March Surprise!

Hello World!

I’m back! After a 2-week hiatus, I know I wasn’t sorely missed, although I miss my bloggy friends and reading their hilarious posts very much.. The absence was due to a lot of things happening in the office and the home front and then the Holy Week.

Backtrack to March.

March is a happening month for me, 3 of my closest girl friends celebrates their birthdays on this month the 23rd, 24th and the 29th and my super step-mom on the 28th.

March also officially signals the start of summer and the graduation month.  Exciting!

So, of course Mikaela (Nursery-2) have consistently maintained being 3rd for the last 3 grading periods in her class. Yep! Consistent is the word. No improvements, just being consistent.  More than anything, I am happy that Mikaela is making friends and that her stubbornness is more directed to positive pursuits now.

The funny thing is, we weren’t really sure if she made it to the final honor roll until the last minute because, well, she is really flighty during study sessions.

So a few nights before the actual Recognition Day (March 30),  my live-in nanny Ate Cha told me,

Va, Kaela also got the Most Obedient award aside from being 3rd honor.

Me : *Incredulous* Are you sure Ate? Sure??

(Me thinking ) What is happening in this world? My stubborn first spawn, obedient?? This is either a joke, a heresy, a misinformation or a rumour. I really can’t quiet grasp the entire idea.

And surprisingly, she truly is! It’s probably Pitcher/Teacher Princess magic.

Thank you Teacher Princess and to all the graduates and the honor students, congratulations! And to the parents, too!

3rd honor and Most Obedient. Yeah, this kid.

 

Ms. Most Obedient and her Ma.

 

With her pretty Teacher Princess!

 

With KC and Arianne.

 

With the 2 Hellions!

 

Happy Parents!

Picture Tuesday : How To Make A Tree Using Clay (instructions for and by Dads/Pas)

This weekend Mikaela brought with her another “home delight” because obviously it aims to delight unsuspecting parents when they read about a kind of torture in the form of homework (every parent who agrees with me, raise your hand!), the teacher concocted for me and my dear husband to fight over and guaranteed sure  headache generator. (Okay, I may be exaggerating a bit, but sometimes it truly feels like torture, what? with a flighty 4 and a half-year old, it  can get quite nasty).

Home Delight!

Since I have “nada-zero” art-sy ability except singing, wait, does singing count? I’m glad dear husband is not in China, to save the day.

First, prepare and let the clay “breathe”. By breathing, you have to first let your two kids do their thing with the “to be used” white, green, light green, black and brown clay. Let your youngest daughter pinch the clay to bits and combine all the colors, so that later, you’ll have the damnedest of times trying to sort the colors out. This is justice served because you didn’t listen, when your wife told you to start doing the “delightful project” the moment you arrived home from buying said clay and bond paper (ONLY, oh the effort!).

Off to go buy clay. Taken by Mikaela, the focus is more or less like her focus on home works, blurred.

(Of which your dear beautiful wife have to have her blood pressure raised by stupid stupid and I mean the stupidest people on the courtesy booth line, who doesn’t know and understand how a simple wait for your turn concept works, at the stupid stupid store, which by the way, you will not be setting your feet ever again. )

Seriously ready.

Ayana Rhys doing her thing.

And while your two kids play,  busy yourself by watching a basketball/volleyball game.

The equally serious Pa on the background. Seriously watching a basketball game.

When the girls clear out, do your thing.  Separate the clay according to the color, start with the roots, work your way up to the trunk and the leaves. The branches are a bit tricky, make sure to precisely measure the amount of clay to use, not too thin and not too thick. Spread/flatten evenly, this takes time to perfect. Make sure you have a knife handy to sculpt off some excesses. (don’t worry, no kid, remember? no worries about the knife) Be very sure that the thing actually sticks to the bond paper.

No rolling-pin, used the glass instead.

It sticks alright.

Making sure it's flat as can be.

Doing it yourself is not only rational but logical. Forget this is your daughter’s homework, make the tree like it was for your own school project not for your preparatory school daughter. (As my friend Nami, says it, this is how we roll). Call your daughter when it’s done and let her write her name on top. Let her label the parts of the tree too!

Done. A tree made from clay but looks like it's a water-color painting.

Writing her name.

Named.

The parts of a tree.

Oh yeah, here’s the pre-schooler ready with her home delight. And YES, she’s still wearing leggings!

Ready. Pardon the hair, blame this on her Mom.

Picture Tuesday : Seashells on the sea shore

Day 2 : Finding and collecting sea shells on the seashore.

Picture Tuesday

A few weeks back, we bought these cute “play” guitars.

Cute "play" guitars.

 

And now when they watch Barbie’s “The Diamond Castle” movie, they scramble about as if their pants are on fire or in Mikaela’s case, leggings on fire, searching for their guitars.

 

Watching Alexa and Liana from the Diamond Castle movie.

 

 

Picture Tuesday : Of Crowns and Tiaras

Like Bridget of www.twinisms.com, I don’t have any inclination to do arts and crafts. But I do appreciate a good one but it pains me so to create one.

So that’s why I admire Tricia of www.crittersandcrayons.com, because she has the talent and I can only admire and read on her blog entries.

Case in point.

Mikaela : Ma, can you make me a crown? (Hands me the green play doh <– brand, it’s actually,  play dough/clay)

Here’s my creation. And as you can see, she’s plenty happy about it, don’t you think?

Her Ma's creation. I'd say, it's not bad. She'd say, is this a crown?

 

 

But look what my husband came up with.

 

Her Pa's creation. Look at her smile. It's not really much but the details are pretty neat.

 

 

So I concede.

 

At least there’s one “artistic” person in the house.

 

I have to ask Nami of www.namzola.blogspot.com, if her preschooler Samu can give me a crash course on art designs and creations.