My daughter will be off to boarding school on Sunday.  It was a last minute decision although I have wanted her to go to boarding school, but i just can’t afford it financially.  But days ago, my prayers were answered.  God send means through someone.  It was an overwhelming moment when i read the offer and of course i have to accept it.  I know it’s not for my own good but it’s for my girl.

Although there is one thing that is really bothering me now.  Her face.   It’s not as soft and as fair as before she entered puberty.  The situation now is like she needs several sessions of acne treatment although am not yet sure which clinic would be best for her. I will give her some months to adjust to the new place. She will be staying in a building that is very very old and her reaction to the dust this morning was very uncomfortable. So i told her to take time to adjust and if it’s really going to bother her healthwise then we will try to find other means of accommodation.

~~ latest photo of my gurl ~~

This is a very stale post.  Oppss not a post but a late sharing of experience.  I should have done this the day after the outing but there were other things on the top list that writing about the mommy and daughter bonding was put aside.

I should have entitled this post: Lakwatsa sa Kitkai but as other PU2B bloggers know, non-english posts are not allowed in blogs that work for PU2B.

One week ago – May 25, Tuesday, Dimple and I had the chance to go to Cagayan de Oro just for fun.  I took a day’s leave from work just for the reason of going out with her and at the same time sending off my boss and his wife to the airport.  After dropping them off at the airport at 9:30 am, we are all left to ourselves with a vehicle and of course with a driver.

I asked Dimple where she wants to go.  I gave her two places – SM or Kit Kai Complex and she chose the later.  So from 10 am until the time we went home at 3 pm, we were at Kitkai.

Now, i want to let the photos do the talking.  I am just too overwhelmed with something today so i can’t think much on what to blah:

~~our first stop~~
We had breakfast here.

~~ the girl and our food ~~
She’s not yet in picture mood

~~Our 2nd stop – South Philippine Union Conference ~~
The boss had some transaction inside.

The driver drives so comfortably for the boss wife that it took us 2 hours to travel from Iligan to the center of Cagayan de Oro.  It was a drag but we still had time so the boss did not complain.

~~Ma’am Betty at then entrance of the Hope Channel Building ~~

The boss wife was in the mood for picture taking which i also like, so this is one of her poses. 
The signage color and style is eye catching.

~~Real Japanese for Lunch ~~

It took us awhile to decide where to eat lunch.  After two hours of going from one end to the other in the Kit Kai complex, we become hungry.  I was craving for korean food while Dimple wanted Japanese because she’s crazy with Japanese anime stuff .  I asked her if she knew of any Jap resto in KitKai as she had the time to go out with her another “anime-crazy” bestfriend one time and she told me of this – Rai Rai Ken.  I saw one Korean  restaurant near Gaisano Mall but it was too hot to out – so we both decided that Rai Rai Ken will satisfy our cravings.

~~This is one of our orders – one that i want go back for~~

She settled for a lunch box serving while i had the beef bowl (beef with fresh egg and fried vege at the side)

After lunch, i told her that we need an hour or more to go leisurely walk around to relax our stomachs.  She was looking for this anime stuff and i was also looking out for stuff with “for sale” signs.  I also want to find the exit because i wanna see the view below and also i wanna take some sky shots.

~~ I love to see these greens in the 2nd floor ~~

~~ candid shot of the girl while talking to someone on her phone~~

~~This is a place i promised her that we are going to eat here one day ~~

My girl was in high spirits.  I cooperated with her on the things she wanna do like hopping from one book store to another and an hour before going home, we really need to find the shop where she can buy those black stuff she and her classmates are crazy about (i can’t relate) lol!  She was in good mood but not in the mood for mommy-daughter photos.  But then, she allowed me to take one because  she said, “I was very cooperative and i took time to go around with her. “

And this is the priced shot:

Not a great shot i know but i love it because it’s her and me.

I am a sucker of sky views so let me share this sky shot taken at the Bulua Terminal.  We passed by there to pick some Dunkin donuts for Cloyd’s neices and nephew:

All photos are by sunshinelene

I love potlucks!  I love to see the people getting food to their plates. I love to see long lines with people with different facial expressions.  On my part, i now love preparing the food for potlucks.  I feel lucky to have a boss who loves to cook and really knows how to cook.

Last Saturday, after the Baccalaureate Program of the kids, the seniors with their parents also had a potluck.  There was so much food for everyone.  But i saw that not all kids were present.  There were also parents who were not around but their kids were there.

I think everyone had fun.  I had fun, too. I didn’t eat rice. I just had some fruits but took backed spaghetti for carbs and protein. What i love in that particular potluck was, there was no server.  You can just fall in line, pick the food you want as much you want – then eat!

Everyone’s digging in! You can see them. Right?  I can see my girl getting her food.

While others were busy getting food at the start of the table, the others were also busy getting their share of desserts.  Others just had desserts because they are on a diet.  I was on a diet so i ate fruits first.  I don’t like to take diet pills and experience diet pill side effects.  The bounce effect is not good especially for those who easily get depressed. I was already there so i can say.

After the fruits, i had bake spag, and fruits again.  When i was about to finish my meal, someone gave me some grilled chicken, so i ate a bit.  When i arrived home in the evening, i took some anti histamine pill.

How about you?  Do you do potlucks in your church? How often do you have potlucks in  a year?  I love potlucks that i even thought, when i get married, the reception will be a potluck. lol!

One of the reasons i was out online for the weekend was Dimple’s graduation from the Elementary. Friday night was their Consecration Program then Saturday morning was their Baccalaureate Service, Tribute to parents in the afternoon and Sunday morning was the Commencement Program.

I can really say that she did graduate with flying colors. I was one proud momma yesterday morning.

Let me share some of her pics:

Graduating Class Photo.

Can you spot her?

From left to right -

Upper left is a candid shot with their Consecration SErvice speaker – Pastor Algier Ravelo.
Upper right is a pose with a cousin and a children’s choir – mate.
Lower left is a shot with the Baccalaureate speaker and the their principal
Lower right a candid shot with her classmates. (PJ and Lexie)

More more pics related to her graduation will be posted in the coming days. Di na kaya sa akong powers.  It’s so late now and am still in the office. I worked til i finished printing the last certificate of recognition.  Am glad am done.  Tomorrow again!

Her awards are:

Gold Medal for School Academics
Gold Medal for SPUC Achievement Test
Gold Medal for Consistency (GPA not lower than 90% since  first grade)
Mayor’s Excellence Award.

She makes me smile proudly again. (grinning)

Friday was “getting of cards” day and  the teacher told me that she saw her grades ahead of me and that she was so happy and excited.  When i checked it out, i discovered that all her grades have increased several places except for her English subject.

The subjects are as follows:

• Bible – 94 – 98
• English – 95 – 95
• Filipino – 96 – 97
• Mathematics – 96 – 97
• Science and Health – 94 – 97
• Heograpia – 95 – 96
• MSEP – 93 – 95
• EPP – 90 – 93
• GMRC – 90 – 93

She was happy herself because for the past years instead of increasing, her grades goes 1 step down and that will go on until the last grading.  Seeing the difference now, i told her that i hope she will increase it by the third grading. If not increase,  at least maintain the current grade.

I fed her all that as a treat for her good work daw. lol! I was salivating watching her eat.  I was on a diet ya know so i was just watching.  hahaha (just kidding)

Most of the times, people at home stay up late until the last teleserye on TV is aired.  But during weekends the programs are different.  Since my daughter was killing her time on TV – i told her that we do her laundry together.  She does the soaping and i do the rinsing.  AT 11 pm that evening, with the water flowing much and freely, i asked her that we do the laundry together.  And we did!  It was fun.  We finished her laundry around 2 am.  I was too tired to get up at 5 am to play badminton yet i have a satisfying feeling in my heart.  Maybe i will do it again in the coming weeks.    For Dimple, she had the luxury of sleeping until 8 am.

A sharing of photos right out of the camera.  No alteration color and hues.

I wish they gonna stay small forever.  My baby is now almost a lady but will always be a baby in my heart.

I did not have any exciting weekend photos for the past weeks.  My activities happens during the week and the week-end is mostly spent at home. But for the last 2 Sundays, i was at work since the Doctoral class started already.

The photo shared here is of my daughter.  The two photos were taken same place, same day, and i think almost same time. hehehe.  This was taken last Sunday when they went for an afternoon swim.  She loves swimming.  And she loves to stay endless hours in the beach.  If i enjoyed being at home inside my bedroom, that’s how much she enjoys the outdoors especially the beach or any swimming activity.   I am pretty sure she had really a lot of fun because when she arrives home, she sleeps so quick.

This is my sister feeling so mommy in this photo.  This is just one of the many pics we took yesterday.

I was getting ready for church when my sis called that they she and her baby are coming for a visit. She meant for me to be at home when they arrived so my church plans were canceled.  So that is my sis and her few-days off to be 1 month old baby Gab.  I ended being a nanny from 10 am until almost 7 pm. It was like a full time nanny coz my sis had the chance to get online to check her mails and roam around the friendster world.

Weekly Round-up

Sunday was full of activities.  It was the graduation day at my daughter’s school and i have to be there though she is not graduating because it was also the awarding ceremony.  I was one proud mommy that moment as she got 2 silver medals.  I feel she is a bit disappointed of one of the medals but she promised me that next year she hopes to have more medals and hopefully golds.   I am glad she realized that she was laxed in her studies.

After Sunday, I was looking forward to Monday because of the enrolment.  All was just easy not until Thursday when it was time to enroll the third year level and the second year.   I feel so proud feeling i the hang of working front line in an office in charge for enrollment.  I will forever remember this experience because i think it might be my only experience serving the students during enrolment time.  Last Thursday i discovered or was told that i will be moved back to the office where i came from because am still needed in that office.  Actually when i left, they never put a permanent replacement in there so for the past 2 months there were times when i have to work matters for the old office at the same time performing task for my current one.

Oh well, i feel some of my workmates are not yet used to my current post then soon they gonna find me sitting back at my desk at the Admin Office so i would understand their confused stare. lol

I feel it was a quick week for me…and am so thankful to God for so many blessings.

I hope everyone had  fabulous week!

LINKY LOVE TO THE FIRST COMMENTATOR:

Yen

NOVEMBER 7 -Do you celebrate anniversaries? How?  In all my relationships (i think except the man i married) anniversaries are special dates.  If time does can’t let us have a celebration, special greetings will do like anniv cards and maybe a candy or two will go along with it.   In my current LO, for our first 2 years, i was still in China, the anniversary is being celebrated with cakes and wine and pasta.  And i buy lots of flowers too and we celebrate it together – he inside the pc screen and me on the table, tasting the wine and eating some of the cakes.  I eat half of the cake and put away in the ref half of it and freeze them til he makes it to China.  Sadly he did not, so that frozen cake was thrown away from some months. lol!  Now that am back in my homeland and he is still out there, we just greet each other and when we have the chance to meet in real – we celebrate all the special dates in our relationship (pakyawan).

OCTOBER 31
If there’s one greatest gift that you ever received in your life, what is that?  My mom.  The mom i have.  She may not be perfect, but i am so proud and thankful that she is my mom or else i won’t be here blogging and answering this meme question and having children that calls me mommy because am “really” their mom.   

OCTOBER 24
Were you taught and trained to do the household chores at a very young age? If yes, would you implement the same to your children?  Yes, we were or I am.  Am the eldest i have to learn earlier that in my elementary years, i can be a doting mom to my siblings because my mom is a working mom. hehehe.  I can remember we have house-hold assignment list pasted in one of the corners of the kitchen that we have to do it before going to school in the morning and beofre eating dinner in the evening.  I thought that time i got a devil mom because she let us work hard while other kids in the neighborhood play and play.  But later at 14 when me and my sister were off to a boarding school and we have to cook our food, i did well.  I have to fed my sister for 4 years in boarding school and my bro for 2 years.   Would i implement to my children?  I do want to but my kid is now at a situation where almost everyone will do things for her, especially the grandma.  I even mused to myself how come my mom was not able to train my child well when it comes to household chores, when she had done her best when me myself and my siblings were still young.  oh well, i’d like to blame it on grandmahood. hehehe.  Dimple is still not good in washing clothes even her undies and socks.   She can’t arranged her clothes well nor fold them very well like i want to.  But for cooking rice, as long as she measures water and rice well, she goes along fine.  She can sweep the floor too.

OCTOBER 17
Do you practice a time-out corner way to discipline your kids?

 I have never tried that “time-out corner” as one of the ways in disciplining my kids because i’ve never seen my mom doing that to me and my siblings.   But the procedure i think is good and can be very effective especially in controlling tantrum behaviors.   I have known friends who make this time out corner and all they can say is that this is effective.