Mom's Heart

Why Humans Cannot Fly

2008-05-25T19:34:00.003+08:00

Here is the reason why humans cannot fly, according to the 7-year-old:

If humans can fly, there would be no need for cement or asphalted roads.

If there are no cement or asphalted roads, the grounds will be filled with grasses, weeds and other vegetation.

If the grounds are filled with grasses and weeds, there would be lots of insects.

Soon, insects will take over the world, and wipe out the humans.

Therefore, humans cannot fly.

Do you have another theory on why humans cannot fly???

Math Endowment Fund

2008-03-26T16:26:00.003+08:00

My girl received this award today. Her daddy and I are so thrilled. Of course she had always performed very very well academically. But this is the first time she received a money gift, courtesy of the Ivy Sy Math Endowment Fund Scholarship (2008).

The requirements are: the student's Math grades for the past 3 gradings must be 95 or higher. My girl's grades are either 99 or 98. The student's Math CEM should be 95 or above. My girl got 99+. So, we applied last month. I thought we would not be able to get the award because we received no phone call. And there are more qualified students out there who have won in Math competitions. Out of the many students who applied for this endowment fund, only 2 students from grade 5 and grade 6 are chosen. And one of them is my girl! To God be the glory!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-15T14:05:00.003+08:00

My son came home from school shouting very loud, I am sure the whole neighborhood can hear...

Son : Mommy! Mommy! I have a surprise for you!

Me : (He reached home by then, so I do not have to shout back.) Wow! What is my surprise?

Son : (taking out a paper from his school bag) Here! A card I made for you!

Me : Wow! This is so nice... its so sweet of you. Why do I get a card today? ( I was thinking he might answer something about valentines day or that he loves me, etc.)

Son : Teacher said we cannot give it to our girlfriends e. We can only give it to our mommies. So you get it.

Wow! I should be grateful to the teacher.

Does Noah know about the mosquitoes?

2008-02-02T13:20:00.000+08:00

One day, a naughty little neighbor made a big hole in our main screen door. We were not aware of it until we noticed lots of mosquitoes flying around at dinner time. Then, we knew, there must be another new hole. (Yup! This has happened before.) As usual, we had to bring out the electric mosquito zapper. But still, there were several flying around, bothering us as we were having dinner.

That night during bedtime...

Girl : Ma, does Noah know about the mosquitoes?

She is asking about Noah of the Ark fame. Now, I have always taught my kids that God made all things great and small, that means pesky insects included. Whenever they ask why God created insects like mosquitoes and coackroaches that could harm us. I tell them that when God created these insects, they were not intended to harm humans. It is because we humans do not know how to take care of them and the environment, and the world is so polluted now, that is why these insects have to bother us humans fo their food. My girl already know this. She also knows that Noah had all the animals of the land and air inside the Ark, (except for the fishes and sea creatures - their kind can obviously survive the flood). So, why would she ask a question for which she obviously know the answer? I suspected that this is just an opening or a preliminary question for another major question which would entail another lenghty discussion. And since it is already bedtime, I tried to discourage further discussion...

Me : Why don't you ask Noah yourself when you go to heaven?

Girl : But ma, surely, Noah would know about the mosquitoes, right?
(hmmm, very persistent.)

Boy : (Sounding very incredulous!) Atsi, you don't know the answer? Of course if you ask him, Noah would NOT know about the mosquitoes!

Me and Girl : (surprised) And Why not?

Boy : Because Noah DOES NOT speak English!

No wonder I suffer from insomnia...

Should I be comforted?

2008-01-15T17:14:00.000+08:00

The father of the children left yesterday morning for his annual trip to the Hong Kong Fashion Fair. Last night, I thought of driving the kids to my parent's house to have dinner since we have not joined them for a family meal for a long time. As I was driving on a busy intersection, a passenger jeep on the opposite lane carelessly overtook another passenger jeep using my lane. Thus, he was running head-on to my vehicle at top speed. I had to stop to give way or else, we will surely have a head-on collision.

After a few minutes...

Son : Mom, can we contact daddy through YM?

Me : No, daddy did not bring his laptop this time.

Son : Did he bring his cel phone?

Me : Yes.

Son : Can your cel phone reach him even if he is in another country?

Me : Yes. We have roaming.

Son : (breathing a sigh of relief) Whew! That's a good thing.

Me : Why? You want to talk to him later before you sleep?

Son : Not really. Its just good to know that I can call him if you get killed by that jeep.

Should I be comforted by that thought?

Star Class

2007-11-21T16:07:00.000+08:00

That is what they call the Honors section at my children's school. They have a Star Class per level starting at Grade 5. Membership to Star Class is by invitation only. The school administration and teachers look at the students' grades and overall performance, including all academic and non-academic achievements from Kindergarten to Grade 4. Then, they choose the top 40 students for the Star Class. The school emphasizes that being in the Star Class is a privelege and therefore the students really have to perform well academically or they will be 'demoted' to a regular class the following school year.

Last year, my girl received an invitation to join the Star Class. She is in Grade 5 this year. I had second thoughts then, on letting her join the Star Class. I was thinking of the academic pressure. I do not want her to spend her whole free time buried in assignments and books. I want her to have other recreational activities like swimming, church activities, piano lessons and Chancel Repertory.

She wanted to join the Star Class because she was sure most of her friends will be there. So, Star Class, it is.

I'm glad of the decision. The girl has been most responsible since the start of the school year. I do not have to remind her to do her assignments or to review her lessons. She always wakes up on time for school and was never late for class. Being in the Star Class instills responsibility in itself. The girl has also learned to love her classes. She claims the teachers of the Star Class are way 'cooler' than the teachers of the regular class. The teachers have different ways of presenting their daily lessons which are more interesting to the students. That's a big plus factor in learning.

Last week, I witnessed an oral group declamation contest in Chinese. Each class has to recite a chapter of the Psalms with corresponding actions. I immdiately saw the difference in the performance of the Star Class. Even while lining up, the students were already more quiet and disciplined than the regular classes. Their performance was well-coordinated, their pronunciation clearer, their diction was more precise. They were truly the run-away winners.

This week, my daughter joined the "General Information" Contest. Now, my daughter is no stranger to competitions. She joins various competitions each year; but for her, the pressure to win is bigger this year because she would be representing the Star Class. For her, it would be embarrasing if another student from a regular class wins. Aside from that, all the other contests like Math or Science were all won by her classmates from the Star Class. The night before the contest, (which parents were not allowed to witness) I told her to pray about it and leave everything in God's hands. If she wins, she should thank God and give God all the glory for giving her enough knowledge. And if she loses, maybe God is teaching her a lesson... in humility perhaps? Well, now, we are thanking God and praising God because she was able to answer just one question that the other contestants were not able to answer. She won only by one point!!

Would I recommend Star Class to other students and parents? Definitely Yes! Not just for the academic advantage but for the responsibility and the attitude that being in the Star Class develops; for the pressure to excel, to have the opportunity to be the best that they can be.

My daughter said: There's not much difference between the Star Class and the regular class. The only difference is that during recitations, in the regular class, only a few raise their hands; in the Star Class, everybody raise their hands, and the teacher does not know whom to call...

Kids' All-Time Favorite

2007-10-19T10:40:00.000+08:00

The children are crazy about "Lord of the Rings" right now. They both watched the movies. The girl had read all the three books, plus "The Hobbit" and is now looking forward to the "Silmarillion." It seems they know more about Middle Earth than the Real Earth!!!

Thanks to A-hia Elliott and his blog for showing us how to use the slideshow format. It is really cool to learn from each other!

Cottontail

2007-10-02T19:42:00.001+08:00

This is Cottontail, our first pet. He's a gift from the children's A-Kim (wife of my brother). He was newly weaned from his mother when we got him. The children named him Cottontail because he has a cute stub of white fur as a tail. They also agreed to give him a nickname in honor of the cartoon character - Bugs. These two names, however were never used. Because we just call him "Rabbit." Yup. With a capital R.

We never had a cage for Rabbit. He was free to roam around the house. He mainly stays in the second floor though, where the kitchen is. We have a pile of newspapers on the floor made at a corner for him. He instinctively knew he was supposed to sleep there, eat there, (that's where we place his food), and even does his thing there. He was very neat and clean. Never did he mess up any furniture.

Everyday when we come home, Rabbit would come running when we open the door. Then, he would try to climb our shoes and pants. Sometimes if the fabric we were wearing is thin, oh no! His long nails would scrape our skin. Ouch! We would joke that we do not have a rabbit, we have a dog!

He mainly eats cabbages. But he likes to eat so much... he even rummages the trash can for banana peels, garlic skins, and lots of stuff which we never thought a real rabbit eats! And people think they only eat carrots!

We lent Rabbit to a family friend when we had to go abroad. Nobody would be left to take care of him. When we came back, we heard that their little girl already loved Rabbit so much, we were ashamed to get Rabbit back. We were sure anyway that he will be taken cared of by the little girl. Goodbye Cottontail. We miss you.

SuperHeroes

2006-11-28T11:48:00.000+08:00

Super Heroes

I was reviewing my son his lesson on the National Symbols...

me : our national flower?

boy : sampaguita!

me: good! our national bird?

boy : umm..

me : the Philippine ...

boy : eagle! (yup, not the maya we studied in our childhood)

I knew both of us were watching too many Justice League when he excitedly exclaimed...

boy : Mommy, you know what? our country even has a national super hero!

me : Really?!?
(A super hero? Am I out of date now? who is our super hero? Ang Panday? Captain Barbel?...)

boy : Yeah, a doctor J something...

me : ( I really laughed out loud) Oh! he's not a super hero. just our national hero - Dr Jose Rizal!

Medium Smart

2006-07-21T09:28:00.000+08:00

Medium Smart

I was giving the boy some math worksheets to answer. He doesn’t really like to answer the worksheets anymore. He claims he knows how to add and subtract already. I told him he has to practice some more so that he can be better at it.

He answered, “But mommy, I don’t want to be super smart. Medium smart is already okay. And I am already past medium smart!”

His Greatest Dream

2006-06-29T15:47:00.000+08:00

His Greatest Dream

I was helping my son answer an autograph book one day…

Boy : name…

Me : (He read it and answered by himself! Very good…)

Boy : (slowly) nick…name. Mommy, what’s a nickname?

Me : That’s the name everybody calls you.

Boy : But my name and nickname is the same, do I have to write it twice?

Me : yes, for some other people, it’s not the same, so they ask that question.

Boy : (continuing to read slowly and answer… address, birthday, likes, dislikes and so
on)hmmm… greatest dream… but I don’t remember my dreams…

Me : No, not your dreams at night. it means, what do you want to be when you grow up.

Boy : hmmm… (thinking really hard and for a long time)

Boy : I want to be a billionaire!

Me : Umm, don’t you have any other higher goals?
(I was thinking of other lofty aspirations like having solid career or a loving
family…)

Boy : I got it! I want to be a trillionnaire!!!

Rapids?

2006-04-29T17:45:00.000+08:00

We were preparing to go to Pagsanjan Falls in Laguna. And as I always do before a trip, I would start to incorporate lessons like teaching them about waterfalls, telling them we are going to ride a banca upstream, about the safety precautions and so on…

I realized my 5-year-old son did not get the lesson when…

Me : (Sounding excited) Well, now, are you prepared to shoot the rapids?

Son : I don’t want to go to the Waterfalls anymore.

Me : (Incredulous) WHY?!

Son : (Sounding very unhappy indeed) Because I don’t want to shoot the rabbits.
They’re so cute and cuddly… Why are we going to shoot them?...

Grandmommy

2006-04-28T15:55:00.000+08:00

During one of those after-dinner family night reading time, the little boy was chattering away beside me. I wasn’t paying much attention to him as I was so engrossed in my book. Then I heard him ask a question.

Boy: ma, what was grandmommy’s name when she was a little girl?

Me: (not taking my eyes off the book) her name is the same, a person’s name doesn’t change. You’re Jason now, you will still be Jason when you grow up.

Boy: huh? You mean, grandmommy was called grandmommy when she was a little girl?

My Kids At a Wedding 2.12.2006

2006-03-23T18:22:00.000+08:00

my pretty Justine

my dashing Jason

My Kids' Baby Pictures

2006-03-23T16:57:00.000+08:00

Justine at One (1997)

Jason at One (2001)

2 + 2 = 4

2006-03-04T14:58:00.000+08:00

It was the week of long tests, where we had to review the school lessons for the past 2 or more months, the kids had to answer the sample test questions I made, and finally, had to hurdle their own tests in schools. When at last Friday came, we were all ready for rest and bonding. But we had “Marriage Keepers” Bible Study that night.

Hubby and I decided to bring the kids along. They could play around while we adults have fellowship. Besides, we would not be doing our regular Bible study that night because we had a visiting pastor who conducted a ‘Marriage Satisfaction Survey’ for his dissertation work.

As the pastor was distributing his questionnaires, he mentioned, “no cheating between couples, the ladies may remain seated here and the men please transfer to the sofa.” (Located on the other side of the room). I think we were not supposed to know what and how our spouses will answer. So, there was a lot of movements, chatting, comments, jokes all these time.

“If this is a Bible Study, why are you not studying your Bible?” my son loudly asked nobody in particular. Everybody laughed.

He stood beside where I was seated, looking at the survey questionnaire I have in my hand, “Do you have long test too?” Well, sort of. How do you explain a survey to a 5-year old boy?

The survey contains questions like I am supposed to rate the quality of our relationship, or how often we date, how often we laugh together and other detailed questions. So, it’s either we put down the number 1-5 rating or we encircle a number from 1-10 (1 lowest occurring, 10 most often occurring). It was several pages long!

After intently studying my ‘test paper’ for a long time, my son cupped his hand over his mouth and conspiratorially whispered to me, “mommy, remember, 2 + 2 = 4.” Then ran away! I laughed out so loud. The survey must have looked like a math test to him!

A Visit

2005-12-18T00:42:00.000+08:00

A Visit

Ah-pe (the eldest brother of the boy’s father) came to visit one day.

The 4-year-old has the temerity to ask, “Ah-pe, why you have no hair?”

Ah-pe, wanting to encourage the little boy to eat more (yeah, traditional Chinese priority), thus replied, “Well, when I was a little boy, we were poor, and we have no food to eat. So my hair did not grow.”

The little boy said, “But you must be rich now and you can eat more…”

Robot Eye

2005-08-27T06:21:00.000+08:00

Robot Eye

We brought the kids (ages 8 and 4) to Singapore for a learning educational trip October of 2004. We went to the zoo, night safari, marine world, the Science Discovery Center, the wetlands and even a tropical rainforest. I think the most memorable place for my daughter is the Science Center because she can already understand most of the concepts taught. Plus, she was able to survive 1 million volts of lightning! (while inside a metal cage, of course.) For my son, the most memorable is, understandably, the Sentosa Island with its fabulous laser show at night.

For me, however, their toilets still bring a smile to my face up to now. Now, don’t make your judgments on me yet. Please let me tell you the whole story.

Singapore is indeed a very clean country. They are quite strict on spitting, throwing garbage on the streets. Their public toilets are very modern, clean and sanitized. No smell at all. (This is really quite different from the smelly public toilets in China – my son refuses to urinate there! Not to mention the Philippines where the only public toilets accessible are those from the fast-food restaurants and gas stations.) And most of the toilets have automatic flushes! Now, I am no stranger to automatic flushes. But this is the first time my son encountered one.

“Mommy, the toilet flushed by itself!”

“Yes. It has sensors.”

“Sensors? What are sensors?”

“Well, it can feel that you have stopped your wee-wee and so it will flush your wee-wee out be itself.”

“Wow! Maybe it can see me.”

“No, it doesn’t have eyes.”

“Yes, it does. See the little red blinking light? That’s the robot eyes”

One day, he had to poo-poo in a public toilet and as I was wiping him with a tissue (available free of course) the toilets automatically flushed even when he was still sitting down.

“ Mommy, you know why it flushed? Because my poo-poo is baho baho.”

“Well… I’m not sure that’s the reason…”

“Yes it is. The robot doesn’t want to smell yucky poo-poo so he flushed even if I’m not yet finished.”

“You know, mommy, I like it here. Their toilets have robot eyes.”

A Personal Philosphy on Birthing

2005-08-25T21:07:00.000+08:00

A PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY ON BIRTHING

1. Childbirth is the perfection of womanhood.

I have known many women who really long to bear children. I have a friend who didn’t want to marry her boyfriend of eight years. When I finally received an invitation for her wedding, I asked her why she changed her mind. Her answer was because she wants to have a baby. Upon learning that I was pregnant, another friend said, “Oh, my wife will be so envious of you.” This friend has low sperm count. He and his wife have consulted many specialists and have undergone a lot of tests. It has been three years and they are still waiting.

Should we pity the men who can never experience the joy of pregnancy and childbirth? When I was pregnant, I would often complain to my husband, “I wish you were the one who’s carrying this baby, Don’t you know it is so difficult? You’re not the one who will feel the pain when the baby comes out…” My husband would say, ”If I can do that, I will. It would be easier for me to experience these myself rather than feel helpless and worry sick over you and the baby.” Yes, we women have difficulties, discomforts and problems. But nothing compares to the feeling of pride and happiness when you hear the first cry of your baby. You think, “I’ve nurtured a life inside my body!” Now, that’s something you can achieve and the men cannot.

It is God’s design for women to give birth. The women in the Bible consider themselves cursed if they don’t bear children. One famous example is Hannah, the mother of the prophet Samuel. Because she was barren, her rival Peninah, who has many children, would provoke her and irritate her. Because she was barren, she would often cry and not eat, and even her husband could not comfort her. One day, she poured out her heart to the Lord God Almighty. He opened her womb and she gave birth to Samuel whom she dedicated to the Lord and Samuel grew up in the Lord’s service. For Hannah, what matters is the experience of childbirth, of being able to give life and love. Rejoice women! You have this wonderful capacity by God’s design. Rejoice!

“And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good.”
- Genesis 1:31

2. Children are a gift from the Lord.

Our grandparents and great-grandparents believe that children are a blessing. That is why they want to have as many children as possible. My maternal grandmother has 8 girls and 3 boys. My paternal grandmother has 5 girls and 3 boys. They believe that having many children would mean that many people will take care of them in old age. This I have seen was true for my grandparents. (Although both couples are now deceased.) Having many children also translates to having countless grandchildren providing them comfort, laughter, enjoyment and company during their retirement years. I think the Filipino people, in general, specially in the rural areas still think that having many children is good. That is why, our population figure is still growing despite the government’s family planning program.

However, the same belief does not hold true for the new generation of urban dwellers, who are more educated and career-oriented. They know the advantages of having a small family. Almost all the friends I know want to have 2 to 3 children. They want to spend more time with each child, give the best education and support to each child; which they would not be able to afford if they have many children. Despite the number of children they choose/plan to have, they recognize that children are treasures. That is why they want to give their children the best.

As a mother, I know this as a fact. Yes, there are times when I am tired and irritated because my baby demands so much from me. But in general, my baby gives me hours of pleasure and enjoyment. It is sheer happiness for me to see my baby smile and gurgle. It is with utmost pride and joy to see my baby achieve her firsts (e.g. first time to roll over, to eat solid food, etc.) I know a little boy who asked his mother, “Ma, do you know what old (adult) people’s toys are?” The mother said, “No, I do not know. I don’t think adult plays with toys anymore.” “Yes, you do have toys,” said the boy, ”Your toys are the babies.”

“Behold, children are a gift of the Lord. The fruit of the womb is a reward.”
- Psalms 127:3

3. If the Lord is going to give you a gift, He is not going to make it painful for you to receive it.

If a friend will give you a gift, I doubt it if he will make it difficult for you to receive it. He will not say, “I have a gift for you, but you will undergo a lot of hardships to get it.” Or, “It will cause you great pains to get it.” Remember, our God is a gracious-giver. He gave us His only beloved Son, and He made our salvation so easy. All we have to do is to accept His grace. The same is also true with childbirth. It may be uncomfortable, but it will not be hard nor painful. If the Lord is going to bless you with a child, It will not be painful.

“But Thou art a God of forgiveness, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in loving kindness; and Thou did not forsake them.”
- Nehemiah 9:17b

4. With the doctor’s expertise by your side, with your husband’s hand holding you, with God’s eyes watching you, you have nothing to worry about.

At St. Luke’s Hospital in Quezon City, where I gave birth, the husband is allowed inside the delivery room if the woman is giving birth using the Lamaze or other natural childbirth method. However, once the woman is given medical intervention, (e.g. anesthesia) the husband will be requested to leave the room. From my experience, my husband’s reassuring hand during my labor provided enough emotional support, such that I chose him instead of the anesthesia. I have to thank my Christian doctor, too, who stayed by my side since I entered the hospital. In between contractions, I talked to God and prayed for a quick and safe delivery. And everything worked out fine. It was tiring but nevertheless an exhilarating experience.

“And again, ‘I will put my trust in Him’ and again, ‘Behold, I and the children whom God has given me.’ For assuredly, He does not give help to the angels but He gives help to the descendants of Abraham.”
- Hebrews 2:13 & 16

Justine at Two

2005-08-19T18:03:00.000+08:00

I start this post for my children. Hopefully, when I find time, I will try to write down my wonderful experiences with them. My memory may fail me in the future, but I hope the words written here will serve as an album of memories.

This was what I wrote several years ago, when my eldest girl, now 8 years old, nearly 9, was still a toddler.

July 31, 1999

Justine is now 2 years and 9 months old. She started preschool at St. Mark last June. She has 10 classmates and I don't know how many more new friends, because they have inter-classroom activities every Friday. As of now, she can count 1 to 20, sing the alphabet song and other preschool songs. She can identify the numbers 1 & 2, identify and give the sounds of letters M (for mommy), D(for daddy), J (for Justine), S, A, R, B, O. She can identify all the colors and shapes, she knows 'opposites' like long and short, outside and inside, and so on. She can say the names of her grandparents (both sides) her aunts and uncles, ninong and ninang.

Unlike most of her classmates, she didn't cry on the first day of school, or even on the following days and weeks. One day, when I brought her into the classroom, I saw her giving a friendly pat on the shoulder of a classmate who was crying and overheard her saying "don't cry na..." I was so proud of my baby. After a week in school, I was surprised to receive a note from the teacher. According to her, my daughter refuses to talk to her and answer her questions. Not even questions like "what's your name?" The teacher has not heard my baby's voice for one entire week! Apparently, Justine does not participate in group time (singing and story-telling), and does not answer when they work, not even to ask for help when it is eating time or toilet time. The teacher said that instead of crying, this might be Justine’s response to a new school. And she is willing to let Justine get used to this new surrounding.

And after 2 weeks of school, according to the teacher, she's very very noisy. She's even the one who starts naughty antics. For instance, during one group time, for no apparent reason, she removed her socks and shoes and everyone followed. I suppose my baby was delighted and the teacher was, thank God, patient enough. I noticed some little changes, too. During dismissal, she would wave her hand enthusiastically and tell everyone "goodbye, see you tomorrow." - including other teachers, other yayas and mothers.

One day, my sister Jac was showing Justine a picture, and Jac pointed "monkey." Justine said, "no, that's a gorilla." Jac was impressed, naturally, it was a gorilla after all.

I was at the 2nd floor SM City last week. I was looking for a card for a friend whose husband died recently. When I turned around, Justine was not beside me anymore! I was in a major panic mode. I went around and around the 2nd floor. I was afraid that she had gone out of the department store, or went up or down the escalator herself (she can do that already). And worse, I was afraid that she would be kidnapped! You know, a chinese-looking kid roaming around by herself... I don't know how long it was - even if it was only a few minutes, it sure felt like a long time for me. I found her talking to an SM saleslady on the other side of the escalator. Relief and sigh. The saleslady asked how old she is, because according to her, Justine told her " please find mommy Ning." The saleslady was impressed "kasi may please pa."

She loves to eat hotdogs. (Yes. I know, it's not exactly a good choice for kids to eat. But Justine is a picky eater, I'm already happy when she eats anything at all.) One day, I gave her one piece of vienna sausage. After she finished eating it, she asked for one more. I was surprised. She usually eats only 1. I happily gave it to her. Then, she slid down her chair and announced that she's going to Kongkong's (grandfather) house, and give the "hotdog" to Kongkong to eat. (You see, my mother-in-law at that time was not here – she was in China, so I share what I cook to my father-in-law and I think Justine got it from there.)