Looking Back: Wilson's Tagaytay Getaway

Since I have not blogged about soooo many events in the past year, let me catch up on some of them. To start, here's a short account of how my family (including my parents and sibs) had a super fun summer last 2014.


My side of the family rarely, as in verrrry rarely get to experience family vacays together. The last time was...ok, I don't even remember. That's how loooong ago it was. I am pretty sure we were still little kids then. So to have had this experience with them with my own little family is so precious. One for the books. History-making. :)

My Mom and Dad are not big on long trips, so they had me look for a place that's relaxing but is just a quick drive away. My default suggestion - Tagaytay. My mom wanted a place that's quiet, private, and the package should include food. Major tamad mode - she doesn't want to go out to roam around the lovely foodie destinations in the chilly city. Fine by me, since my family lives near Tagaytay anyway, we can easily just go back for a food trip. :)

Goal: Find a resort-style place that comes packaged with good food - hmmmmm......

I'm Baaaack!

Oh my oh my! I haven't blogged for soooooo long, I don't even know how to start 'writing for myself' again. I write for a living, and yet here I am, at a loss on how to get my groove back on working on my own blog.  Let me see... for starters, let's talk about the weather.

K's Summer Dance Workshop at DLA Molino

My little girl joined ballet classes at Lea De Castro last year, and enjoyed every minute of it. This summer, we originally planned to have her go back there for another round of ballet, but when we learned that her school was also offering summer dance classes, we opted for the latter. I enrolled K for all five dances that were open, which are Ballet, Hawaiian, Jazz, Belly Dancing, and Modern for a fee of 3000 pesos (recital expenses not included). According to the teachers, they have been doing it for years, and they can attest to how the little girls really come out of their 'shells' and shed of the shyness once they get onstage. 

The sessions were held in their audiovisual room (which was air conditioned, yey!) and was scheduled for two hours daily. Though I didn't have to worry about her getting bored anymore, I was afraid she might tire herself out (dancing for two hours, imagine), and not want to go back the next day.

Hello There Summer!

It's summer time again! Don't even have to stress that out because you can literally feel its presence now. I honestly do not want to leave the refreshing embrace of the cool water from our shower. Gusto ko nang tumira sa CR at maligo the entire day. I wish I can use the air conditioner 24/7 while this exasperating heat is around, but that would mean a crazy high electric bill. So, tiis-tiis muna sa electric fan.

So what are we doing this summer?

10 Tips On How To Keep The Kids Happy During Summer Season the Tipid Way

I miss my 'old school' anticipation of the summer season. Yung feeling ng isang estudyante na mapapahinga ng 2 1/2 months - that was pure excitement, if not definite relief.

Now that I'm a work-from-home mom, summer has become a 'must-fill-the-calendar-with-activities' kind of season. With K going to school in June, I want to pack her summer with things she can enjoy 'while it lasts' - stuff she wouldn't be able to do as much when she starts regular schooling.

I'm pretty sure moms all over the Philippine archipelago are also racking their brains for summer activities that their kids can enjoy. Here are some ideas I've gathered from the web, and some I just came up with out of personal innovation aka boredom (hehe).

Pre-Summer School Study Time with My Darling K

The school year is just around the corner - and we also plan to send my little K to summer school (overload na ba?) to prep her for what comes ahead. We did it last year, and she had loads of fun and learning, and we're pretty sure she'd enjoy it as much this year.

To rehash her skills and knowledge, I decided to give her 20-minute study sessions twice a week. We study the alphabet, phonics, do a little writing, painting, and other exercises. We had our first pre-summer session a week ago (we didn't have one this week since I had to attend to my father who was hospitalized), and our topic for the day was the Letter N and the number 1.

To complete the 'in-classroom' experience, I lined up some of her favorite stuffed toys to serve as her 'classmates', and her enthusiasm for our activity showed when she got her uniform (from when she went to daycare) to wear during our session.

I found that this kind of set-up was more enticing for K. Compared to the kind of arrangement we had before, where I was just mom giving her school work, K quite enjoyed the idea that she was going into an 'actual class' with classmates, a teacher, and in uniform. :)

She always forgets the letter N when we study the alphabet, so this was the first letter I decided to work on with her. I had her color, trace, and write the letter. And when I describe how N looks like, I say it like this standing line, slide down, climb up! and somehow, mas tumatatak sa memory nya. Pretty cool. I guess it's because that description gives the letter the element of fun, especially since she loves slides. Hehe.

I also taught her about the number 1, what it looks like, and what it means. She's got a good grasp of the concept of numbers so that wasn't too hard to explain to her. I also had her write her name on the 'worksheets' so she'd get used to doing that.

Summer classes start on April 15, and will be held four times a week. I still have two weeks for my one-on-one study sessions with K, and I plan to focus on other letters she's having a hard time with.

But of course, we also plan to enjoy the summer before she actually attends regular school, so I'm also plotting play scheds as well as swimming trips on our calendar. :)

Just another day in a WAHMmy's life. <3