a matter of teys.t

coffee break ver. 1.25      What do you love most about being married?

First of all, happy anniversary Jan! Now on to your coffee break question…. hmm. Hubby and I have been married for almost ten years already. Yeah, that long and I guess like any other couple we’ve had our bad hair days and our salad days. We didn’t get married saying to each other “Ga, I don’t fix my bed when I wake up” or “Ga, I don’t do toilets, ha”. I realized that what you know about each other from the moment you are presented as husband and wife is so minute compared to the endless unveiling of your spouse each day you live together. Everything gets magnified tenfold - the good and unfortunately, the bad as well.

What do I love most about being married for almost ten years? I wouldn’t exactly say love but maybe what am I most thankful for — if that were the question then I would answer I am thankful for EVERYTHING. Although I cannot say I am happy about everything because there will always be ups and downs in any relationship, nor will I say I like everything about married life. I do know that at the end of the day I can say I am THANKFUL for everything - both good and bad. Simply because I believe everything has a purpose and that there is always a higher reason that doesn’t reveal itself until the appropriate moment set for it. It quietly demands that you simply trust the One who put you together to LIVE each day beside each other even if the road ahead is not so clear.

I am thankful that my life is richer - that although the pains sometimes have been unbearable, yet the unexpected joys are unspeakable and incomparable. I am thankful that I am loved and accepted no matter how I look or how I feel any given time of the day. I am thankful that I can speak my mind freely - to argue and disagree, to banter and to rant at (whether dh deserves it or not lol) and still be treated with respect. I am thankful that I am cherished and deemed precious by two little souls who think I am the best in the whole wide world even when I doubt myself and think otherwise. I am thankful to hubby for all his efforts in trying to be the best husband he could ever be to me. Salamat ‘ga sa Thai massage :) Most of all, I am thankful to God for helping me realize that marriage is a good thing even for someone like me.

Tags: being married

TATAK - simbolo ng pagkakakilanlan; tanda; marka; nagpapakita ng mga katangiang natatangi at naaangkop sa isang partikular na tao, bagay, lugar o pangyayari.

Isa sa masasabi kong TATAK ng isang Pilipino ay ang pagiging MASAYAHIN. Kahit anong bagyo, kahit anong unos, kahit anong pagsubok, kahit anong hirap na dinadanas sa buhay, lagi tayong may nakikitang bagay na nakakatawa at nakakaaliw, hindi ba? 

Masdan nyo sila, bukod sa pagiging isa sa masasabing may tunay na tatak na Pinoy - ang ating mga katutubo, masayahin sila di ba?

(ang mga nasa larawan ay ang mga katutubo nating Dumagat na

naninirahan sa Angat Watershed.)

happy to be Litratistang Pinoy!

I-klik mo ang kamera para makakita pa ng iba pang lahok!

Tags: litratong pinoy, Photography

Did you know that there are online companies that can assist you if you need to apply for or renew your passport? For my own passport, I opted to do it myself which was quite a hassle to do so I’m contemplating if I should do it differently for the passports of my kids. If you plan to do it yourself here are some of the things you need to prepare for to help you out.

For a complete list of requirements you can also visit the DFA website

Tags: passport renewal, Travel

Dito ko po inilagay ang aking lahok sa linggong ito sapagkat mayroon na po akong mga maikling akdang naisulat nang nakaraan tungkol sa pag-aaral na pandagdag kaalaman na din po sa inyo.

Ang aming eskwelahan ay wala pong uniporme, walang school bus, walang baon at puedeng mag-recess kahit anong oras. Ito po ay sa kadahilanang kami po ay nagho-homeschool. Kaya ang aming bahay ang eskwelahan ng aming mga anak. Hindi po biro itong gawin, may mga araw na tinatanong ko ang aking sarili kung bakit ko ginagawa ito dahil hindi naman po ako isang gurong propesyonal.  Ngunit sa bandang huli kahit ito’y mahirap alam ko na ito ay isa sa mga kayamanang maipapamana ko sa aking mga anak na hindi matatawaran ng kahit anupaman. 

Ang mga libro sa larawan ang  ginagamit namin ng aking kabiyak sa pagturo sa aming mga anak. (Akin po yung Filipino kasi Bisaya si mister, eh baka mag-iba ang talasalitaan ng aming mga chikiting kung siya ang magturo kaya akin po yung subject na iyon). :D

Here’s an excerpt from a previous post I made about homeschooling. This isn’t the literal translation of the above but the sentiments are the same.

“… Hence, our house is not your typical house. It is filled with books, books and more books all over. It is where our children are educated. It is not a perfect school but I know that our intents for their best interests is the driving force that pushes us to persevere. Our aim is to educate and raise them to fulfill all their potential. This is what burns in our hearts. Our home is our school and school is in the heart of our home… “

You can read more about the above excerpt and the rest of our homeschool journeys from my previous posts here:

The Well-Trained Mind- A guide to classical education at home

Home is School and School is Home

FOOD FOR THOUGHT - Some famous people who were homeschooled:

Educators

Fred Terman (President - Stanford) 
William Samuel Johnson (President Columbia) 
John Witherspoon (President of Princeton) 

Generals

Stonewall Jackson 
Robert E. Lee 
Douglas MacArthur 
George Patton 

Inventors

Alexander Graham Bell 
Thomas Edison 
Cyrus McCormick 
Orville Wright & Wilbur Wright 

Artists

Claude Monet 
Leonardo da Vinci 

Presidents

George Washington 
Thomas Jefferson 
John Quincy Adams 
James Madison 
William Henry Harrison 
John Tyler 
Abraham Lincoln 
Theordore Roosevelt 
Woodrow Wilson 
Franklin Delano Roosevelt 

Scientists

George Washington Carver 
Pierre Curie 
Albert Einstein 
Booker T. Washington 
Blaise Pascal 

Statesmen

Konrad Adenauer 
Winston Churchill 
Benjamin Franklin 
Patrick Henry 
William Penn 
Henry Clay 

Composers

Irving Berlin 
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 
Anton Bruckner 
Felix Mendelssohn 
Francis Poulenc 

Writers

Hans Christian Anderson 
Charles Dickens 
Brett Harte 
Mark Twain 
Sean O’Casey 
Pearl S. Buck 
Agatha Christie 
C.S. Lewis 
George Bernard Shaw 

Religious leaders

Joan of Arc 
Brigham Young 
John & Charles Wesley 
Jonathan Edwards 
John Owen 
William Cary 
Dwight L. Moody 
John Newton 

Others

Charles Chaplin - Actor 
George Rogers Clark - Explorer 
Andrew Carnegie - Industrialist 
Noel Coward - Playwright 
John Burroughs - Naturalist 
Albert Schweitzer - Physician 
Tamara McKinney - World Cup Skier 
Jim Ryan - World Runner 
Ansel Adams - Photographer 
Charles Louis Montesquieu - philosopher 
John Stuart Mill - Economist 
John Paul Jones - father of the American Navy 
Florence Nightingale - nurse 
Clara Barton - started the Red Cross 
Abigail Adams - wife of John Adams 
Martha Washington - wife of George W. 
George Washington - 1st President of the U.S.
James Madison - 4th President of the U.S. 
John Witherspoon - President of Princeton U. 
Benjamin Franklin - inventor and statesman 
William S. Johnson - President of Columbia C. 
George Mason

Proud to be a homeschooler and a Litratistang Pinoy!

Tags: litratong pinoy, Photography

We had a movie marathon this weekend and it was so much fun. We started off Friday night with Kung Fu Panda. The next night, we went to see Prince Caspian. Finally, last Sunday, we just had to watch Urduja. So here’s my take on all three movies. Let’s start off with Kung Fu Panda.

 Hubby and I initially wanted to treat our kids to Prince Caspian so we headed out to SM Sta. Rosa. Unfortunately, we also got a traffic ticket for going through a one-way street on our way there. To top that off, there was no Prince Caspian showing at SM. We tried driving a little further to Robinson’s and same thing. No Prince Caspian. So we toyed with the idea of going all the way to Alabang just to watch it but then we decided it was too far and too late to make the effort. We chose to watch at Robinson’s instead and settled for Kung Fu Panda. Hubby doesn’t like it when plans don’t work as expected but once we got into the movie house and the movie started, things changed. This really is a funny movie. I’ve never been a fan of Jack Black but after watching Kung Fu Panda, I must say that I’m now more open to watching more of his films in the future. I am a bit wary of martial arts movies because of all the incorporated mysticism but I must say this movie is full of practical wisdom bridging both East and West sensibilities. Not to mention it is quite hilarious. I think a lot of us can relate to Po’s character - the oversized displaced misfit wishing to get out of his monotonous job to finally live out his dream and be someone else besides himself. I know someone like that and I sometimes think about that too. But there really is “no secret ingredient” that unlocks all these powers that will turn you into that dream, eh? Bottomline, seriously funny must-see movie if you want to have a good time and a good laugh.

Next up, Prince Caspian. Finally, we got to see it at Festival Mall Alabang. Now I haven’t read the book yet, unlike the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe so I sat down on my chair not knowing what to expect. Frankly, it had me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and I felt sad that this was going to be Queen Susan’s last appearance in the Chronicles although hubby and I knew that the little romantic thing between Prince Caspian and Susan was that added Hollywood touch. Overall it was quite engaging and we just had to watch the second run even though it was already quite late. The kids enjoyed it a lot so, thumbs up on this one as well.

Lastly, but certainly not the least, URDUJA. This time we trooped to SM Sta. Rosa again. We just had to watch this for the sake of our kids. Even though the dialogue was in Filipino and our kids were just guessing through it, I’d have to say that it was a well made film. Although the fight scenes were a bit tame in comparison ( after watching Kung Fu Panda and Prince Caspian) to the above, the imagery, the artwork, the music and even the script was quite good, even though it had an “Eat Bulaga” flavor to it, especially the jokes. I’m also guessing that some parts may not be historically consistent as well, (just like the romantic element between Urduja and Lam-ang?)but the bottomline –> the overall quality of the film reminded me of Disney’s “Atlantis” and “Tarzan” so it must be good. Quite a feat for a Pinoy first - kudos to all the people involved! And if just for the reason that it is made by Filipinos, I strongly recommend it to anyone. (The only thing I wasn’t quite happy about while watching it was seeing all the roaches crawling around us inside the movie theatre, ugh! I don’t remember even remember a digital signage or poster for the movie at SM.)  Other than that, we have our own hero(ine) to be proud of - sariling atin talaga kaya tangkilikin ang Pelikulang Pilipino! 

So that’s my take. I give all of them 4 Got teys.T smacks!

Tags: Kung Fu Panda, movie reviews, Prince Caspian, Urduja

Yey!  Just wanted to share another toot for this layout I made. I joined TaylorMade’s Designer Spotlight Challenge and was one of those who won one of the main prizes. You can read about it in Amanda’s blog right here –> TaylorMade Designs

Here’s what I did for that challenge :

TFL!

Tags: toots

Can you guess where I took these pictures?

I just  want to share a few of my shots from our travels. I know that there are still a lot of wonderful places waiting to be explored and captured and I hope we as a family get to see more. No matter how bad our country is painted out to be, I am still a believer that there are still many things to be thankful for and that our country has been blessed in so many different ways. Beauty as they say is in the eye of the beholder and IMHO there is a lot of beholding that still needs to be done. Don’t wait for the Department of Tourism to promote our God-given natural wonders. The best travel guides for this country is YOU. So bring out your backpacks, get those cameras ready and share it. 

BTW, don’t forget to vote for Tubbatha Reef and Palawan’s Underground Cave in the new 7 wonders of the world poll.

Tags: 7wonders, beauty of the Philippines

Coffee break :     How would you reward yourself after a long day at work?

I’m a part-time WAHM so my working hours start when everybody else goes to bed and there’s finally some peace and quiet in the house. I wish I could reward myself more often with a day at the spa or the salon but our skeds are so erratic, I just rely on hubby to bring me little treats. Puede na ang turon at sago sa ‘kin. lol What’s really nice is that hubby is studying how to do different kinds of massages (he hangs out a lot and reads these books at Fully Booked) and I get to be the guinea pig. So I have an in-house masseur at my beck and call.

If I can’t have that regularly, what I really look forward to is the chance to tag along with hubby when he has out-of-town trips or events na puede ang 3 sabit. The chance to go outdoors and bring out the camera for some serious photo shooting - that’s a real treat for me. The spa and the salon can hang, I’d rather pack our backpacks and go anywhere, anytime.

p.s. if ever he reads this, I wish he’d buy me Proactiv sana - (the best acne treatment out there IMHO) not because I have acne but I do have oily skin and the whole kit makes skin maintenance really easy. Mine is all gone and that would be a nice treat, sana. (hint hint)

Tags: coffee break

Yey! Just want to share a little toot today. It’s like a much needed shot in the arm ’cause ds was confined in the hospital for possible viral gastro and I am a little bit off tangent because of it. But God is good because sudden rainshowers always have rainbows somehow. This is my little rainbow for today. 

Katie Hilbert of Memory Makers Magazine sent me an email a while back asking if she could feature my LO in the Idea Gallery. Of course, li’l ole me won’t say no, right? If you’d like to check it out click here to take you to Memory Makers online mag and check out my LO. Would like to know what you think too.

Psst, by the way. I have another little surprise (not sooo little to me) coming out in October 2008. If any of you can guess what it is, I just might give you a little surprise as well. So check back here often to find out what it is.  Later y’all. Have to go to the hospital in a bit. Say a little prayer for my ds too, will ya? Thanks!

Tags: toots

We just got back from a homeschooling meeting today and it’s amazing to see how our motley group has increased. I was particularly encouraged by one of the dads who gave a little talk on his experiences as a homeschooling dad. One thing that he said that really made an impact on me was the fact that the Industrial Revolution changed how families interacted. Fathers were no longer as visible in their homes because they were called to work in offices and factories.

Why the impact on me? because in a previous post I made about homeschooling, I included a list of luminaries who were homeschooled and a good number of them belonged to the era prior to the Industrial Revolution. It makes me feel so blessed to have a husband who is passionate about teaching our kids in this day and age. So here’s a little bit more about our early homeschool beginnings.

Years ago before our first child was born, while my husband and I were in the US we explored the possibilities of homeschooling. Taking advantage of a local homeschool fair in Chandler, Arizona, we bought several books and resource materials for us to help us make that crucial decision… to homeschool or not to homeschool. One of those books that we bought was this book, The Well Trained Mind. It remained in our bookcase and gathered dust for a while until the time came for it to resurrect and ever since, it has been the book I always go back to, to check if we are still on track when it comes to homeschooling our kids. 

“This book provides you with the techniques, curriculum, and resources necessary to ensure that your child’s education is the best it can be.” - The Well Trained Mind website.

My husband and I have homeschooled our son for three years and he is now entering grade three. Soon our youngest will be ‘officially’ homeschooled as well. As far as homeschooling is concerned we are always trying to assess and regroup, junk what doesn’t work and keep what does and bring in something new to take it to the next level.  I already know which book to grab to help me go back to my basics. There are guide books and there are GUIDE books. In my opinion this belongs to the last group. It is not THE ultimate resource book but it blends quite well with the rest of the resources that we use for our kids and what suits OUR lifestyle. A Classical Method of Education with a Principle Approach using Literature based materials and Real Books that present a Biblical World view - this is our goal.

So if you do get a chance to find it while you are browsing in a bookstore, check it out. I saw a copy of this book just recently at Fully Booked at Bonifacio High Street in case you hang out there or you can also get it online at buy.com

Authors : Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer

I give this book 4 Got teys.T smacks!

Tags: book review, Got teys.T!, Homeschool

One of the greatest benefits of the internet is the ability to do almost (almost, okey?) anything even if you are in your pajamas. (hey! strictly PG huh lol) This includes managing your money. The days of going to the bank (whether in your own car or commuting, who wants to now that it’s soooo expensive to do either) are becoming such a chore when you can easily do it online. Nowadays online bank balance transfers are so convenient, it only takes like less than ten minutes. Compare that to going to the bank the old way where it takes almost an hour to get there, 30 minutes waiting to be attended to, 10 minutes to finish your transaction, another hour to get back to where you started and an additional 30 more minutes allowance for unforeseen traffic incidents. To top it all, at P55/liter, of course, you won’t get there on a liter alone, the costs are crazy eh? Think about it. So be smart. Choose wisely and don’t forget if you do choose to do it online beef up your internet security. Ciao!

I’ve been sorta making my own little tradition to celebrate my dad (he went home to the Lord almost a year ago) every chance I get. He was a generous man and gave without expecting anything in return. So I’d like to continue that generous spirit he imparted to me and give what I can every occasion that reminds me of him. I still miss him so much and think of him everyday. I do know that I can take this pain and turn it into something good to bless someone else.

So here’s an early Father’s Day gift from me to you to celebrate and honor all the dads out there. (My freebies are forever free for you to enjoy no strings attached. Just enjoy!) Happy Father’s Day y’all!

Endless Summer QP freebie

download here.

Tags: digiscrap freebie

coffee break ver. 1.21 - How were you like as a grade school student?

Mmmm, this one’s a bit tricky coz it’s just been like a few years ago (yikes! I mean ages ago) so my grade school memories are a bit fuzzy (overtaken by my own kids gradeschool escapades lol) but I’m still going to give it a try.

I remember chocnut and ice drop mongo and sweet corn flavor, grade 3 spelling bee, waking up to the sound of the church bells ringing telling me I’m late for school, blue and white school uniforms, daddy tying up my shoes for me, twenty-five centavo tricycle fares, nearsightedness and wrongly prescribed betty la fea glasses, climbing up our guava and camias trees (our backyard was cat tree heaven back then), holen, jackstones, pick-up sticks, sipa and piko, patintero, chinese garter with matching kung-fu shoes, field days and recognition days, a snooty science teacher who embarrassed me in front of the class (God bless her :P ), happiness was signal number 3 typhoons which meant no classes, martial law and bagong lipunan money… all these are snippets of my childhood. Where did gradeschool fit in? In between the cracks, I guess :) I didn’t do a lot of studying back then, I was sort of winging it through and quite honestly I still wonder how I got through. Speaking of chocnut I think I need to get my fix. Be back later!

Tags: chocnut

I’ve been away from my bloggie for almost a week because I’ve been recovering from a relapse (ugh! not fun at all! NC health insurance anyone?) Anyway, the opening of classes is just a few days from now and I’ve been trying (unsuccessfully?) to get my homeschool act together. I’ve only finished 2 subjects, would you believe? I’ve been trying to do Filipino forever and it just really stumps me. Hay naku, talaga! Ang hirap maging makata. It’s a good thing hubby teaches the Math, Science & History subjects to ds, otherwise my brain is fried. :) So I’m going to try to get back into my blogging groove hopefully before the week ends and come back later for my coffee break with Jan. I also have a little Father’s day treat for you digiscrappers out there. Catch y’all later!

…. this one would really be. Hubby and I have been drooling over this Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Chronograph. Hubby chose this over all the other luxury watches we were looking at and when we took a closer look at the product description I was surprised that this was the watch Olympians Michael Phelps and Ian Thorpe advertised. Hmmm, seems that hubby’s got a good eye for these boy blings LOL. He’s got tEys.t! Check out the specs at watchesandbeyond.com. Awesome! Of course the price is quite wallet-busting awesome too.  lol Libre naman mangarap, di ba? :)

I give this beauty 4 “GOT tEys.T” smacks.