| Sunday, June 22, 2008 |
| loving school... |
here is a summary of how school was for lil boy...
june 12 - 1st day (blogged below)
june 13 - of course, i was still there the whole time. same as with 3 other stage moms, hehe. lil boy was busy checking on the alphabets and the numbers around. and i think he really likes school because he didn't show any tantrums whatsoever. he was happy and enjoying the whole time.
june 16, 18 & 20 - his 2nd week was still alternate classes pa. para daw di sila mabigla. we, the stage moms, were the ones happy with the sched. atleast may off kami ng TTh, hehe. i still stayed there the whole time.
but last friday, june 20, i talked to him and informed him that i won't be staying anymore, i will just fetch him after the class. pumayag naman sya.
came recess time, i hid at the back of the wall, sinisilip ko lang sya if he won't look for me. aba, ni hindi nga ako hinanap ng anak ko. he just sat on his chair, ate his baon, then played with his classmates after. bilis mag-adjust ha. =)
bilib nga yung ibang moms dun eh, kasi di man lang daw ako hinanap ng anak ko. so pwede na talagang iwanan.
to be continued...
btw, here is lil boy in his school uniforms:
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posted by apple @ 3:04 AM  |
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| Sunday, June 15, 2008 |
| Independece Day |
june 12 was lil boy's 1st day in school.
june 12 is also our 4th year anniversary.
hubby took a leave from the office, mainly because of the 1st event, hehe. of course, he also wanted to witness this milestone in our son's life.
armed with our SLR cam, OA na kasi if may videocam pa, hehe. we were at the school by 11am.
class starts at 1115 and ends 115pm. sakto lang to sa sched namin, kasi nga night people kami eh, kaya batugan sa umaga. hahaha.
lil boy was surprisingly okay all throughout the class. i didn't expect it would be that easy. he allowed me to leave the room. he adjusted well with his teachers. though as expected, he wasn't playing much with his classmates just yet.
outside the room, we were all parents there. pero kami lang yata yung couple na nandun. haha, kahiya. buti nga di sumama ang mga lolo at lola eh, though i know they would love to come. okay naman silang lahat, syempre, chika-chika na kami dun.
my lil boy is the youngest at 3yo. most kids are already 4yo. so i'm hoping that he can adjust easily with his classmates.
during recess, they went out of the room. they have a long dining table outside (where the parents stay), and that's where they put their lunch bags and placemats.
surprisingly again, lil boy ate his alphabet nuggets and rice all by himself. pati nga ako nagulat eh. nakikisabay sa mga classmates nya, feeling independent na, hehe.
after eating was playtime. then back to the room again.
it was a happy 1st day for all of us. no crying spells, no tantrums, no spanking and all. what a relief!
after school, we headed to Trinoma, just to have a so-called anniversary celebration, hehe. we were so focused with lil boy's schooling that we almost forgot to celebrate. =)
we just ate lunch and watch KungFu Panda, still for lil boy, which we really enjoyed. it was one funny movie!
after that, we went shopping of course.
when we were dead tired, we decided to call it a night and went home. after all, there was school the following day.
waaah, can't believe that my baby is schooling already! so now, i have to consider his school in every lakwatsa, gimik, vacation that i'm planning... ako yata ang hindi makapag-adjust eh, hehe.
here are the blow-by-blow events, captured on cam, hehe:
 at home, so excited!
 of course, unang hinawakan ang alphabet block
 reading  and writing
 bye Mama...
 recess time
 eating on his own
 playing with Papa
 happy to be back to Mama's arms. =)
and i'm one proud Mama! =) |
| posted by apple @ 3:41 AM |
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| Wednesday, June 11, 2008 |
| back to school, back to Pooh! =) |
we had a hard time looking for cute bags for lil boy. yun pala, kay Pooh din kami babagsak. we really can’t get enough of Pooh, hehe. yun lang kasi yung cute na terno ang bag with lunchbag eh.
and as expected, i bought all the possible supplies na themed also. it was really exciting, hehe. parang bumalik yung excitement ko when i was preparing his 1st bday party, i’d buy all the Pooh stuffs i found. =)
sabi nga ng tatay, mas excited pa daw ako kesa sa anak ko. halos everyday yata eh i’m checking on his stuffs again and again, hehe.
honestly, i’m excited yeah. but i’m really more of sad rather than anything else. you see, i wasn’t really prepared for this. when i resigned last January, i was thinking that i still have more than a year to be with my son almost 24/7. because he’ll only be starting school by 2009! but that didn’t happen, i only had barely 4 months to spend full time with him.
and as i always think, once he starts with school, tuloy-tuloy na yun. there’s no stopping him. he’ll just stop when he finishes college! and once he starts school, may ibang mundo na sya. he wouldn’t be dependent on me anymore, he’ll have friends and develop his own circle soon. in short, he’s no longer my baby! waaah!
but that’s the reality of life. time flies so fast. and there’s nothing i can do but to let go.
i guess all Moms out there can understand how i feel. =)
anyway, enough na sa pagse-senti.
tomorrow will be lil boy’s 1st day in school. timing naman, it’s our 4th year anniversary. =) so hubby took a leave from work because we’ll document the school life, hehe. then celebrate na din kami after.
anyway, i’ll leave you with these pics of lil boy’s school things.
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| posted by apple @ 11:52 PM |
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| Tuesday, June 10, 2008 |
| Manila Ocean Park |
as lil boy’s pinaka-last hurrah to summer, hehe, we brought him to Ocean Park. and he had a BLAST! he enjoyed all the fishes and sea creatures he encountered. and he kept on saying, “WOW!”
full blog and pics to follow (as usual)... |
| posted by apple @ 3:20 AM |
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| Saturday, June 07, 2008 |
| 1.50 gas price hike! |
just when i began to be aware of the gas price increases almost every week, they just wouldn't stop!!!
as i reached home this evening from a client meeting in Chili's, my Mom greeted me with the news of 1.50 gas price hike by midnight! so she suggested that we have all our vehicles gassed up. sayang din ang 1.50 per liter noh!
so my Dad and my bro brought their cars to the nearest gas station and had their tanks full. nagdalawang balik pa sila to bring the other vehicles. sobrang magastos na talaga!
but surprisingly, there were no long queues anymore sa gas stations. not like before na kapag may balitang increase, unahan na lahat ng tao para habulin yung old price before the clock strikes midnight. but i guess now, sanay na sila kasi weekly naman ay nagtataas. so what's new kumbaga. and not all people now can afford to have their tanks full i guess, sa hirap ng buhay ngayon! come to think of it, ngayon na nga lang din ako nakapagpa-full tank eh! hay!
on my turn, since wala pa si hubby, i asked my bro's help to bring our other van. kaya sabay na kaming nagpunta sa gas station to fill up the 2 vans! hay, ching, ching, ching! 4k agad ang nawala sa akin ngayong gabi.
and add pa yung sa Sofitel kanina! haller, is it friday the 13th already?! next week pa yun ah! =)
sus, puro gastos! kahirap ng buhay!!! |
| posted by apple @ 3:08 AM |
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| Friday, June 06, 2008 |
| right timing! |
Sales people just know the proper timing!
just when i was having problems on planning our weekend stay at The Peninsula Manila for our anniversary this June 12, i got another offer from Sofitel!
you see, i only have weekend vouchers in Pen. the problem is, i don't have any free weekend anymore until August! thanked God for my parties. but sadly, we can't sched our 4th anniversary celebration, which is already next week.
our scheds don't meet! no weekends for me, no weekdays for hubby. and not to add, lil boy's 1st day in school is on June 12, sakto di ba...kainis!
and so, i was thinking of a weekday stay na lang sa hotel. because i guess it's easier for hubby to take a leave from work, than me to be absent on my parties, hehe.
and so, Sofitel called. offering me a membership with a FREE accomodation on ANY day! galing ng timing di ba. as if they heard my problems loud!
and who am i to resist the longest buffet at Spiral. and their mala-resort na pool area. as well as their mala-beach ambience na hammocks! i can't wait to lay my back on one of those. =)
>>> we just organized a debut party in Sofitel last May 24. and there, with hubby, Jing & Bodj, saw how beautiful the hotel and the pool area were. we really wanted to take a plunge that hot Saturday night.
and so, the Sales person didn't have a hard time convincing me. i just realized i was already giving her my credit card details. hahaha.
2 things i've proven again and again:
1. madali akong mabola, and
2. gastadora talaga ako!!! waaah! |
| posted by apple @ 2:48 AM |
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| Wednesday, June 04, 2008 |
| the final school |
when i arrived home that night of may 22, i told hubby and my parents about it. as expected, my parents got shocked with the 55k tuition fee for a 3yo kid.
hubby was ok with it, he was ready to take the plunge. but i was having hesitations as well. 1st, because it’s not really the school i want, which is ISYC. i mean, i was willing to spend that much if it was in ISYC, because i already know the school. second, tuition was really not included in our budget for this year. because as i had planned it, lil boy’s schooling will start next year pa.
but on the other hand, i didn’t want to enroll him naman in a cheaper school na di ko naman gusto, like the New Kid's World or Montessori.
then out of the blue, my Dad asked me if i’ve checked already the pre-school here in our subdivision, owned by the daughter of his friends. that’s the time i remember “Little Round Up”. how can i forget, i even called them before to inquire if they were having summer classes for toddlers. and this can even be walking distance from our house, which is really a PLUS!
so last May 23, after my trip to Divi with my assistant to buy party stuff, i just dropped her in our house and proceeded to the school right away.
there i met the owner, Teacher Layn, from UP also. i found the ‘school’ so cute and cool. it is just a small one-room school. Kinder’s class in the morning, Nursery by lunch time, and Prep in the afternoon. 10 kids per class, with the teacher and an assistant. they have mini library, computers and all paraphernalia. i liked their chairs a lot, the old-fashioned mini chairs w/ desk, they’re so cute, hehe.
Teacher and i discussed about my son and their way of teaching. it’s progressive style also and they cater to individual learning of the kids. plus the tuition is a lot cheaper compared to Kids on Focus. nalungkot lang ako kasi walang field trips, hehe.
surprisingly, she knew me, my brother and my entire family. and she also has a catering business together with her friends, so we were also discussing a possible tie-up business, hehe.
anyway, over all, i was pretty ok with this school. so i reserved the slot.
that Sunday, i accompanied hubby for him to check the school. he was okay with it also.
so the following week, i brought lil boy already so he can have the last say. and guess what was his decision?
he was in heaven with all the alphabets around. he didn’t want to leave the school, hehe.
so i paid the tuition fee after and got all the requirements!
finally, may school na ang anak ko.
*but i'm still planning to transfer him to ISYC next school year. so please remind me to reserve a slot as early as Decemeber this year. =) |
| posted by apple @ 2:47 AM |
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| Tuesday, June 03, 2008 |
| on to my school hunting… |
i’ve asked my friends of school recommendation that same night. a friend suggested ISYC (Integrated School for Young Learners), located at the back of Marquinton. she said that this is the best pre-school in Marikina.
and so the following day, May 22, after my 9am meeting at Max’s Taytay with a client, i immediately checked ISYC. the school is nice, beautiful classrooms and surroundings, as well as good teachers. the environment is perfect also, and their way of teaching is Progressive, which i think is necessary for my lil boy.
i explained to the teacher my son’s case, and she told me that even if my son is intellectually ready for Prep, he may not be emotionally ready as this is his 1st time to attend school. that’s exactly my point! so she suggested to still enroll him in Nursery, but since Progressive nga sila, individual approach naman daw sila sa kids. so if they see na my son knows the lessons for Nursery already, he will be given advanced materials, so as not to bore him and to enhance him more.
ok na sana lahat, i was already considering the 55K tuition fee, though medyo stiff talaga. but the problem is, there were no more slots!!! waaah! their slots got filled up as early as January pa daw. so she suggested to enroll him for next school year na lang. i can go back daw as early as December to get a slot. hay, ang hirap!
and so on my way back home, i was still looking for other available schools nearby. and luckily, i saw Kids on Focus in Marikina Heights.
i went there and inquired. it was smaller than ISYC but facilities were good also. same progressive style of teaching, talented teachers from UP, Ateneo and Miriam. the owner knows about ISYC and claimed that they are the 2 best schools in Marikina. tuition is stiff also at 53k. yeah, i’m convinced. so i promised to go back that afternoon so they can have my son assessed.
on my way home, i accidentally passed by OB Montessori, Marikina brach. so i went down and inquired also. the ambience wasn’t that nice, medyo madilim ang mga rooms and as the teacher explained, parallel ang style ng teaching daw sa Montessori, meaning, all the kids from Nursery, Kinder and Prep are all together in 1 room, pero different curriculums. and the tuition is affordable at 25k. promised to go back also that afternoon.
so i went home and ate lunch. after that, i took lil boy to Montessori first for assessment. same thing happened, advanced daw ang learning ng anak ko. and it will be good to enroll him there so he’ll be able to socialize with everybody, pati sa mga Prep students, and possible daw nga na bigyan sya ng Prep curriculum na din.
then we went to Kids on Focus after. lil boy had a great time here, kasi there were a lot of alphabet toys which he didn’t want to leave even after the assessment, hehe. teacher assessed him also and same comment din, he can be given advanced materials while he still stays in Nursery class.
after all these, i asked lil boy where he likes best, and he said Kids on Focus. =)
owel, still have to discuss this with hubby first. |
| posted by apple @ 2:17 AM |
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| Monday, June 02, 2008 |
| on being gifted… |
as a Mom, i was really happy inside to hear such comments that my son is possibly a gifted child. a lot of people, upon learning his abilities, will give me those comments.
ako naman, feeling proud of him, of course.
but i just took this seriously when the teachers themselves gave me that same comment. i mean, they should know di ba, they are educators. so they should know the capabilities of kids at a certain age. and for them to think that my son is gifted just made me really proud!
but on the other hand, i really don’t want to dwell much on this. i mean, he’s just
3yo, he’s such a baby. he might just be advanced in some ways. but not really gifted.
it’s not that i don’t believe in my son’s ‘extra’ abilities, it’s just that i don’t want to pressure him. kasi onced na-label kang gifted, they would expect a LOT from you eh. tipong you should know everything. ako naman, ayokong i-pressure ang anak ko na mag—aral ng mag-aral para mapangatawanan nya ang pagiging ‘gifted’! i want him to live a normal life, enjoy it to the fullest. just like what he’s doing now.
it just so happens na he enjoys alphabets and numbers a lot, di namin sya pine-pressure na i-memorize at alamin lahat yun. but he actually enjoys it talaga.
but honestly, that night after the assessment, i seriously researched on “gifted children”. i just wanted to know how their lives are, how normal or “abnormal” their lives became because of this label.
and i found out that these kids are still happy kids, despite the pressure that they are receiving. and i guess it wasn’t really pressure to them because they are born to be that way. and they love what they do, kasi nga, gifted child sila eh. so normal na sa kanila yun!
i also found out na most of them had their kids assessed around 5 yo and older.
so i guess tama lang yung decision ko to let it go muna. dedma na kung feeling nila eh gifted child ang anak ko. ang sa akin lang, if talagang gifted sya, lalabas at lalabas din yan, kahit pa di sya ma-assess ng dev pedia.
for now, i want him to enjoy his normal life. play, play and play. let him do what he loves doing. no pressure, no expectation.
i’ll deal with the serious thing later, if there’ll still be a need. =)
i’m not sure if i’m doing the right thing or not. but you are free to comment… |
| posted by apple @ 2:10 AM |
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| Sunday, June 01, 2008 |
| gifted child? |
after that post, i got a LOT of responses from the moms. different views, but all were equally important. i also researched more on Home Schooling, but somehow, i think it’s not for me. well, not yet!
and after how many months of asking lil boy, he finally gave in and said “yes, school!”
so out of excitement, i took him agad to the nearest pre-school near us last May 21. we were at New Kid’s World Laboratory, located at the back of Mc Donald’s Marcos Hiway early in the morning.
he was assessed right there and then by the teacher in charged. and i also informed the teacher that lil boy knows a LOT already, it’s just the socialization that i want him to develop.
at first, lil boy didn’t want to cooperate. but once the teacher showed him alphabet cards, numbers, crayons and shape blocks, ayun, super close na sila. hahaha.
and so, teacher asked him his name, parent’s name, to write, recognition of letters, numbers, colors and shapes, and also asked simple addition. in which, lil boy was able to answer all correctly.
so the assessment, he can possibly be a GIFTED CHILD! =)
she told me it would be better if i can have him assessed by a psychologist or developmental pedia. though she warned me that scheduling would be hard because there are only limited dev pedia around.
and better to enroll him now so he can fully enhance his skills. kasi daw, if i wait pa til next year, which was really my original plan, sayang naman daw yung alam nya if di pa masyado ma-develop sa house.
and guess what, teacher’s assessment was to include him in PREP class! haller, my 3yo son will be in Prep?! kasi daw, baka ma-bore na daw sya if sa Nursery ko sya isama, kasi alam na daw nya lahat ng ituturo dun. tough suggestion ng isang teacher, he can be wth the Nursery class during socialization or play time, but kapag structured learning na, he’ll be pulled-out to join the Prep class. medyo magulo yata yun ah. and my gosh, this is my son’s 1st time in school noh. so naisip ko nga, he may be ready in learning, but not socially and emotionally. so baka ma-trauma lang sya at ma-bully ng mga 6yo kids in Prep noh. haller, he’s such a baby pa!
so after checking the facilities and paying the assessment fee, we left na.
i felt that this wasn’t the right school for my lil boy. they can’t handle him properly there. i guess traditional din yung way of teaching nila, so he won’t really fit there yet. one more thing, i didn’t like their classrooms, it’s in the
2nd floor!
so the hunting for the school goes on. kinda late na nga eh, and i’m in a little panic already kasi end of May na. bigla tuloy akong nangarag sa paghanap ng school. and suddenly, i’m into school mode na, when all the while eh i was preparing myself for school year 2009 pa! |
| posted by apple @ 1:39 AM |
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at home, so excited!
of course, unang hinawakan ang alphabet block
reading
and writing
bye Mama...
recess time
eating on his own
playing with Papa
happy to be back to Mama's arms. =)
