Growing up with Bea: March 2010

Try Not to Get Mad in a Child's Presence

Last night, I got really mad at our nanny. She did something that’s extremely disappointing. Anyway, it was already late and my daughter is already sleeping. I was so mad that I sat on the bed ranting at my husband about the incident. I kept at it for almost an hour. Poor sleepy hubby, but almost 10 years of married life has taught him that asking an upset, riled up woman to stop talking is like having a death wish. I didn’t even notice that I woke my daughter up. I’m not even sure if she opened her eyes but I’m sure she didn’t stir, because I would’ve stopped talking (or at least lowered the volume of my voice by a few decibels). I really thought that she was in deep slumber. I was so surprised when Bea woke up this morning and the first thing she asked me was “Mommy bakit ka nagagalit kagabi?” (Mommy why were you angry last night?”)

Note to self: Just because a child is sleeping, it doesn’t mean she can’t absorb the feelings and words surrounding her, good or bad. Try not to get mad in her presence, she is like a sponge whether she’s awake or asleep.

I Found Free Wordpress Themes for my Friends.

I recently changed my blogs’ templates. It has been a while since I redecorated my blog. I just wanted something new. I had a hard time looking for free blog templates that suited my taste and reflected my personality. Finally I found just what I was looking for and now my blogs look great, like this one, it's pink and pretty, something both kids and mothers would surely like. Perfect since this is a parenting blog.

While searching the net, I also found a site that has free wordpress blog templates. They feature a lot of good designs of various themes and colors that will surely suit even the most picky wordpress blogger out there. I'll definitely recommend this site to friends. I'm sure they'll be wasting no time in downloading these templates.

Taking Public Transportation with my Daughter

Ever since Bea was a baby, we’ve had a car or van to ride in so getting from one point to another wasn’t a problem for us. But I feel that as a parent, it is my resposibility to expose her to new things. So I thought as part of Bea’s education, she should experience taking public transportation too, so she won’t feel left out when friends and classmates talk about riding the pedicab or the jeepney.

So far, we’ve ridden the jeepney to buy milk at the nearby Mercury Drug Store and we’ve ridden the pedicab from the corner of our village to our house. We’ve also ridden the taxi and FX several times already. We rode the MRT once from Cubao Station to Ayala Station and then back again to Cubao Station. She enjoyed this immensely! We flew on an airplane to and from Cebu and we rode a ferry boat to Bohol and back. There are only two other public transportations we’ve yet ride: the tricycle and the bus.

Hubby warned Bea that she will never ever ever be allowed to ride a motorcycle. She must have deduced that motorcycles are dangerous, so she’s not that keen on riding the motorcycle’s cousin, the tricycle. But whenever she sees a bus, she gets all excited. She keeps on asking me when we’ll ride one. Hopefully, we’ll get a chance soon.

From Toddler School to Big School for Bea

Last Saturday, Bea and I went to the nearby school for her interview. We decided to transfer Bea from a toddler school to a “big” school.

Initially Bea didn’t want to leave her old school. She said her old teachers will cry if she leaves. I told her she has a lot of things to look forward to in the big school: new friends, bigger classroom, new toys, but she just won’t be swayed. She still maintains she prefers her old school. That is until I said the magic word “computer”. In her new school they will be teaching the kids basic lessons about the computer. This got her really excited! “Ater!” (computer!)

Now she is excited and really looks forward to the opening of classes. She is excited at the thought that like mommy, she’ll get to tinker with computers!

A Wedding To Remember

When my cousin and his girlfriend announced that they will be getting married last December, we were all very excited. It has been a while since we had a wedding in our family. Actually it was almost 10 years ago, and it was our wedding. And we were doubly excited when my cousin asked the little girl to be part of the entourage. She was chosen as a flower girl. When my cousin asked for the little girl’s full name so that it can be placed on their wedding invitations, I happily obliged. They planned on giving away those save the date cards too, but I guess the preparation time was just too short, so they just had the printers print the wedding invitations right away.

After a few weeks, we met them again for the little one’s fitting. Except for some minor length adjustments, her gown was perfect. It was gold with lace trimmings, and it reached up to the floor. The little girl looked just so grown up wearing it!

When we got wedding invitations, I excitedly looked for my daughter’s name. When I found it perfectly embossed with golden ink, I just felt so proud! Even though the little girl can’t read yet, I could tell that she’s excited too; she just won’t let the darn invitation go!

This wedding will surely be an occasion that will be remembered by our family for a very long time.

This post is sponsored by Hello Lucky

How to Treat and Prevent Head Lice in Children this Summer

Having head lice may seem to be a simple problem, yet it is an excruciatingly irritating and embarrassing experience. When I was young, I remember being reprimanded by my mother for vigorously scratching my hair in the most inappropriate places like churches and restaurants. I couldn’t help it. My head felt so ITCHY! Bea also had a bout with head lice when she was almost two years old. She was so irritable especially at night. I felt so sorry for her, but it didn’t end there. Since we slept in the same bed, the little creatures felt it was perfectly fine to venture to the nearby head, MINE! Argh!

Head lice are something that is often associated with summer. For children, the joy of summer vacation will not be complete without spending hours playing under the sun. And the humidity, sweat, prolonged exposure to the sun and other sweaty, not-sure-if-they-take-a-bath playmates increases your child’s risk of getting head lice.

Photohunt: Spiral

This is the metal spiral plant holder found in our garden. This actually my parents' garden, sadly my sister and i didn't inherit their green thumb. My participation in the garden is limited to being asked by my mom to carry the pots from one side of the garden to the other side. This bonding moment with my mom will eventually end up with shrieks coming from me... by then i would've seen garden "friends" like a frog or an earthworm.

Oh well. So what if i can't cultivate and grow a garden. I can still admire its simple beauty and feel relaxed. Incidentally, gardening is one of the favorite hobbies of moms out there.

I'm hoping the green thumb thing just skipped a generation. I'm hoping maybe the little girl still has the gift. =) I'm crossing my fingers!

Department of Health Warns of a Measles Outbreak

Last February, the Department of Health announced that there were almost 700 cases of

measles documented in less than two months. This prompted them to declare an outbreak in six areas, namely: Baseco Compound and Moriones in Tondo, Manila; Barangay Pulang Lupa in Las Piñas City; Central Market in Dasmariñas, Cavite; San Francisco town in Quezon province; and Balabagan town in Lanao del Sur. This is a scary statistic, especially for moms like me. The thought of my child suffering from such a notorious disease is simply unbearable!That's why i really made sure my Bea received her childhood vaccinations against Measles.

What is this diease? Measles is a highly contagious viral disease, which affects mostly children. It is transmitted via droplets from the nose, mouth or throat of infected persons.

Flower Girl: The Preparation

When Bea was told that she was going to be a flower girl at ninong’s wedding, she was so excited, even though she didn’t exactly understand what that means. She even told her teacher and classmates about it, and they were very happy for her too!

We told her what she was supposed to do: walk along the aisle slowly while throwing flower petals paving the way for the bride. We practiced THE WALK. We reminded her again and again that her pacing should be slow, but sometime’s she’d forget and break into a hop/run, then we’d have to remind her again.

Bea was asked by her godfather to be a flower girl at his wedding. Everyone in our family is of course super happy! hehehe... Here's a pic taken while she was having her fitting... cutie huh?
I'm so proud and happy for her, i never had the chance to be a flower girl, or a bridesmaid. The only participation I've ever had in a wedding was being a bride. =)

I'm sure everything will go well on the day itself...