Everyday Adventures

Turn Your Hobbies to Business! Attend this Workshop Now!

By Mommy Donna and Kib - January 12, 2017

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Seven is God's Number

By Mommy Donna and Kib - January 03, 2017

Number seven can symbolize a lot of things. It can be a lucky number, a celebration of a milestone, or even a significant number in different religious beliefs and organizations. According to a survey, seven is the most favorite number, followed by three and eight.

Each and every one of us have these 'special numbers' in our lives. Primarily, our favorite numbers are our birthdays and anniversaries. We usually link the major events in our lives to our favorite numbers for easy recall and because of the belief that our favorite numbers will always bring fortune to our lives.

Personally, I also have my 'lucky numbers' too, but even if I have these lucky charms, I don't base my decisions around that number. For me, it's just pure coincidence and I have this "oo nga noh" moments after realizing that incident has something to do with a special number.

Just recently, I had this reflection towards number seven which I would like to share with you. I also posted it on my Facebook wall.

"I have been waiting for this major life decision for seven years now. Honestly, I also got impatient, but I claimed the Lord's promise that He has great plans for me. I have written this as one of my faith goals at the start of the year, I fasted for it, and I even asked friends to also pray with me for this.

Slowly, all the questions that I have in mind were answered by the Lord one by one. I am truly amazed how God shows me that this will be the year that He will answer all my plea. I really cried out for joy when finally, it has been concluded. Now, I just have to wait for few more days."

A chat with a friend reminded me that seven is God's number. A lot of stories in the Bible revolved around number seven (you may check it here). And just few minutes before posting this on my Facebook wall, the Lord has reminded me that He has a different timeline. He reminded me of this verse: "But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like thousand years, and a thousand years like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not anything to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." (II Peter 3:8-9)

Sometimes, we might really get impatient waiting for the Lord's answers in our prayers. Let us remember that God has a different timeline from ours, and He has the perfect timing in everything. Most of the time when we hasten our decisions, we get in trouble. Even if we make mistakes in our lives due to our hard-headedness, the Lord is still gracious to give us a way out from all of these (I Corinthians 10:13). The Lord really wants the best for us, He really pursues us because we are His children.

Lord, I am still in awe on how You work into my life. Thank You for Your Words. Thank You that You are putting things in order in my life. My everlasting praise and thanks I give to You. Amen.

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death

A Mother's Pain

By Mommy Donna and Kib - December 27, 2016

"Ang anak ang naglilibing sa magulang, hindi ang magulang ang naglilibing sa anak."

I've heard this saying for so many times especially when a child dies before their parents. I've written about death in the past and reflected on it (see post here) and now I'm writing about it again because the recent death that I encountered was the death of one of closest friend's child.

The child somehow played a special role in my life as well. I was one of the secondary sponsors during my friend's wedding. I saw my friend pregnant with her (we renewed our PRC license then) but I already sensed that there was something wrong (my friend was already had edema). I was able to visit my friend when she gave birth to her firstborn (she was premature and was born at 1 kilogram only). The baby stayed for two more months in the hospital.

I was not able to go to the baptism because I was pregnant with Kib. I also missed the first birthday because my father was in the hospital during that time. I saw the kid during my son's first birthday celebration. I was at her 3rd birthday celebration and saw how 'likot' she can be on a walker (she still cannot walk properly then). I was updated with all of her developmental milestones. I was there during the planning of her 7th birthday. It was a joy for me to hear her say my name and say "I love you" to me and give me a hug. She's indeed special, an angel that brought joy to my friend's life.

Kib and Alex' first picture together taken during Kib's first birthday celebration

Her name is Alex. She's a special child with cerebral palsy and visual and hearing impairments. While she's special, she is not treated like she has an illness. She is treated like a normal child. Her parents are proud of her and gave her the best things in life. She was able to go to several places, eat at finest restaurants, have the best toys and books. Her parents didn't deprive her of the things a normal child can enjoy and experience.

This is Alex, age 6

December 12, 2016..a tragedy happened...Alex died on the eve of her 11th birthday. My friend and I prepared lootbags for her classmates in celebration of her 11th birthday. It's so painful to lose her on the eve of her birthday.

Part of the lootbags to be given away for Alex' 11th birthday celebration at school

It was a shock for everyone. After hearing the news, I cried at home. I calmed myself first before going to the funeral parlor to be with my friend. As soon as I saw my friend I gave her a hug and cried buckets again as she told me the story of what happened to the sudden death of Alex. I cried again when I saw my friend's husband arrive at the funeral parlor as they both look at the remains of Alex. I can feel the pain of the parents, losing their firstborn to an accident.

When I got home that night, I cried again. I so loved that child, that I treated her like my own daughter. We did a lot of bonding moments with my son. It's so painful to see her die at a young age.

I went back to the funeral parlor the next day and on the interment day. For three days I drove from Cainta to Novaliches for Alex. I sacrificed work hours for her. That's how special she is to me.

I was able to see resilience from my friend for the whole duration of the wake. She was still okay during the necrological mass and during the funeral march. She was still composed when the PVC cover was opened to put on some of Alex' favorite things at the cemetery. The grandparents were the ones who were crying the most then. But I saw my friend poured out her anguish and pain when the coffin is being lowered on the ground. I can feel her pain as a mother. I cried with my friend from a distance. I gave her the space she needed to hug her husband while Alex is being laid to her final resting place. She cried until all the tears from her eyes were gone. That's the first time I saw my friend's weak side.

That's it. We would no longer see Alex. So sad, so painful, gone too soon.

As of this writing, my friend and I chat on Facebook only for few minutes. We don't talk about Alex because I know it's very painful for her and for the whole family at the moment. I know that time will come that she will be ready to move forward and live a life without Alex.

The death of Alex is not only painful to my friend, but to her husband also.

Sometimes, during this kind of situation, couples need to undergo therapy so that they would be able to move forward from the loss. There are instances that couples blame each other as to who is at fault so to avoid further harm in the relationship, it is advised that couples undergo therapy. Regain.us can help couples sort out their feelings about the loss. Please find their services on this link: https://www.regain.us/advice/marriage/confidentiality-should-i-seek-marriage-counseling-near-me/.

Friend, I am always here for you. You can cry on my shoulders. I will also cry with you. You are always in my prayers.

Love you friend :)

For Alex, you will always be remembered. We love you so much. We know you're now in a happy place. Please look over your parents and younger sister. This song is for you my dear:

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Christmas

Shop Online This Holiday Season Via Shopee

By Mommy Donna and Kib - November 28, 2016

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On Raising A Perfect Child

By Mommy Donna and Kib - November 24, 2016

FACT: Nobody's perfect.
BITTER TRUTH: When someone points out our imperfections, while it is constructive, we will still be affected by it.

We all know that it is hard to be a parent. In my case, it's twice the difficulty because I have to discipline my child both as a mom and a dad. To be honest, there are times that I break down because I am the only one who absorbs all life's difficulties and I pray to God that He gives me a partner so that there would be someone whom I can rely on to when life is getting tough and that there will be someone who can help me in solving problems that I face in daily situations.

Parents have this desire to raise a 'perfect' child, a child that they can be really proud of in all aspects--academically, socially, physically, etc. Parents expose their children to all avenues to fully develop their potential and to be perfect in the eyes of everybody.

But is there such thing as 'perfect' child?

Well, all of us already know the answer to this question.

Sometimes, we feel disheartened when we hear some negative comments about our child. We have a tendency to think if we lack on disciplining our child. Worse, we feel awful about ourselves that we feel we are a bad parent because people have pointed out our child's misbehavior. On the other hand, some parents think otherwise; they are in defense of their child's behavior, not accepting the fact that their child behaves differently when he/she is with others, and take it as a form of character assassination to discredit their child.

Kib is a very confident and assertive child, but his behavior can sometimes go way beyond the normal. Some people may no longer tolerate his behavior because he is already a pre-teener.

I recently heard a comment about Kib's behavior. While I appreciate that comment because I also needed validation from others on how Kib behaves on social situations, it also made me think about my parenting skills. It made me think about myself if I am lacking focus on my child because I'm too busy with other things. I even thought if Kib has special condition (ADHD) because he is so malikot and uncontrollable.

I had this pep talk with my son about his behavior. What is good about Kib is that when he knows he is at fault, he will say sorry to the offended party. I told him to apologize and he immediately did that. He was also reminded by the person not to do it anymore.

While on the car, I further talked about his behavior towards others. I reminded him to always observe proper decorum when we're on a different place and he has to be always courteous when talking with other people. I was so upset at the situation that I asked him if I'm a bad parent. I know he felt bad about the comment too, but I just reminded him to be refined in his actions because he is already big and he can already understand things.

I also confirmed with my friends about my feelings on parenting Kib. One friend assured me that what I'm feeling is normal, that there are times that we think we lack discipline to our children when other people made a remark about our child's behavior. Another friend also reminded me that as parents we can only do so much in disciplining our child. One more friend just simply reminded me not to dwell so much about the comment, because she sensed that I was really bothered about it.

While doing some reflection about this, I was also reminded by this verse: "Train up a child in a way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6) It is a reminder for me that it's still not too late to instill the values I want my son to have so that he will grow up to be a fine young man.

Haaayyy!!!! It's really hard to be a parent. I don't regret being a mom to my son, but the challenges of raising a fine individual can be really tough and testing my patience and tolerance in daily living can bring a lot of stress to me.

I know the Lord is with me to help me raise a God-fearing child. While I may not raise a perfect son, I know that I can raise a God-fearing child.

Lord, please help me to be a better parent to my son, Amen.

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business

Katsa Co.: Me, An Entrepreneur in the Making

By Mommy Donna and Kib - November 09, 2016

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giftedness

Develop Your Child's Talent and Nuture His/Her Gift/s to Excellence!

By Mommy Donna and Kib - November 07, 2016

All parents want the best for their children, including me. We support them in all the things that they want to do to be able to find their niche and be good--if not the best--at it. We want our children to excel and shine in their chosen endeavor. We want them to succeed in life. We want them to grow full of confidence to face whatever challenges that they will face later on in life.

On the recent talk conducted by Wyeth Philippines that I attended about child development, I just found out that there is the best time in our child's life in optimizing their innate skills. All I thought is that one's talents can be honed at any age and any given opportunity. Dr. Joselyn Eusebio, a developmental-behavioral pediatrician, said that the crucial window of talent development presents itself only at a child's critical age of learning, which happens during a child's 1st 6 years of life. "This is the optimum time for parents to help their child stimulate his or her brain to pave way for better development. Aside from proper nutrition and a stimulating environment, parental support is imperative at this stage," added Dr. Eusebio.

Dr. Joselyn Eusebio explaining more about the 'window of opportunity' to the audience

I would really agree that parental support is much needed to develop our child's potential. Parents should be their child's number 1 fan and supporter. Parents should encourage their children not to give up on their dreams. Parents should be the one to motivate their children whenever they feel discouraged and when failure comes along the way. Parents should be positive in letting their child know that there is a bright future ahead of him/her.

To further emphasize the importance of parents' role during the child's developing stage (0-6 years old), Didi Manahan M.S. Ed., directress of Keys Scholl Manila and Explorations Preschool said that a child can grow or develop a talent through possessing life skills, and acquiring this set of skills entails thorough guidance and strong support from parents and teachers. "It is vital that parents respond to their child's areas of interest, strength and need, to ensure the child's success," said Ms. Manahan.

Ms. Didi Manahan explaining on how parents can help in developing their child's potential

We have been seeing child prodigies on TV and we can still remember some of them, like Shaira Luna, James Flores, and Kiko Galura. Promil Pre-School has been the parents' partner in helping their children achieve their potential by providing them with the unique combination of brain and body building nutrients which help support learning during the crucial window of talent development for more than twenty years now.

I-Shine Talent Camp has been the avenue created by Promil Pre-School to help parents hone their child's talents to their maximum potential. Now on its fifth year, I-Shine Talent Camp has been continuing to enable parents to develop, celebrate, and support their child's talents while inspiring other parents to do the same.

Former I-Shiners together with their parents, sharing their experiences in I-Shine and how I-Shine has helped in developing their child's potential

I-Shine Talent Camp is open to kids 3-6 years old and has three camps--the Stage Camp to be mentored by Georcelle Dapat-Sy of G-Force and Rico Blanco, the Music Camp to be mentored by Ryan Cayabyab, and the Art Camp to be mentored by Robert Alejandro. I-Shine Talent Camp Season 5 is offering bigger and better activities, allowing the chosen participants to gain more opportunities to celebrate, develop, and showcase, their exceptional talent, helping them to be at their best.

The mentors of the I-Shine Talent Camp Season 5 together with the event host Ms. Rica Peralejo-Bonifacio

Want to join your kid to this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I-Shine Talent Camp Season 5 is now accepting entries all over the Philippines! You can submit your application online! Just visit www.ishine.com.ph on how you can submit your child's video showcasing his/her exceptional talent. It's good that parents can now submit their applications online, not unlike before that parents have to line up for hours to have their child's moment to show their talent in front of the casters.

Who knows? Your child can be the next child prodigy of the Philippines!