Proud owner of a Nikon D60 kit

Yup! That's me! When we got to Manila last Sunday, Mier surprised me with this. Ooooh! I love it! And I love him! :-)

Girly Girl Alyssa

Can you see her ears? Finally had them pierced yesterday. :-)

Nadine and Raya's pedia in Manila, Dr. Eileen Cuajunco, is such a girly girl that as soon as the girls turned 3 months, she would be the one who'd suggest to put earrings already. Although I think Alyssa's pedia here is great, he's a guy! So I kept on putting of her earrings until I realized she's already a year old! :-(

I texted him last Sunday asking if he pierces ears and he replied he used to but stopped because "hindi pantay" Yikes! He recommended another pedia to do it and yesterday we finally had it done.

Thank you to Mama Flory for the pretty sapphire earrings, Alyssa's birthstone. No, she didn't cry much. Just a little because the piercing gun surprised her. But as soon as I held her, she was quiet na. Doesn't she look like a girly girl now??? :-) Adorable little tyke!

Little Love Notes

I love it that Nadine can now read and write. She leaves me little notes around the house and surprises me with letters and even mini books. Last night, she gave me this before going to bed. She is such a sweetie, really! What a joy to receive something like this!

If you can't read it, the note says, "Dear Mom, You're as good as the best, And I love you so much. It's nice that your here by my side. I love you. Mom, I can't stop loving you. Nadine"

Sino ba naman ang di maiiyak sa ganyan??? :-)

Stroganoff

Description:
Have been trying new recipes lately to spice up our menu. We had this for dinner tonight and I got raves from Mier and Yaya Annie. Hay! Nothing is more satisfying than an appreciated meal. :-) I still should have taken a picture, I know. Hehehe! Naunahan kami ng mga tiyan namin. :-)

Ingredients:
1/2k beef or pork tenderloin (I used pork bec that was available)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped lengthwise
butter for frying
tomato sauce
worcestershire sauce
cream
cheese
fettucine pasta

Directions:
Cook fettucine pasta according to directions then set aside.
Cut the pork loin into strips.
Marinate in worcestershire sauce overnight.
Stir fry garlic and onions in butter.
Add pork loin and continue stir frying til cooked.
Add the tomato sauce and simmer for about 5 minutes.
Add the cream.
Top sauce on fettucine pasta.
Add grated cheese on top.
Serve and enjoy!

Checkmate!

For Nadine's Grade One PE class this quarter, they are learning to play chess. Last Friday, she had a test about the game. I reviewed her with each piece move and Mier told her that they can play one of these days. They tried to play but Nadine is still too young, I think, and doesn't have the patience for it. So for the past days, Mier and I have been playing chess. :-) So far, he has won all games we played but he said I am a fast learner and have been aggressive with my moves since we started playing. In the second game, I was able to get his queen and he said he felt a little intimidated but he still won the game queenless. :-) So far, I am enjoying our games and getting challenged. Maybe next time I'll win? I'll let you know. :-)

Go Fish!

We had a very busy and fun Sunday yesterday. We left the house at 6am to be able to make it the 8am mass at the Monastery of Transfiguration in Bukidnon. We got there just in time. After mass, the monks prepared breakfast for a fee. Mier bumped into his high school classmate, Joel Santos, who was there from Manila for a vacation. It was nice seeing him and having him join us for breakfast.

After breakfast we went to Palaisdaan in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon to try our luck in fishing. You can fish Tilapia and Hito in their ponds and have them cooked for you. Unfortunately, the fish we caught were really small ones so we just tossed them back in the ponds.

We went to Del Monte Cawayanon instead for their yummy roast beef sandwich. It was a tiring but fun day. Lots of bonding with each other. :-)

Parental Responsibilities

Over the course of a conversation, someone once observed to me that there are courses, diplomas and trainings for careers and jobs. There are even board exams for some professionals. Other people take up masters and PhD’s to further their studies. But there is really nothing that can prepare one into becoming a parent.

This is true. When your child is born, then you become a parent by default. There are no lessons and courses in any school that can teach you how to be a good parent. Maybe basic sociology on the family may give an eye view but nothing can really prepare you into becoming a parent.

Yes, there are numerous self help books, so-called parenting gurus and now even countless Internet information. But can they really tell you what to do on how to raise your child effectively? Books and information may be good guidelines and all but each child is different and each child should be handled differently. And sometimes what works for one does not necessarily work for the other.

I recall a few years back how I felt confident in having Raya because we had Nadine and she was turning out pretty well. Then as Raya was growing older, I noticed that the stuff I used to do that worked with Nadine did not work with Raya. I realized that because of their different personalities their wants and needs are different too. And with that realization, I felt I needed to get to know Raya well in order to know how to handle her well too.

As parents, we all strive to do our best in raising our children to be upstanding citizens and basically good people. It isn’t easy but we do what we can using our parents as examples of how they raised us and maybe combined with some other stuff that we learn from books and other people. I guess we all try to do the best we can.

It’s just that sometimes the task can be quite daunting. Unlike our projects and work for companies, when we make a mistake, we can always alter or change stuff to make it better. As parents, we are responsible for other persons --- our children. We are tasked to mold and shape minds and personalities of our children. In a way, their lives are in our hands. They depend on us not only for the basic necessities in life but also for emotional and psychological stability too.

Being a parent is no joke. Having children is definitely a joy. But making sure that they are well-rounded people can be a challenge. I think the best thing we can do is be attuned to each child. Know their personalities, their characters and deal with them from there. Eventually they will learn to trust us and our judgment in knowing them well enough and their needs and believing that what we are doing is for their best interest. I just pray that with God’s guidance, we will know what is best for each of them.