher).  She also got a perfect score in the Reading test with the topics involving vowels and beginning sound. As a kid, I had never encountered this type of test until Kinder so I was wondering if a 4-year old could overcome this. Suffice to say, my kiddo did it with flying colors.


While in Math, she got 24 out of 25. The topics consist of shapes and colors. Find out where she got wrong.




This test was done orally and I am clueless how the teacher facilitated the oral test. Maybe my child was just really confused with the shape of the eggplant.

Lastly, her score in Language is 20 out of 25 (not bad!). She got all correct in Test 1.



However, in test 2, she mistakenly matched the name of the persons to the correct picture particularly the carpenter and the singer.

Test IV is the introduction of self which, I believe,  is the weakest part of Chesska's personality. While she was confidently practicing at home days before the exam, she became timid in front of her classmates. If she had met all the criteria below, she would have gotten 23 out of 25 in Language test. But it is no problem at all because Chesska is still going through the adjustment period.


Ironically, seems like I wanted her to get all perfect scores but it's pretty unfair on her part. She's just a child after all. I should have lowered my standard (hehe). From now on, I will train myself to only expect a passing grade and I hope Chesska will keep up the good work and at the same time enjoy the remainder of the preschool days.

We survived one month of regular schooling! But it was not as smooth as I expected!

All along, I thought my 4-year-old daughter, Chesska,   finds big school more enjoyable for she can already gain new friends to mingle and play with. Though she's not a kind of kid who usually takes the first step to make friends. When it comes to the academic side, I believe that she can keep up with her other classmates because she has been home-schooled since last year. I mean, she's no longer new to holding a pen, answering worksheets, coloring, counting, and writing so I am quite confident that she will not be left behind.

However, the issue does not lie there!

Throughout the first week of school, I always accompanied her inside the classroom so she would somewhat feel comfortable with the new place. I even approached her classmates, introducing her name and setting up a play with them (since the teacher is not yet around).   But every time the bell rang and it was time to leave her in the classroom by herself, she started to be anxious. She even begged me to stay with her.  But I told her "mama is just outside watching you, ok?" Then during dismissal, I would find time to talk with her teacher how Chesska was doing, she said Chesska was so quiet and never talked when asked. I oriented the teacher that Chesska is a shy girl, just motivate her to participate.

On the second week, each time Chesska arrived home, I consistently checked how's her school. She gleefully mentioned that they sing and dance (with action). But what bothered me was when she said "mama teacher got angry, she said likes this "grrr" (with gigil action)". "Maybe you and your classmates were misbehaving, that's why teacher was angry", I said.   But I was elated when she began to share stories.

However, during the parent's orientation of the same week, the teacher told me that Chesska had finally a close friend but she and her classmate were running around the classroom so I reprimanded them. At the top of my head, I remember what Chesska relayed to me the other day when the teacher made gigil (having a hard time controlling oneself out of frustration), which I presumed the teacher was angry at my daughter when she and her classmate were running around. But I never confronted her about that. I just let it pass because I understand her. I had been a teacher myself after all.

But on the third week, I already heard Chesska refuse to go to school. Oftentimes,  she would say with a frowning face "Mama Enough School (na), tired Chesska". But I rather chose to ignore her as If we didn't hear her complaints and tried to divert the stories into something else.  But several times in the morning before going to school she would always try to insert in our conversation "I want mama sit with me in school".  As usual, I reasoned out why I couldn't go with her inside the classroom but assured her that everything will be alright eventually.

As the days went by, the situation seems to get worse. Her teacher relayed to my mother that Chesska cried during her class and she didn't know the reason behind. My gut feeling told me that there was something else that had happened so I didn't hesitate to write the teacher a letter.

Just correct the grammar (na lng) because it was hurriedly done.


Dear Teacher,

Greetings!

My mother, who fetches Chesska in school, informed me that Chesska was crying during your class last week.  Chesska arrived home with a disturbing behavior and when I checked her snack, she didn’t even touch it.  I also couldn’t  figure out the reason/s because she wouldn’t tell me. Will you please take a little time from your busy schedule the reasons of crying?

a  Was she bullied in the classroom?
b. Do you think she is just anxious from being away from us (parents)?
c. Was she unable to make friends?
d. Was she embarrassed?
e. Did she feel OP (out-of-place)?
f. Did she feel intimidated?

Please note that Chesska always arrives at school before 7:00 am. There might have been things that had happened that you didn’t know.

Also, two weeks ago until now, she kept begging us that she didn’t want to go to school anymore. This happened when parents were no longer allowed to accompany their children inside the classroom. We have already used all our resorts just to convince her to attend school. Sometimes it is frustrating! I believe that Chesska can keep up academically, perhaps, she has still difficulty adjusting to the new environment and socializing with her classmates and teachers as well.

Kindly contact us immediately if her behavior persists such as crying, anxiousness, feeling of intimidation, or whatever you may have observed
.
If you advise her to see a guidance counselor for further behavioral assessments or whatever interventions you may want to do to improve her behavior,  just text me or send me a note. We are willing to talk with you or with the guidance counselor in the soonest possible time.

Thank you very much!

Truly yours,

Mother


I figured that Chesska may have been frightened when she was reprimanded by her teacher but I can't jump to a conclusion right away until she will respond to my letter or set a talk with me. I will let you know.

I have been dreaming of sending my daughter to a prestigious and competitive school. Our first pre-school option for Chesska was to enroll her at Precious International School of Davao at Matina crossing. I have been hearing a lot of good things about Precious. One of which is students are required to speak English in the campus. But upon knowing the heavy traffic during peak hours, and during school days - usually begins in the morning - it turned me off. I cannot guarantee the condition of our old car to get through heavy traffics, fearing it may get broken in the middle of the road anytime. It will be a total mess, haha.! Also, trying to commute daily can be exhausting for my 4-year old.

Let me tell you the important reasons why we enrolled Chesska at San Pedro College.

1. Convenient Location

Upon weighing the options between Precious and San Pedro, the latter is much nearer to our house. San Pedro is located at Ulas, just 15-minute ride from Bago Gallera where we live. On the other hand, a trip to Precious will take us for about 40 minutes in a moderate traffic. See the convenience?

2. Modern Facilities

San Pedro just started its operation in 2012 (if I am not mistaken).  As you can see, the school's facilities are almost all new and the environment looks refreshing which can help students learn effectively. That's why when we first visited San Pedro to check its facilities, we were already inclined to enroll Chesska there.

Fasten your belt as I tour you around the school's exterior. 

San Pedro College Basic Education Building

Pathway going to the main entrance.

Wide playground

Ronan and Chesska using the pathway to stay away from the scorching heat of the sun

State-of-the-Art gymnasium

More tables in front of the canteen

Another school playground

School's canteen

Parents queuing as they claim their children's books

School's interior:

Ronan and Chesska looking for the prep-2 classroom

Chapel where students can pray and reflect

School's clinic with attending nurse

Numerous student's locker

Finance and Registrar's Office

Selection of vending machines

Healthy snacks vending machine

Clean comfort room for girls

3.  Integrate Christian Values to the Curriculum, not merely Pure Academic. 

Aside from it's Catholic, which is one of the factors that I enrolled Chesska in San Pedro, the Vision, Mission, and Goals of the school have convinced us to enroll Chesska in the said school. In fact, when I personally accompanied my child throughout the first week of classes, I noticed how the students were courteous, organised, and disciplined. The school has also read scriptures daily before the classes begin.



4. Preschool Classroom is Conducive to Learning

This is precisely the ideal classroom I wanted to have for my 4-year old. The pleasant ambience can effectively contribute to the learning of the child.

Air-conditioned classroom, proper lighting, and tidy classroom

Attractive walls painted with different animals and characters

Small and colourful workstations

Spacious classroom so students can move comfortably

Nice bulletin board

That is so far I have in mind why I enrolled Chesska in San Pedro College. For me, student and teacher's good relationship is more important and has more impact and long-lasting effect on the child's academic and social development. I overheard that their preschool teacher is still new and when I first observed her during the first day of classes, she didn't show a "motherly approach" to the young children as what I expected her to be (maybe she's shy to talk with us yet). Well, I will give her a benefit of the doubt. I wish she can help my daughter develop her self-confidence and overcome her shyness as the days go by. I know, it will take a while.