Motherhood has brought about a lot of changes in my life: physically, emotionally, and mentally. I have my own fair share of ups and downs in parenting, and I'm sure I'm not the only one... that's why I have so much respect for my co-parents, and most especially for my own parents. Sorry if I was a naughty kid Ma and Pa!

More often than not, I honestly think I am doing a good job. As long as I begin and end the day with the kids being fed, cleaned, and healthy-slash-alive, I feel I've had a successful day already. 

There are just those times where things seem to go out of hand... when both kids run amok, squeal and scream, or worse - they cry and throw tantrums! But hey, tantrums aren't much of a biggie anymore, I know how to handle them... or do I? 

On the worst of days, the screaming and crying go along with me being tired from lack of sleep or having just too much to do in a day... that's when I feel helpless and feel that I have failed. 

But then something happens... whenever I feel crappy, my kids would always find a way to make things better: they look at me with those sparkling eyes of admiration and love, amidst the dungis (dirty faces), like I am their hero. Hugs and kisses never fail to make things all right again with the world.

You know the saying that moms are super heroes? I thought it was overrated, until I realized that I had some super powers of my own...

What am talking about? Well, let's just say that my children made me realize that even though there are those crazy days, I still manage to go through them every single time! And they made me realize that I am more than just a mom...

My super hero credentials include:

1. Ouchie healer - I make booboos heal quickly with just a kiss and a prayer.

2. Monster shield - I scare away the boogie man, ghosts, and monsters with my power hug!

3. International Baby Translator - I translate the alien language of my toddlers to the common people... I'm like the baby dictionary of googoo gaga!

4. Shape-shifter - Sometimes I'm a horse, sometimes a rocket ship. I can be whatever my kids want me to be, I'm flexible that way.

5. Sanitation Manager - I have a knack for keeping things clean (or at least I try my best), especially when your kid tries to taste everything he touches! I spot germs and spray them with alcohol or remove them with my powerful baby wipes.

I change diapers in a snap! Not to mention that I clean baby butts more than 3 times a day... I mean, can you handle a mega poop-splotion?! I dare you!

6. Heightened and Extra Sensory Perception (ESP) - I can smell a dirty diaper from meters away. I sense when things will get messy, especially when you drink chocolate milk in the car.. never again! I grab and hide sharp objects even before the little one sees them, ha!

7. Sharp Memory - specifically for nursery rhymes, Disney songs, and a wide range of book and cartoon characters.

8. Super fast reflexes - Never mind what you're doing, you just run and try to catch the falling baby... or in most cases, catch your cellphone in midair!

9. Super human strength - Try carrying kids plus your bags on a regular day out... or stepping on their little action figures.. or a lego! True tests of strength people!

10. Mom M.D. - I am the doctor that is on-call 24/7. Cough, colds, mild bruises... for every ouchie and owie, doctor mom is here to save the day!

11. Chef - I keep the little humans fed and healthy with my domestic cooking skills. Plating skills = making a smiley face. Nutrition value = feeding them fruits and vegetables.

12. Detective - No lego is too small, no puzzle piece too tiny for mom to find! It's hard to sleep without solving life's mysteries, you know? Where, oh where is that block?!

13. Cheerleader - When mom says "you can do it!" or "I'm here for you", kids get their instant boost of confidence :) I know this, because I get a boost from my mother's words of wisdom every time.. Thanks Ma!

14. Professor Mom - Moms have the answer to almost every What, Why, When, and How.

15. Girl scout - Extra clothes. Check. Diapers. Check. Baby wipes, alcohol, insect repellant, sun hats, towels, bibs, socks, crayons, pencils, drawing pads... check, check, check! Ok, we can go now, hooray! :)

16. Milk maid -  I make milk, 'nuff said :)

I don't know if my kids really see me this way, but I'd to think that they do :) And I wouldn't mind being Super Mom for them for as long they need me to.

How about you? What other super mom powers do you think you possess? Please share, I'd love to know about them.

Ending this post with one of my favorite mom quotes:

Love this quote! (source)

Cheers to you Super Mom!

I previously shared here how we plan to start our Preschool Homeschool. 

I realized a lot of things from TLB's Workshop. I say "realized" because we weren't taught step-by-step on how to Homeschool, instead, we were enlighted as to how and why we chose or were about to choose to Homeschool our Preschoolers.

If you're thinking of homeschooling too, The Learning Basket holds a number of workshops per year, so that's a good start. Or you can just do it independently, on your own.

I'm sure you have a lot of questions. I did too when we we're just starting...

What is Homeschooling anyway?
Why do I need to Homeschool my child?
How do I start Homeschooling?

I cannot guarantee you that I can answer all your questions in one post, but I'll try my best...

What is Homeschooling?

Homeschooling is basically teaching your child at home. 

You can start as early as you can. You may not be aware, but you are already homeschooling your child... when you read books together, when you point out body parts, or when you listen to music. I'm sure our parents taught us at home too, since parents are our first teachers after all. It's just recently that the concept has been labelled as "Homeschooling". 

Why do I need to Homeschool my child?

There is no easier way to explain it but through this quote:

"You are your child's first and best teacher" -Mariel, The Learning Basket

I'm sure you've heard the saying that "a child's brain is like a sponge." And it's true! They pick up things easily, especially when mommy or daddy teaches them. Fostering a learning environment at home is a great way for a child to love Learning.

You don't have to have a strict schedule or have a list of lessons... Most of the time, I just play with my kids and try to incorporate lessons as we do or read aloud to them.

Another answer as to why you need to teach your child is because not all lessons are learned in school. Like how to properly brush their teeth or how to put on a button and tie their shoe laces... Yes, lessons aren't entirely about the ABCs and 123s. Also, instilling Good Values and Proper Manners come mainly from parents and not the teachers.

And finally, childhood is fleeting. Your child won't stay little for long. Cherish every moment you have while he is small :)

How do I start Homeschooling?

You can teach your child even when he is still a baby. I'm sure reading books and listening to music has been part of every parents' routine. 

And you can even learn through play...

Here are some simple things you can try at home with your child - at least this is how we started out too:

1. Read aloud to your child at least 20 minutes a day.
2. Play with Puzzles or Blocks.
3. Count everything! His toys, the buttons on his shirt, candies, rocks etc!
4. Sing along and dance to nursery rhymes.
5. Pretend Play. One day you're kings and queens ruling a castle, the next day you'll be swashbuckling pirates at sea!
6. Play with clay or have Cutting and Pasting activities. Toddlers need to strengthen their hands as practice before they learn how to hold a pen firmly.
7. Color and Paint. Even get messy sometimes with finger paint.
8. Draw. Hand a pencil and paper to a child and you'll be amazed!
9. Go outside and play! Yes, play! And then tell him about the world around him, from the blue sky, up to the green grass.
10. Make him do things by himself. Independence is an important lesson, because you can't do it for him forever!

For my 3-year old, we are following the Letter of the Week Curriculum. But I use it as a guide and improvise with lessons. My toddler likes arts and crafts more so we do those more often. I'm proud to say he has a firm grip with a pencil now and can even draw already. He can work with scissors too.

We dedicate at least 2-4 hours a day of learning activities spread throughout the day. Because even though we try to stick to a routine, it still depends on my 3-year old when he is "in the mood" to do activities. Sometimes, it depends on me too, because I am a Work at Home Mom.

I'll be sharing some of our weekly activities with you in another post :)

As for my 1-year old, we mostly do reading books and playing with blocks and puzzles. She also loves to dance when we listen to music. I'm happy to say that she also knows some baby sign language, aside from "Water" which she learned early on, she now knows "Please", "More", "Thanks You", "Pig", "Horse", "Duck". And she started talking too! Just the basic "Mama", "Dada", and "Papa" among others.

Here are some great Homeschool Resources (updated as of 11.17.15):

Kids Activities Blog - How to Homeschool Preschool and other Activities for Babies and Kids
Letter of the Week - 38 Week Curriculum
The Learning Basket - Books and Parenting Workshops
Teach with Joy - For ages 0-3 and For ages 2-4
Fun at Home with Kids - Crafts and Activities for Children
Fun2write - Printables and Work Sheets
In My World - Preschool Letter of the Week Activities
Preschool Mom - Printables and Work Sheets
Everyday I Learn Through Play - Activities for Infants and Toddlers
The Measured Mom - Tools for Teaching
Babbledabbledo - Engineering and Art for Kids
The Relaxed Homeschool - Homeschool tips and activities
Pre-K Pages - Inspiration for Early Education
Happy Hooligans - Crafts and Activities for toddlers and preschoolers
Montessori on Mars - Montessori techniques and activities
DIY Corporate Mom - Leave-behind play, After-work play and more, for the Working Mom
Teaching Mama - Learning through play activities and free printables
Fun handprint art blog - Arts and Crafts Free Printables
This Reading Mama - Free printables for reading and phonics
Toddler Approved - Crafts, Toddler Activities, and Free Printables
3 Dinosaurs - Free Printables, Gross Motor, Simple Crafts, and more
Itsy Bitsy Fun - Games, Crafts, and Printables
Easy Peasy and Fun - Activities for kids and free printables

Videos:
ABC Mouse - Phonics, Alphabet, and Stories for children
StoryBots - Educational Videos
Mother Goose Club - Nursery Rhymes and Children's Songs
Super Simple Songs - Children's Songs, Alphabet and Phonics and Educational Videos
Little Baby Bum - Children's Songs and Nursery Rhymes (cute graphics too!)
Kiboomu Kids Songs - Cute graphics, Children's Songs and Educational Videos
Evan's Nanay - Tagalog Videos (like Abakada, Magbilang Tayo, and Folk Stories)

How about you? I'd love to hear your homeschooling experience!

Cheers,

When you have children, the saying "time flies fast" is an understatement. Now, I have an almost 3 year old toddler and a 1 year old little girl. Where did my babies go? I can still remember them as newborns crying for mommy all the time, ah, but time is frisky don't you think so?

My son is now a talkative, playful little tyke. And my baby girl has just mastered going down the bed and pretty soon she'll be walking around the house too.

And because we have growing toddlers already, my husband and I have talked about their schooling. Yes, they go to Kindermusik one to two times a week ever since they were about 6 months old. And their development has been outstanding. They have a liking for Music and Books, and Pretend Play among others. We love our Kindermusik classes, especially Teacher Suzette!

But what about Preschool? 

By definition, Preschool is "relating to the time in a child's life when the child is old enough to talk and walk but is not ready to go to school (Merriam-Webster)."

Either the child is not ready or the parent is (Haha. Guilty as charged).

I am a Stay-at-Home-Mom and consequently I would be my child's first teacher, right? One of my primary reasons to Stay at Home was to "be there" for my children, teach them, watch them grow...

My husband and I have been talking about Preschool over again. Thinking about the options nowadays, such as Traditional, Montessori, and the Progressive Types of Schools. Too much to think about if you ask me. In the end, you will ask about how much the tuition will be or more importantly, what will they teach my child?

ABCs? 123? Nursery Rhymes? Among other things...

(Thinking Out Loud) "Hey, I can teach my child these things!" 

That's Right! We've thought about Homeschooling our Toddler.

Actually, I believe I've already been homeschooling unconsciously.

Here are just some of my Toddler's Activities.

1. Nurture his Imagination.

I say, "Wow is that a train? Where is it going to?".
He loves to play with blocks and creates towers or trucks
or whatever he pleases, and I challenge him to do some more.

He also loves playdough. This is also great for motor skills and
gripping - an exercise for when he is ready to hold a pen.

Encourage pretend Play. In this picture, he arranged the chairs
to be his train (he just loves trains!) and his toys are passengers.

Do a little DIY. I made this "sandbox" (Rice, Oats, and Flour)
to keep him busy. Messy but it keeps him still :)
Great Sensory Activity.

 2. Foster Creativity. 

He loves painting. He learns about colors and shapes here.

Learning colors of the rainbow.

I still encourage him to use coloring books instead of the tablet or
watching TV. Still doesn't know hoe to color inside the lines
but I let him enjoy :) Keeps him busy too.

We also tried this Kahone Activity Box. It has Arts and Crafts Activities good for a month and it has a theme for the month. Know more about them HERE. Kiel enjoys Arts and Crafts :)

3. Encourage Independence.

I let him wash the dishes. He said he wanted to and
he was good the first time :)

Our little sweeper, feeling all grown up.

4. Learning through Play
As much as possible, I make it appear as if we're playing everytime I think of an activity to do. FUN makes him more engaged in the activity :)

I'm still a newbie at this, so I want to learn more about Preschool Homeschooling, so I am attending this workshop by The Learning Basket. You can go HERE to Learn about Full Details about the workshop.

I have been a follower of Mariel and Sanne's Blog and I am inspired to homeschool my kids, even just for Preschool. I expect to learn a lot of things during the workshop. They will also be having Homeschool materials for purchase such as Books and T-Mato Toys among others.

The Workshop will be on November 22, 2014 Saturday, 1:00 to 3:30 PM at Best For Families Inc., 29 1st Street New Manila, QC (Near Robinson's Magnolia).

I hope you're encouraged to homeschool your toddler too! Or do share some Homeschooling tips and experience, I'd love to hear them.

Cheers,

Kiel in his usual "sungit" expression. He obviously
didn't get that from me! haha

It's been a while since I wrote about my mommy antics. And right now, I am still dumbfounded that I am about to share my mommy experience with a toddler! Yes, time flies that fast, that I now have a toddler. 

Before I quickly jump into the little tyke stories, I'd like to take it slow by continuing my monthly baby's firsts list here, where I ended at 7 months. From there, Kiel's development has been so quick that it has been hard to take track of!

I'm making a list of some videos of Kiel's little accomplishments (my proud mommy moments), before I move on with the mommy antics...

Kiel learns "Close Open"

Kiel's adorable laughter

"Serious" talk with daddy

Kiel knows how to clap, bless, and wave bye bye

Beautiful eyes!

The Indian Baby

"Talking" on the phone

Kiel learns to walk by himself

Those are just a few. In this modern age of android phones and tablets, it's unforgivable to miss out on baby's milestones. Haha!

Okay, now let me talk about my life with a toddler *dan-dan-dan-dan* (to the tune of Beethoven's 5th Symphony, haha). 

When Kiel was actually about 10 months old, he started to be more playful and active, plus a little fussier. Adorable as he may be most of the time, there would just be those crazy times that I want to ignore his cries and naughtiness because I was dead tired. I was, after all, an "independent" mom who is a WAHM plus a homemaker, plus I was breastfeeding on demand. It was getting hard to focus and get a momentum on my work, plus doing the household chores, with an active baby demanding your attention. Ah yes, gone are the days of cheerful playtime and long baby's naps. I didn't even mind the messy floor or unorganized house most of the time. I was getting thin, to the point that I felt my ribcage and my clavicle was showing.

Christmas 2012: My "malnourished" self, hhi

When I was pregnant, I was planning on being a Stay-At-Home-Mom already. I was excited to take care of our little bundle of joy. But it has also been at the back of my mind that I try to somehow find a work from home job so that I can help my husband earn for our family.

Setting up an online shop was one of the first things that popped into mind. The idea came to me when I was shopping online for baby stuff, specifically cloth diapers, for our then bun in the oven. Most of the online stores I came across were managed by fulltime moms! And they were so very friendly, and had quite a network of mommy customers too! I was more inspired into setting up my own shop when we attended the recent ExpoMom in Rockwell just last May 2012. Their theme for this year was "The best of modern motherhood". It celebrates the joys of motherhood in different forms. You can check out the amazing mommy badges here.

I used this mommy badge on my facebook wall then. I was
fresh from resigning from my office job, and this badge
really helped express what I feel: I want to be a hands on mom :)

At school, when I was young, every time the teacher would ask us kids to fill up the basic information like your name and address etc., I would always put under Mother’s Occupation: Housewife.

I and my two siblings grew up to a stay at home mom, and my fondest memories of her are when she prepares our breakfast and baon in the wee hours of the early morn,

The first time that pregnancy test showed two lines, I froze. I felt both excitement and anxiety. Don’t get me wrong, having a baby is what me and my husband were waiting for, the moment we got married. But being a mom...well, that’s a whole different story.

Motherhood is priced Of God, at price no man 
may dare to lessen or misunderstand.

~Helen Hunt Jackson