I’m so excited! Lookie lookie —> Check out the front page of the latest issue of The Daily Scrapper – Issue 14 – woot woot! It’s ds on the front cover of my article. (caution: there are a few typos unedited so please bear with us a little bit)

TDS Issue 14 is filled with school and back to school stuff. What’s more I just have to have this issue’s freebie download – a HUGE Noah’s Ark Kit from the Faith Sisters exclusive for TDS Readers. DD and DS just finished their Noah’s Ark ballet recital this summer and this is just perfect for my pictures. Yey! I’m a happy camper! (better than an  affordable health insurance deal? of course! ) what was I thinking? LOL

LO SHARE: Here’s one of the layouts I made for this issue featuring Crafty Madness by Cinnamon Designs available at After Five Designs.

(my dd and some of her artwork I scanned)

So grab a cuppa joe or whatever cup you want and read up on the latest TDS issue. Don’t forget to click the TDS Studio as well to check out the featured designers and the Scrapper’s World Expo for great bargains and deals all over the digiscrapping community.

Have a wonderful day, folks!

Both of our kids are sick today – coughs and colds. So this necessitated a trip to our family pedia. After ds had her check up and prescriptions we enjoyed a wonderful dinner of authentic Bikol “pinangat”, crispy pork, corned beef omelette, atsarang ubod topping it all off with homemade avocado ice cream served by our gracious host Dr. Ninong as we fondly call Dr. Almelor.

Our discussion turned to anything and everything under the sun – from the endless stream of patients that kept pouring in to food and even the Katrina-Hayden-Vicki issue.  It got me to thinking later on about women’s rights and who had the real right to sue. I have not seen the video and don’t have any intentions of watching it. I have been asked twice already why I haven’t and my answer to both was a simple “no”. I have a daughter myself and I wouldn’t want her to undergo what Vicki and Katrina are going through.

Who is the real victim and who is the perpetrator? Either way, both have lost a lot already. Who’s rights have been trampled on? Most, if not all of us, know who got trampled the most. Who will win in the courts? A whole team of Mesothelioma lawyers is not enough to sway the court of public opinion. Who stands to benefit after all has been said and done?

If laws are given more teeth to protect women’s rights from being violated in whatever form, most especially in this digital age, then my daughter has a safer future ahead of her. If women will be wiser and more discerning in choosing who they will trust because of this incident then bravo to us. Hopefully, this case will not just be one of those fleeting sensational issues that are forgotten after it doesn’t make the headlines and sell the newspapers and magazines anymore… Hopefully, we won’t just watch from the sidelines and allow any woman to be treated less than how our Heavenly Father has created us… for our sakes and for the sake of all our daughters.

My kids were arguing with each other about some ridiculous nitpicky thing at breakfast today and it was getting out of hand. I sort of blew my fuse and put my foot down. I told them they had to write down 100 things to be grateful for and 100 things they were not happy about.  Halfway into it, my son told me that one whole sheet of paper was not enough to fit all that. He had written the things he was grateful for on one side and on the other, the ones he was not.

I thought it was a perfect teachable moment for him to choose how to view life. We all have our daily struggles in life, the weight of which depends relatively on how we see them. This is not to say that our struggles are negligible and the pain is not valid. I would surmise to think that it depends on how you see the big picture.

At this point, I told my son that this was what I wanted him to know. I told him that he could view life either half-empty and look at all the bad things, or he could also look at life half-full, where life is full of possibilities and hope. Even before I could finish my point he said it was just like being Squidward. I said yes. By this time he had already written down so many things to be grateful for and the argument at breakfast was a thing of the past. He had gone off to play with his sister again. Intermittently, they come back hugging me, giving me little “I love you, mom” notes and scribbles seemingly content with their little lives.

How about you, which Bikini Bottom character are you? Sponge Bob, Squidward or Patrick?

Well, for good reason actually so I’m not going to hang myself for it. So what’s the good reason? Real life gets in the way of virtual reality – hahaha.

First, it was exam week last week for my homeschooled son – he had an assessment exam for his grade level at the DECS accredited school where we enrolled him. Since we use a homeschool curriculum different from DECS, I had to drill him and review him on the topics that were part of the exam but not necessarily part of our curriculum. (I’ll probably write a post about what your child needs to know at a certain grade level in the future.) So that took up most of my week – I had to make sure that “papasa sya, este, kakasa sya sa Grade Three”. LOL 

Trivia: Did you know that the DECS scope and sequence covers only 4 subjects for Grade Three?        What are these subjects?  English, Math, Science and Filipino

Next, since my kids started doing ballet twice a week, my schedule has become topsy- turvy. Why? because I lose two “virtual” days a week since I have to go with them to ballet school. Of course, ballet always wins hands down as far as I’m concerned. No contest! I will go with them wherever and whenever necessary! I am a self-confessed ballet addict! I wonder what will happen to my bloggie when they start doing everyday class in the summer? hmmmm…. aargh! I need a MBPro ASAP! Or maybe an Audemars Piguet designer watch on my wrist will do so I can I watch time slowly tick away while waiting for them in the hallway. Either way, I need to blog more so I can buy any of those two. LOL

Of course, I do all that aside from my own “rakets” online and IRL. The future is bright but it’s getting tighter and tighter as far as time constraints go.  So much to do, so little time. I know, I know (sheepish grin ), I can hear it coming. It’s all about time management. I haven’t come to that place yet where my everyday life is like going to the office – you time in and you time out. Same thing, day in and day out. Life is more volatile with kids, you know – the sneezies, the dirty tights and leotards, the unpredictables and all that jazz. I’m trying though. I have a dream… (I’m not MLK, but I have a dream, too, you know).

Anyhoo, sa mga ka-LP ko, babawi na lang ako neks wik pag maliwanag na ang panahon. So that’s it, pansit! I might be able to squeeze a few more posts within the week and not be a “baaaad blogger”.

Adios, amigos! Hasta maniana! (spelled as pronounced – can’t find the enye right now hahaha)

I had a wonderful mommy moment with my son tonight. He’s slowly growing up into a fine young man and I’m so happy to say that I’ve witnessed up to this very moment every step of his journey. I’ve been there from day one and will continue to be there until the homerun. I am not a perfect mom, I’ve had my bad hair days and my “alto soprano” moments and many times I question myself whether I “get in the way” of what God wants for my children. I used to think that I was a patient person, tolerant and not easy to anger – I thought too highly of myself and my journey as a mom for more than nine years has truly  convinced me that I am not.  But by the grace of God I have learned to move according to the measure of grace that He gives me in each and every circumstance.

Why was tonight special? Well, perhaps it’s because I was able to reach my son’s heart and help him to understand that life’s obstacles are not hindrances but God’s way of forging character and fortitude into our souls. I am reminded of a blacksmith pounding away at a red hot piece of metal on a heavy anvil and how each time the mallet hits the hot metal, it slowly transforms it into the shape that he envisioned the metal to be. I saw this in my son tonight – (btw, he’s only nine years old). God was the blacksmith, my son was the metal and I was the heavy mallet that became the dreaded instrument of torment, er I mean transformation.

At first, it was a struggle of the wills – him succumbing to self-pity and condemnation and I, the imperialistic queen dispensing the law upon him. But I am no queen… I am his mother and I saw that divine opportunity to speak into his life. To lift him up from where he was wallowing and impart destiny into his soul. What joy it was to see him step out of his self-centered world and into an awareness of the world around him where his greater destiny lies.  It was a priceless moment. I don’t want to forget it – hence this post. 

Sometimes the pain of discipline (not necessarily physical) can blur the lines of love and acceptance and distort it into separation and rejection. When that distortion happens, the one who delivers the discipline may be perceived as unloving and uncaring. I believe as a parent, one needs to address those doubts immediately and reassure the child that it is the behavior that is being corrected and not the person being rejected. What do you give a child who misbehaves? Give them a “sandwich”! Yup, a “sandwich”. You give them the “big fat juicy discipline” between two buns of praise and acceptance. A word of encouragement right before the correction and a word of acceptance right after the correction. A sandwich, right? 

Well, my sandwiches aren’t perfect all the time but I try to arrest those “self-pity party” moments when I sense them rising up in my children. I always assure them that my love for them is unconditional and is never based on how “good” they are. That is not to say that they will not be corrected when they misbehave.  But good or bad behavior is not the criterion for my love for them. I hope that when they grow older there will come a time that they will see that side of the picture as well.

I love them dearly and I thank God that they have made my life so much richer in every way imaginable. I will be forever grateful to God and to them for giving me a chance to know and experience the reality that children are indeed precious, priceless gifts from above.

I read this via a homeschooling site and I want to share it to you straight from the source right here: http://www.freshbrewedlife.com/cd_69.aspx . It’s an excerpt from a book by Nicole Johnson entitled “The Invisible Woman“.   I seldom post stuff like this but i think it’s worth the read … really.  Besides, I think it’s in keeping with my little motto up there in my header. Thank you, Nicole for sharing this excerpt to inspire us.

Excerpt By Nicole Johnson

It started to happen gradually…
    One day I was walking my son Jake to school. I was holding his hand and we were about to cross the street when the crossing guard said to him, “Who is that with you, young fella?”
    “Nobody,” he shrugged.
    Nobody? The crossing guard and I laughed. My son is only five, but as we crossed the street I thought, oh my goodness, nobody?
    I would walk into a room and no one would notice. I would say something to my family, like “Turn the TV down, please.” And nothing would happen. Nobody would get up, or even make a move for the remote. I would stand there for a minute, and then I would say again, a little louder, “Would someone turn the TV down?” Nothing.
    Just the other night my husband and I were out to a party. We’d been there for about three hours and I was ready to leave. I noticed he was talking to a friend from work. So I walked over, and when there was a break in the conversation, I whispered, “I’m ready to go when you are.” He just kept right on talking.
    That’s when I started putting all the pieces together. I don’t think he can see me. I don’t think anyone can see me. 
    I’m invisible.
    It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I’m on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I’m thinking, “Can’t you see I’m on the phone?” Obviously not. No one can see if I’m on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.
    I’m invisible.
    Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more.
    Can you fix this?
    Can you tie this?
    Can you open this?
    Some days I’m not a pair of hands; I’m not even a human being.
    I’m a clock to ask, “What time is it?”
    I’m a satellite guide to answer, “What number is the Disney Channel?”
    I’m a car to order, “Right around 5:30, please.” 
    I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude – but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again.
    She’s going…she’s going…she’s gone!
    One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out of style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped
package and said, “I brought you this.” 

    It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn’t exactly sure why she’d given it to me until I read her inscription. “To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.”
    In the days ahead I would read, no, devour, the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I would pattern my work:

•    No one can say who built the great Cathedrals—we have no record of their names.
•    These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.
•    They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.
•    The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

    A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, “Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.”
    And the workman replied, “Because God sees.”
    I closed the book, feeling the missing piece just push into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, “I see you Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one else does. No act of kindness you’ve done, no sequin you’ve sewn on, no cupcake you’ve baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can’t see right now what it will become.”
    At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn, pride.     
    I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who will show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.
    When I really think about it, I don’t want my son to tell the friend he’s bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, “My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for 3 hours and presses all the linens for the table.” That would mean I’d built a shrine or monument to myself. I just want him to come home. And then if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, “You’re gonna love it here.”
    As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we’re doing it right. And one day it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

I think this is one of the most encouraging articles I have read that’s why I am sharing it here as well with all due credit to Ms. Nicole Johnson. No amount of home insurance, financial stability or social recognition can reach deep down and give us that security we need about ourselves.  The affirmation and the self-worth that we all crave and long for can only be found in that quiet place of rest; that place where you are safe and secure in the unconditional love and acceptance of God – unshaken by the pull to be someone other than who you are. I know this place – I’ve been there… it is my place of refuge… my hiding place.

How about you? Are you invisible?

Last year, I was invited to join a free Photography course sponsored by Isuzu (IADI). It was held at the Isuzu Alabang Showroom along Zapote and the course was taught by photographer Toni Cuesta. It was my first formal lesson in photography and I really appreciate what I learned because I now can shoot more intelligently and be more technically correct instead of just winging it. I didn’t know a lot about technique before the class and although I’ve read and am still reading about photography, there are some things that the books don’t teach you. More caught than taught, I would say. 

One of our first few assignments was about aperture settings. We were supposed to submit our work and upload it to flickr and teacher Toni C. would check it online.  I didn’t have much time to go hunting for a shot so I just looked around our house for something interesting to take and I ended up taking a pic of the tree outside our house. Flowering trees are not my specialty but this one is one of the original trees that we had planted when we first moved in.  I love the purple flowers that cascade down the branches of this tree. Now I’m not much of a green thumb and I’ve killed a lot of rose bushes already but at least this one survived. Thanks to our once a month gardener. LOL

You can see more of my homework in my flickr account. I’m not an expert peeps so be kind. Anyway, the culminating activity of the course was a contest. We were supposed to  submit at least 3 photos that fit the theme – Me and My Isuzu and these entries would be displayed in the Isuzu showrooms in Alabang, Pasig and Cavite so that people could vote for their favorites. I don’t particularly like popularity contests because I don’t think I can ever win one anyway. Last December, I think right before my birthday, this was while we were in Davao, I received a phone call from Isuzu telling me my entry had won 2nd place. I couldn’t believe it! There were more experienced and technically better photographers in the class and for my entry to win…it just blew me away. It wasn’t exactly my first time to win in a photo contest ( I also had a winning entry in the first Hershey’s Happiness Contest a few years ago) but it still is a wonderful feeling. I know I still have so much to learn in photography and I know that I’m not in the league of the pros yet but God has a way of assuring me of His grace, His love and His approval of me no matter how little I think of myself. I felt it was His and my dad’s birthday present to me. I just wish I could hug them both…

So here’s the photo that won Second Place in Isuzu’s “Me and My Isuzu”

Title:  Their Safety Our Priority

This shot was taken at the Isuzu Showroom in Alabang. Those are my kids inside that brand new Isuzu monster of a car. LOL  No, I did not win the car, I got a trophy and gift checks. hee hee ^_^

Thanks for looking everyone!

Just a few more days till Christmas and a few more days after Christmas will be the New Year. What do you do to prepare for the New Year? Are you one of those who make lists of things that need to be done before the year ends. I’m sorta like that. As much as I can help it, I want everything in place, finished and done before I start something new. Of course, there are factors that somehow do not allow me to  do it my OC way. If I had my OC way, the credit card bills, the auto insurance, the utilities and rental would all be paid one year in advance. hahaha There would be no backlog on my kids’ homeschool work and when the clock strikes midnight of December 31, not a single object would be out of place. 

Well of course, this is my ideal utopian world but IRL, the toys and books would be somehow, somewhere hidden between the sheets or inside the pillowcases. The chores and the to-do lists are always a day away. The action items inert. LOL But at the end of the day, even if my year end wrap ups always end up undone, I think that the little arms that wrap around me consoling me and telling me that they’ll do better next time is enough reason to just go with the flow and live life one day at a time. How about you? How do you end your year?

Every year, well almost every year really, we try to go home and spend Christmas with the grandparents. My kids look forward to this annual trip because it’s a time to take a break from the school and work related things we do and replace it with the parties, get-togethers and reunions and all the jam-packed activities already scheduled in advance. Not much difference huh except that doing the latter “expands your horizon” or better yet “expands you horizontally” in so many ways. LOL  It’s a break from washing dishes, doing the laundry, clearing up the dining table and all the mundane household chores that we do as a family because we don’t have househelp. Don’t we all need that? I do – BIGTIME!

Anyway, I thought I’d share a few pics from our trip last year. The kids love that the whole place is decorated. I don’t do any decorations in our house anymore because we’re away for the most part of the holidays. It makes for fun pics as well without the cleanup. hahaha These are SOOC so no post processing – (had no time to open up the editing software – tamad!) Here they are:

the foyer: Welcome, come on in!

in my MIL’s garden there are pointsettias year round

and here’s a glimpse of the hallway where the Christmas tree was last year

So that’s it for now – will be back in a bit to finish up my bloggie duties and then maybe I can start packing.

How’s about some bloopies to cheer you up today? Here are a couple that made the hubby and I smile.

Scene 1:

One afternoon after Sunday worship, we passed thru a grassy area while we were going to our parked car. I found some makahiya or “shy grass”  (that closes its leaves when it’s touched) growing between the crab grass. So I called the kids to take a look at it. Actually, I also enjoy watching those little leaves fold up and I thought it would be fun for them to see that. They were so amazed! So they went scouting for more “shy grass or shy flowers” as they called it and I left them to explore. When it was time to leave, they were so excited to tell me what had happened. They said;

Kai :  Mama, that was so much fun!

Aemu:  Yeah, they’re so beautiful (she said so sweetly). 

Kai:    Oh, but one of them didn’t close up its leaves. 

Mama:   (finally I had the chance to say something lol) Why do you think it didn’t close its leaves?

Aemu:   Well, probably it’s not shy.

LOL

Scene 2:

One Sunday after church again, we came out of the building and the gloomy rain clouds had gone and the sun came out and it was just so beautiful we took our time passing thru the small park to where our car was.

Here’s what happened:

Mama:    Wow, that’s a nice sky right there. 

Daddy:   Okay, hold on. I’m going to take a picture.

Aemu:   Yeah, isn’t it beautiful. What a great day for parking!

The hubby and I looked at each other to see if we heard right. It was only later that we realized that what she meant was walking thru the park not parking the car. ROFL!

Okay, folks. That’s it for now coz I need to be moving boxes to make room for some scrapbook goodies I’m picking up tomorrow. Yup, I’m gonna try and see if  I can get back into the paper scrapping groove – I can’t wait to try them out. Later y’all!