Time Flies

We bid goodbye to summer and welcome the rainy month of June. I still cannot believe that summer break is over. The kids are back from their vacation and I really have not accomplished much of my to do list. Today is the first day of classes for Bujoi. He is now in Grade School which means I have to put aside most of my to do list as my hands would be full planning meals, snacks, looking at assignment notebooks, buying stuff for school projects. I could not believe Grade School will be this stressful. Good thing that we have chosen a school that will be our partner in bringing up our children. The school is very open to communication because they strongly believe that communication is a key to a better partnership as we mold our children according to God's will and purpose for their lives. The school believes that having receive a gift from God, it is our primary responsibility to bring out the best in them for God's greater glory.

Ugoy ng Duyan

We live in a condo but we still managed to put up a duyan (wooden hammock) when Bujoi and Joie were babies. Shown in photo is a hand-me-down duyan from Bujoi to Joie. But as you see, even as Bujoi has outgrown the hammock, he still would want to stay in the hammock with his brother.

Materials used: Studio Azul May 2009 Kit, Radiant Rain Mist, Tim Holtz Alcohol Inks

IMC Kids on Stage

Every fortnight, Integrated Montessori Center is staging a production every December with casts from IMC students from Pre-school, Elementary to High School. As early as now, they have been practicing for the event.

I wonder what will they come up with this time. The last time, Johann joined the cast of Pocahontas as one of the Indian Boys. He didn't know Pocahontas that time as he hadn't seen it before. We had to buy him a Pocahontas CD for him to appreciate his role.

And here is my little Indian Boy during the play.

Materials used: Basic Grey patterned papers, die cut and Rub on alpha; Hambly overlay; K&Co Chipboard; Dooble Bug Designs paper frills; American Crafts chipboard and rub on alpha; Tattered Angels glimmer screen and glimmer mist.

Scrap Till You Drop

July 11 was a big day for Manila based scrappers. Our local kit club, Studio Azul, together with Pinoy Scrapbookers Moderators and Visual Creations, put together a really one of a kind event - Scrap Your Stress Away which everyone calls as Scrap Buffet! Yes, it is much like a food buffet, but instead of food, you will find loads and loads of scrap goodies and embellies and choices of patterned paper and cardstock.

This is really a scrap till you drop event, as in everyone went home with aching shoulders and backs but with huge smile in their faces at that!
As a slow scrapper, I cannot believe I was able to finish 4 layouts during the event. To be very honest, this is the very first time I was able to join an event and finish a layout that went straight to the album as soon as I got home! I still have 3 more layouts I started during the event that still needs additional finishing touches.

See what others are saying about the event here, here and here

I am lucky to be scrapping side by side with Donna, Shasha, Betchay and Marie that I was able to came up the following outputs.

Dinos Alive World Tour

As part of Bujoi's Birthday celebration, we went to Dinos Alive World Tour. It was almost 6 pm when we reached the place and so it was already dusk then. It was dark inside the Theme Park which makes the life size dino robots scary.

Happy Birthday Bujoi!

Bujoi turned five last January 15. With a very limited budget, we made him choose how he wanted to celebrate his birthday few
weeks before his birthday. Here are his options:

a) Fun ranch celebration with selected friends
b) Birthday party in his school
c) Dinos Alive World Tour with a party celebration at home with our neighbor/friends

Long before his birthday, he saw the Red Ribbon ad along EDSA and everytime we pass the ad, he'd always say he wanted to have Ben 10 for his birthday cake.

Here's the birthday celebration with our neighbors.

The choco fountain is the star of the party.

When the kids are away the mom will play

We went to Asian Hospital last Saturday for Kuya's annual checkup. He had two shots, MMR booster and flu vaccine. Afterwards, we visited my sister in Sucat. It seems the kids had not seen each other for years that they don't leave. So we asked them if they'd like to stay and sleep over. And they did. DH and I headed home. After few hours of silence, we missed the kids so much so DH decided to pick them up. While the kids were away, I have the freedom to bring my things out of my little nook and started workin on these. Time to renew my subscription with Studio Azul so I have to make room for upcoming kits.
Just sneaked into the site and the January kit is really a goodness!

Here are my projects using the August 2008 Kit - Wouldn't It Be Nice

This is from their Limited Edition Kits - Red, Red Wine way back September 2007. Inspired by Cabbie's use of Beadazzles. Thanks for the inspiration Cabbie!

Hi-5

Bujoi turns 5 today. I cannot believe I have a 5-year-old boy now. Where has all the time gone?

Sneak Peak

Here's a sneak peak of the Little Ambassadors for Christ concert this Saturday, December 20 at The Good Samaritan United Methodist Church. The kids have been practicing for more than two months in preparation for the concert. Last November 15, they sang during the worship services in our church. I am already excited because Bujoi has his solo part in this concert.

I knew it's coming

but I did not expect it too soon. Quarterly exams that is. Last week we did not get any notification that this week is Bujoi's quarterly exam week. So I was surprised that last Friday, they do not have homework and all the more I was surprise at 2 am Tuesday morning, I was checking his diary for any announcement or homework, I found the dreaded notice.

And so I panicked as I prepare his reviewers. I use to have a week to prepare for this and now, I only have few hours. And what's worst, I have to force him to answer all those reviewers in one sitting. Talk about information overload. And knowing Bujoi, you can't really have him sit down for 30 minutes to study. He cannot focus, his mind is wandering and thinking about toys and playing. Well, he is just four years old.

For three straight nights, I am working on his reviewer. There's really so much to catch up on this quarter since most of his lessons are new. The first quarter was more of a review of the previous year's lessons so it was easier to both of us.

O well, wish us luck this time.

I still managed to update my webshots account and upload all my finished layouts. Just check them here.

Visit to the Dentist

Last Saturday was my kids the semi-annual dental visit. Kuya Bujoi got used to seeing Dr. Eric Hernandez that for the second time, he sat on the dental chair on his own. Dr. Eric even gave him a mirror so that Kuya can watch what he is doing with his teeth.

Joie was left outside the play area while waiting for his turn. He was a little bit scared at first, unlike our previous visit this year, but soon felt comfortable after seeing Sponge Bob on the TV. One thing I like about Dr. Eric is that he can really make his patients feel so comfortable by making friends with the kids and getting to their interests. He had stickers ready to be given away to remove the fright in the kids. And he has this TV on the ceiling so that kids can watch TV while he is doing his works on the kids’ mouth.

Sunday morning, on our way to church, Joie was like playing with me. He pretends he is a dentist cleaning my teeth. He even turned on the light inside the car as if you’re really in a dental chair. How smart is that.

98/100

A week before their first quarterly exam, Bujoi was sick. But this boy is just so amazing that he scored 98/100 on the exam. I am one proud mom!!!

A Promising Soloist

Bujoi has a passion for singing. I remember during my pregnancy, I joined practices for the December 2003 cantata. Maybe that's where it all begun. As early as two years old, he is already part of the children's choir in our church - the Little Ambassadors for Christ. We live in Taguig while our church is in Quezon City. He has to sacrifice some of his Saturday playtimes just to attend practice in Quezon City.

Two Sundays ago, we celebrated Parent's Day in our church. What a better way to pay tribute to parents having the Little Ambassadors for Christ rendering a special song. This is the first time that the kids performed with a parent. A parent-child duet was assigned for each service. During the Tagalog service, Ish and Bujoi had a duet on the first two paragraphs of the song. This is not the first time that Bujoi was given a solo part in the song, but this time, he really shined and with much confidence, he sang his part.

I am one proud momma! And the best part is, Ish told me that Nanette Inventor, a well-known singer-actress-comedienne, approached Ish and told him " Your son ha! He is a promising soloist". Do I hear a celebrity in the house?

Quarterly exams

Bujoi is on his second year in Junior Casa and I am still in denial that he is actually on a formal education. Since JC1, he's been spending time doing his homework and reviewing for exams. To think, he should be enjoying his childhood, playing and sleeping. Just the regular carefree childhood days I had. Looking back, I cannot even remember what I was doing at his age then.

And now, it's the time of the year - the first quarter exam. The quarterly exams are one of the school activities I dread most. I spend hours and hours going through his book preparing his reviewers few nights before the exam. Aside from that I have to drag Bujoi out of his playing time to sit down and review. We sit down for 15 minutes and off he goes again. I do not want to pressure him with the exams. For him to cooperate and just go through the lesson are much more than I expect from him. And Bujoi never fails to disappoint us because I can see that he knows and understands his lessons.

But still, I think he should grow up as a normal child who enjoyed his childhood. We do the review just to ensure that he understands his lessons and for us parents to be assured that we get what we pay for =). Whatever reward we get from it will just be icing on the cake.