Wanted: MASI for Turning 1

     My favorite nephew #3 turned one this week and my whole family was only too excited to celebrate this. My sister. Ava planned a super fun party. I am beginning to miss kiddie parties since my kids are both teenagers now and it has been ages. There was a time I couldn't get myself to go anymore as we had one almost every weekend and I had nursery rhymes and spaghetti coming out of my ears. I never thought I would actually miss them. Anyhoo, we all had a grand time. Masi, short for Tomas Mari is the youngest member of our family, everyone's baby. 

      My sister was so patient making and sewing little, loving details for the party. With the help of her stylist, it came out so cute. I, on the other hand cannot sew for the life of me.

   There is Masi with my brother and Masi with my sister with photo bomber, Blue. I know I am the best looking in my family. haha!

     While kids were playing games, the grownups feasted on the food carts of Happy Umpauco. Yummy! Love the corn dogs!

  That is my Ate Poten. Ilang balik ka na?

     Overgrown kids trying the carnival booth games....Talo, so pose nalang with Lolo Frankie!

     Titos and Kuyas were not exempted from the games....

  Party in full swing!

   .....  And on the sidelines so much family fun and bonding!

  My sister's beautiful family!

       My favorite cowgirls were my nieces, Sophia and Samara. Sophia was so cute in purple! Adorable Samara, on the other hand followed a different peg...

     The dessert buffet was done by my talented niece, Bianca Huab of OhGoodies! Look how adorbs!

 
     That's Bianca with my folks and boyfriend.

     Kids went home happy with a bandana loot bag filled with toys and candy and their own stick horse.

 

     On this note, let's usher in the Christmas holidays. Waaaaah!!! Pasko na! (It's Christmas!) Allow my family to be the first to greet you....

Merry, Merry from the Puruntongs!!!!

La Pomme

     For those of you who frequent the Power Plant Mall in Rockwell (Makati, Manila) this looks like a familiar site. May I brag that La Pomme is owned by my friend and former Real Living boss, Apol Lejano-Massebieau. According to Apol she is  a writer, crafter, gardener, lover, and fighter, but not a candlestick-maker. Sorry, Apol if the descrption is too familiar got carried away with copy-pasting since Massebieau. Haha! But yes, she is all that and more. Apol is funny, witty and has such a warm personality.

     When my kids were in their early childhood, I, as a parent practiced Waldorf principles. Part of being a Waldorf parent was going back to basics. NO TV, video games and all their toys were handmade and of natural materials. Yes, they even played with stones, sand, shells, twigs. No plastic toys! My kids used to go to Kultura (handicrafts store) and say, "Look, Mommy so many toys. " haha! Waldorf parenting also involved making toys for your children. This means sewing and sometimes carpentry. Both tasks I was and still am a ding-dong on. So I ended up asking my co-Waldorf moms or teachers to make for my kids. Waldorf parenting principles teaches making toys is an expression of love for your kids. If my kids were still little, I would not mind them playing with Apol's handmade toys because I know they are all made with love too. In fact I would be jumping up and down now. Yey, I won't sew! 
 

  The cupcakes are my favorites! Look at how adorable they are!

There are also playsets. Look!

    

 Plush animals!

      La Pomme also has scented items which you can place in a room and your closets imported from France. I have some of these in our halfway home and it really keeps the place smelling fresh even if we have not visited for a while. Hmmm!

     You can also visit the La Pomme online shop here

     Christmas is just around the corner as they say, give your little friends unique handmade gifts sans the iPad and Xbos and allow them to have fun, imagine and discover with La Pomme!

 Sigh! Too cute!

Mommy Matters: Lessons Learned

      A friend of mine, let's call her Mommy Matters is not an over-acting, over-protective mother to her son and daughter. No, she is not. She told me about an incident though that has deeply wounded her as a mother.

     Several months ago, her kids were invited to participate in a big school production of her high school class homecoming. Her kids both play the violin. The piece was simple enough and her kids were ready even before the first rehearsal. They were to play with other kids of her classmates. For some reason only one more kid and Mommy Matters' kids could get the piece. Anyway, pressure was building as show date neared and a classmate of Mommy Matters, Wendy who had so willingly given her time to the production was at the helm of the kids' little number as well and all of a sudden picking on Mommy Matters kids during practice. Why pick on them when they knew the piece already? She even went to the point of insulting Mommy Matters' daughter in front of the other kids.

     When Mommy Matters got home from rehearsals that night her kids who went home earlier were fast asleep. She found out from her husband that the kids came home very upset; the boy wanted to punch someone and the girl was in tears over the badgering they got from Tita Wendy. She did mot know what to do nor want to do anything at that point. She just wanted to know the whole story and not react right away because in reality she was mad as hell.

     The next morning, she calls up her mom to tell her about it. When Mommy Matters heard her mom's voice over the phone, she started to cry. Mommy Matters' mom was furious. Her mom reminded her that this classmate of hers has never been the nicest person to her and she allowed her to treat her like that for the longest time. (she did mot give me why or details.) Her mom then told her this time to stand up for her kids. Wendy has gone too far.

     So my friend informed the head of their homecoming production that her kids were no longer participating. That very same day she goes to practice and of all people was welcomed with a hands up gesture from Wendy saying, " I was kind. I swear I was kind." No apologies, a denial even.

     Before that Mommy Matters tried to approach their other classmates who were leading the production actually just to reach out and for her kids to be understood. She was surprised when she got reactions like 'it was just nerves' and ' No, Wendy did not do that.' Meaning her kids were liars?

     Mommy Matters danced her heart out at her homecoming production. She almost didn't show up at all. At the end of the show when everyone was elated, happy and in tears, my friend was also in tears. She cried her heart out for her kids and her family who had to be hurt by all this.  She cried for how touched she was with the love she felt from her closest peers of 25 or so years who were happy, mad and sad with her at that one crazy same time.

     She stood up for her kids. Was that bad? She showed them not to let people get away with treating them the wrong way. Is that wrong? At the same time her kids learned that grown-ups can be so wrong and lie sometimes. That is the real world for them, right? My friend learned more deeply who her true friends are, those who cared and believed her young children's story, who listened to her, fought with her cried with her. Such a gift.

     Many lessons learned indeed. Even in our forties, people around us can still change because people change. Sometimes we need to let go. My friend decided to shy away from anything of her high school class for now.

     My friend is a lot of things like an alumna of her beloved Alma Matter but at that very time when her kids needed her most, she had to be the best mother she could be.
 
     Every opportunity to teach a valuable lesson to our children is God teaching you to do so and we, as parents need to grab it. Every opportunity God shields us from those that have been hurting us, God is saying. enough.

     As for forgiveness? We did not talk about that. I know she has but not forgetting is not 'not forgetting' rather a decision to just stay away. 

    

Learning from Learning Petals: 40 Tips for a Happy Healthy Life

     I wish to thank my friend Marilen for always sharing so much wisdom on facebook. Because of her I discovered Learning Petals. Learning Petals offers parents inspiration and ideas that can be used day to day. The following is a recent post and is quite a list but they all make perfect sense. =-) Some you have probably read somewhere but still it is good to be reminded of them from time to time.

     Hope you are all enjoying your week!

Taken in a garden in Alicante, Spain. 2012

40 Tips for Happy Health Life

Health:
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants, and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
4. Live with the 3 E’s — Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
5. Make time for prayer and reflection
6. Play more games.
7. Read more books than you did in 2012.
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
9. Sleep for 7 hours.


Personality:
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk every day —- and while you walk, smile.
11. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don’t have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don’t over do; keep your limits.
14. Don’t take yourself so seriously; no one else does.
15. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake.
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
18. Forget issues of the past. Don’t remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don’t hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.


Community:
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything.
28. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your family and friends will. Stay in touch.


Life:
32. Do the right things.
33. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. Forgiveness heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come.
38. When you awake alive in the morning, don’t take it for granted – embrace life.
39. Your inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

Last but not least:
40. Enjoy LIFE!