Finding Balance

Every parent would like to form a well-rounded child, exposed in the different areas of culture, arts and possibly sports. Mier and I have always tried to expose our girls to different aspects of life whether here in Cagayan de Oro or when we go to Manila for vacations. We’re lucky that the girls’ school has various offerings of extra-curricular activities for the wholistic development of the children.

Since summer, both Nadine and Raya have expressed interest in learning a musical instrument. But since they were involved in their golf sessions and enrichment activities (not to mention, I was still feeling bouts of morning sickness), they didn’t have a chance to get into it. Fortunately, their school is now offering music lessons to the students. Nadine has chosen to continue her piano lessons and Raya has decided to learn how to play the flute.

Likewise the girls have decided to continue their swimming lessons even if it is only once a week. They used to swim three times a week two years ago when Nadine was in Grade One and at that time still half day in school except Fridays. That gave them time to study when they get back from school and still make it to their 330pm swimming lessons. They took a break from swimming last year when Nadine started whole day classes.

This year, although both girls are already whole day (the school has changed the schedule and Raya is also whole day now despite being in Grade One), we’ve decided to allow them to start swimming again even if it’s just once a week. Swimming will give them the needed exercise for their bodies. Maybe by next month, they can start swimming twice a week, including Wednesdays, since they hardly have tests and activities the next day.

I’ve explained to both girls that the key to handling all these activities is to find balance in it all. Studies should always be their priority and I’m happy to say that they’ve both agreed to this and have been diligently studying their lessons everyday without complaints.

Twice a week, after school, they go to their music lessons at the top floor of their school building and once a week they continue swimming lessons at the local clubhouse. In between those extra curricular activities, they are busy with studying for tests and spelling lists, memorizing poems and putting actions in their storytelling presentations.

Yes, they have been pretty busy with school and other activities that they have actually stopped watching TV during weekdays. (Yehey!) I remember when my sisters and I were school girls so long ago, TV was not allowed during school days. With my kids, I’ve decided to compromise since there are a lot of educational shows anyway that’s shown. National Geographic, Discovery and Animal Planet are favorite channels. But lately, they don’t mind watching only on weekends, which is what I prefer anyway.

This week is exam week and we’ve been gearing up and preparing for three days of diagnostic tests. Since last week, I’ve been busy creating reviewers for the different subjects they’ll be having. Good thing I was able to team up with some of the mothers in the school so we can each create different reviewers for certain subjects and then just exchange them. I used to make these tests for each subject and it can be quite tiring, especially now since both girls are in grade school. At least now, I can share the burden with other mothers.

   It has been pretty busy around our house since school started but I don’t mind, really. I expect it to be busier when I give birth in 2-3 weeks from now. Life for us will definitely change again with a new baby in the house. But it is a good change. The key here is finding balance in everything that we do.

Marko Alejandro M. Siojo

I spent time with Mackie and Mabel and their 5-day old Marko today. Love the smell of a newborn. :-)

There's a BOY in the house!

Three days ago my sister, Mabel, gave birth to her and her husband, Mackie's, first born, Marko Alejandro. Marko is the first boy grandchild of my parents (They have four granddaughters between my other sister, Marla, and me and the babies we're both carrying are girls too!), the first grandchild (who happens to be a boy) on the side of Mackie, and the first great grandson of my maternal grandmother (She has 8 great grandchildren who are all girls!)

We are thrilled to have a baby boy in the family! :-) Although I'm sure it will take time to get used to it. While still in the hospital, he filled the room with his loud and lusty cry demanding his milk from his mommy. Hehehe! Such a cutie!

Alyssa in her Igorot Costume

As part of their Buwan ng Wika celebration, the preschool students are asked to dress up in Filipino costumes every Friday. Here is Alyssa in her Igorot costume. This was originally Raya's costume but it fits Alyssa well! She was so excited to wear it this morning....

August is World Breastfeeding Month!

Alyssa breastfed until she was 1 year and 10 months. She would breastfeed standing up while I am seated working at the computer. :-)

Raya breastfed for 1 year and 6 months and Nadine for 1 1/2 months only. Sadly, I have no pictures of me breastfeeding them. I imagine myself breastfeeding the coming baby for a long time considering that she'll be the last. :-) I will definitely be taking pictures of me breastfeeding her.

Teacher Mommy

If there’s one thing I’m proud of about being a mother is making that decision to be purely hands-on with my kids. And it’s not just in taking care of them physically but also emotionally and academically. I’ve always believed that the parents are the primary teachers of a child and I’ve taken that responsibility quite seriously.

Hence, when the girls started school, I’ve always made it a point to be abreast with what’s been happening to them in the academic world. This includes school performances and extra curricular activities. When they were still in preschool, it was easier and didn’t take much time to sit down and point out the lessons to them. However, now that the two older ones are in grade school, it becomes quite a task to balance time and effort between the two girls.

It’s a good thing that I started early with Nadine, when she was still in Grade One. So now, she has honed her study habits and can read and study on her own. She comes to me for questions, spelling and review after she has read her lessons. With this, I am able to concentrate more on Raya and help her in establishing her own study habits too.

It isn’t easy teaching your own kids. I know friends who have tried and have given up saying that they just fight. And so to keep the peace in their relationships, they would rather hire a tutor to teach their kids. Honestly, it really isn’t easy. It takes a lot of patience to keep your cool and make sure that they get the lessons well. But I think I’ve grown a lot in that aspect and I’m happy with how things have turned out for us.

Being Teacher Mommy, as Raya sometimes calls me, is a great bonding experience for the girls and me. We take time to sit down and discuss and learn together. Sometimes, I lose my cool and get angry but then a reality check will get me back on track. I know that the girls, likewise, appreciate that I do this for them.

Teaching them personally is also a great way to learn more about the kids. Recently, I’ve realized how different their learning curves are and therefore, need different approaches in dealing with each of them.

Nadine is more auditory. She can listen to the teacher in class, pick up the important aspects of the lesson and remember them during tests. We review at home for her tests and exams and she is able to grasp concepts easily. Because of this, she prefers to discuss rather than do exercises and practice skills. For example, in Math, I keep on reminding her that she needs to do the activities in order to get the Math theories. At times, she does it with much reluctance then she realizes how easy the lessons are actually. Slowly she is learning the importance of practice and learning.

Raya, on the other hand, is a visual learner. She needs to see the lessons graphically or illustratively in order to get the concepts right. I learned this when we were practicing her spelling lessons. I used to get so frustrated when she couldn’t spell the words correctly no matter how much practice we do. Then I decided to take each word one by one, letter by letter, writing it down and showing her what comes next. Only then did she start getting her spelling correctly. Raya is also more diligent in doing exercises. She likes practicing and practicing until she gets it right.

But what I love about my girls is that both of them are eager to learn. I love it when Nadine comes to me to tell me about the auditory aspects of the ear or the taste areas of the tongue. Or when Raya proudly shows off the areas of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Both have that love for learning that I hope they will carry on until they grow older. Everyday, thus, becomes a learning adventure for us which I eagerly anticipate.