some polka dots i spotted...

It's been raining on and off this past month. But I'm not ready for rain yet! I don't want the summer to end because I haven't been to the beach! 

Today, we're leaving for a weekend at my friend W's beach house. So I certainly hope it doesn't rain the next 4 days. I don't want any umbrellas being opened up... even if they are polka-dotted!

Photo from pinkwallpaper.

Click here for previous posts from the Some Polka Dots I Spotted... series.

Today, I am loving...

I'd never been to Marshalls, the designer discount store, before. But the first time I did, during our recent trip, I was quite charmed by their fitting room. It wasn't luxurious at all like the fitting room above. Didn't even notice if the lighting was flattering. Nor did they have the elite amenities like mood music selection or chocolate and champagne freebies in the fitting rooms.

But that day, I was loving... the useful O.C.-ness of the Marshalls fitting rooms.

You know how a lot of fitting rooms don't have enough hooks? Well, this one had a sort of grid-like grill where you could hang so many clothes all over and still see part of the dress so it's easy to choose which one you will try on.

Haha, color-blocking-obsessed much?

Then, once you've tried on your selection, you can hang it on any of these 3 hooks (all inside the fitting room): Is it a DEFINITELY?

Or a POSSIBLY?

Or a NO, but broken down to Marshalls gently?

Isn't it cool that you can organize the clothes you fit then and there? No need to flip through them as you go out of the fitting room to hand the rejects to the attendant!

Plus, here's what greeted me as I walked out of my fitting room stall...

Not a bad deal for your DEFINITELYs and possibly even your POSSIBLYs, right?

Today, I am loving... the organization tools in the Marshalls fitting rooms.

Photos are my own and from here.

Click here for previous posts from the Today, I Am Loving... series.

vacay high: cherry blossoms park

Over the next few months (too many photos, hard to sift through all!), I will be sharing some highlights of our recent vacation. This is the first of this mini-series: our trip to the Essex County Cherry Blossom Center.

I had never seen cherry blossoms before. My travel buddies and I were planning a trip to Japan 2 years ago but our work skeds conflicted with the uncertain cherry blossoms peak so we didn't get around to going. Little did I know I would witness their beauty during our trip to New Jersey.

Being surrounded by pink foliage was an incredibly pretty sight!

Quite surreal too that they will only be that way for a week or so and we were lucky enough to catch it! They hadn't completely peaked actually. See the buds that have not blossomed?

But it was breathtaking nevertheless.

Isabella gushed at how beautiful they were.

Noah, on the other hand, was busy climbing every single cherry blossom tree in the park.

I love how the branches cascaded downward so we had a lovely fort (which Noah calls a jail, hehe!) under the tree.

Such a pretty canopy, right?

There were also white cherry blossom trees...

... which the kids couldn't resist climbing.

And dark pink ones too.

But I much prefer the light pink ones.

Truly a captivating sight!

Photos are my own.

10 things my mom taught me

Inspired by one of my favorite blogs, A Cup of Jo, am sharing with you 10 things I learned from my mom. My mom taught me...

1. To be nice to people who wait on me. She taught me to thank waiters for refilling my water glass in restos, to thank the elevator operator before stepping out and to thank the gasoline boy (with a tip of course) when he puts air in my car's tires. Growing up, I remember being introduced to the janitors and messengers in all the offices my mom has worked in over the years. I guess this is why I also have a special place in my heart for the janitor, mailroom manang, canteen cashier & waiter at my old office. They were in my Christmas list every year and each year, I was extra generous with their gifts - spending more on them (and my favorite guards at Isabella and Noah's schools) than my boss or even my bestfriends at work. I always figured they'd appreciate it more than my friends anyway.

2. To love life's little luxuries like books, a cup of Illy coffee, massages, horses, art (I spent my first big bonus on paintings instead of a purse or watch like most people I know) and dining out in nice places (with good table manners which she taught us too).

3. To take notice of how a person spells his name and spell it correctly in my correspondence with him. I guess because my mom gave me a name that's hard to spell, I am more conscious of others' uniquely-spelled names and nicknames (does it end with a y, ie, i or ee?).

4. That family traditions are important. Ours include annual family vacations (even if you have to save up all year for it), a drive to see the Ayala city lights during the Christmas season and Sundays (as my mom always said, "Sunday is family day"). To this day, the memories of these moments when I was a kid remain so vivid in my head.

5. To believe in myself. She wore (or pretended to wear) her mommy-goggles all the time, showering me with praises and raising my self-esteem. She made me feel I was special, giving me confidence in my strengths & abilities.

6. That packaging makes a world of difference. She would make sure I submitted my home ec projects nicely-packaged -- she suggested I put actual pencils in my capiz pencil holder project or candies in my crocheted pouches, instead of just submitting flat pouches piled on top of each other. I even remember covering up a weaving mistake (a big hole, eeep) in my macrame rug project with a butterfly decoration (those made with stocking material and wire). She might have been the one that taught me to find delight in pretty things!

7. To never tire of playing or being playful, no matter how old you are. When my brother and I were kids, my mom made a sort of tag game out of getting us to drink our vitamins. I love my mom's sense of humor, even her mischievousness. When a noisy kid sitting near us in church suddenly turns quiet, I know pinandilatan siya ng mom ko (that my mom shot her a scary look).

8. To always have savings set aside. She kept all the monetary gifts from various relatives while I was growing up in a bank account and gave it to me when I entered college. I remember thinking it was an exorbitant amount of money for a kid my age. But I guess I felt the sense of responsibility to keep the money intact, not wasted on frivolous teenage whims. I saved a portion of my college allowance and kept that account growing. Eventually, I carried this over when I started working so until now, I make sure there is money set aside for a rainy day. And of course I also save my kids' monetary gifts to also bequeath to them when they go to college.

9. That my dad loves me and that he is a wonderful person. My dad left us when I was 5 years old and we've had no contact with him since then. But my mom made it a point to tell me stories about him and the times he spent with me. Without any trace of bitterness, she also made it a point to tell us good things about him: how he was a fantastic piano player (widow daw) and that he was highly-creative, even invented some sort of engine. So I grew up without any ill feelings toward him and I know in my heart that he loves me.

10. That motherhood is about self-sacrifice and forgiveness. There's this quote from T. Jordan: "A mother is a person who, seeing there are only 4 pieces of pie for 5 people, promptly announces she never did care for pie." This is how my mom is. She puts me and my brother first, sacrificing anything and everything for us. She is why I've always been bothered by those airline safety videos that say you need to put on your oxygen mask before helping your child. I know that's the safer thing to do, but knowing my mom, in an emergency, I am certain she will not do the safer thing. And she is like this even when we do despicable things, ready to forgive and put aside how much we've hurt her in favor of her characteristic concern for and devotion to us.

Mommy, I know I don't say it anymore these days, but you are amazing and I love you very, very much! Happy, happy Mother's Day!

What about you? What did your mom teach you?

Photos from sparklesandpretending, everythingfab, annnniegirl, i'mjustsaying and acupofjo.

P.S. No, my mom didn't teach me to wear rollers. I have no idea why I bookmarked so many photos with women with rollers! Oh and yes, that is Jackie O. And no, despite my mom's playfulness, she never spun me around like that, as I posted here.

Noah says...

Before sitting down at the dinnertable, I reminded Noah to wash his hands. He did obey me, but after washing his hands, as he sat down, he asked, "Why do I need to wash my hands before I eat with a spoon & fork? My hands won't touch my food naman."

Yet again, he's got a point, right?

Photo from annnniegirl.

Click here for previous posts from the Noah says... series.

Noah says...

This one time we were in Eastwood, Noah decided he wanted to go bowling. We hadn't planned to, so he didn't have socks on. Unfortunately, the Eastwood bowling lanes didn't have any socks for sale that day.

When we broke it to him - that he couldn't go bowling that day, he asked, "Why do I need to wear socks ba?" So we told him that many people use the rental shoes, that their sweaty feet will touch the shoes and that it will be icky if he wore shoes with sweat & stuff. I really thought that would be the end of it, but he persisted, "Eh if everyone wears socks, eh di nothing goes to the shoes." as if to say 'So it's okay for me not to wear socks!'

Once again, he's got a point, right?

Watch out for the next post from this Noah Says... series for yet another valid point from Noah.

Photo from lushlee.

Click here for Noah's previous valid point - the first of this mini-series where Noah makes really valid points. Click here for previous posts from the main Noah Says... series.

my pretend closet: L&S travel purse

Am still hung-over from our recent trip. And I realized I still haven't found the perfect travel purse. Over the years, I've experimented on my collection of purses - mostly the cross-body ones or the ones with handles long enough to hang from my shoulder. But none of them has proven to be the perfect travel purse. I brought my nylon Prada on our recent trip. It rained a couple of times so I was thankful for its water-resistant material. It was also lightweight and surprisingly roomy, allowing me to stuff 3 sets of hats, gloves & scarves, among my usual purse essentials. But searching for things inside it made me feel like a talent-less magician pulling out the oddest non-rabbit things from his hat. I must have unnecessarily panicked a million times, thinking my sunnies or camera was missing after wading through my bag's contents over and over. I did bring a bag organizer - used it during the flight to hold our passports, e-ticket, boarding passes, etc. But I felt it made my bag overly bulky that I took it out during our daily sight-seeing.

So I was ecstatic when I discovered the multiple compartments of the OG bag by Lo & Sons! It has a compartment for EVERYTHING!

Seriously. It has a padded pocket for a laptop, another padded pocket for a tablet, almost 10 other compartments (some zippered, some open)...

... including a pocket for shoes! Yes, shoes!

You can wear slip-on flats during the flight (so it's  easier to go through the x-ray inspection and more comfortable during the flight) then change into sneakers or oxfords with laces or heels when you land! I can also imagine packing a pair of heels in there while I go out & about during the day's sight-seeing then slip them on for dinner & drinks in the evening.

Watch this video of how you can pack all your carry-on essentials into the Lo & Sons OG bag.   

I also love the idea of the key leash! Is it obvious I dig through my purse often for my keys?

And what makes it the perfect purse for going through airports is its adjustable back panel that allows you to secure the bag over your trolley luggage's handle! 

And yes, its nylon material is water-resistant! No need to worry if it rains or if Shamu splashes water on you with his tail!

And despite the extreme functionality of this bag, it still looks stylish and chic! It isn't shown here but it also comes with a detachable messenger strap which I imagine will look effortlessly chic as the OG hangs from your shoulder and your arms can swing freely as you walk (vs. clipped like the leftmost photo below). 

I love that it's a structured bag. Slouchy bags just force you to dig through your purse to find your things (I talked about my Cole Haan crossbody here with several compartments that currently makes it the best-for-travel purse in my non-pretend closet. It is quite slouchy though so I still end up wading through the big compartments.). I also love how the OG's nylon material (and army green color) tone down the structured shape for casual travel days. 

Gosh, I so want to bring the army green one into my non-pretend closet, but sadly, it's still out of stock. The black one is in stock though and I am quite smitten with the lavender lining.

Plus, one of my fave blogs, http://homesuppliesset.blogspot.com/, is offering a 15% discount code in time for Mother's Day (you just need to have it shipped to a US address)!

But I really looove the army green version with the black leather trim (as you know from here, I am so drawn to this color but would prefer if the lining were pink as I posted here. Admittedly, the camel lining the army green OG actually comes with is pretty too)!

I've decided to sign up for the wait list for the slightly smaller OMG.

After all, I'm pretty tiny (5'1") and the OMG can also pack a whole lot of stuff!

Isn't it the perfect travel purse? 

Sadly, it has to stay in my pretend closet until it comes back in stock. Derek Lo of Lo & Sons did email that they "usually give a discount for those who are patient and wait". So for now, I will be patient and wait... :)

Photos from deliciouslyorganized and lo&sons.

Click here for previous posts from the My Pretend Closet series.   

Noah says...

I guess because Noah learned in school that Sunday is the start of the week, he had to ask, "Why is Sunday called a weekend? Why not weekstart?"

He's actually got a point, right? 

Watch out for the next few posts from this Noah Says... series - where Noah makes a few more valid points.

Photo from annnniegirl.

Click here for previous posts from the Noah Says... series.

Simple Trick: Traveling with the Fam

We're baaaaccckkk (our dog missed us so much!)! And from our 5-week vacay, I have gained a few tips & tricks for traveling with the family.

1. Before you fly out, make sure you have travel insurance. I got ACE insurance and their family rate is super affordable. Good thing we did coz 1 of our bags was missing when we landed in LA. It took our airline 3 days to deliver the bag. Also, Isabella contracted a severe eye infection that the doctor at the Urgent Care Clinic we went to strongly recommended we bring her to a children's hospital ER. The ER fee alone was over $700! Add to that the cost of antibiotics ($300) and the Urgent Care Clinic's fee ($300)! I also got sick and needed antibiotics so it was really a blessing that we were insured. Just make sure you are O.C. about keeping receipts and other documents to file a claim.

2. Prepare for filling out those Arrival/Departure Cards. Most likely, Mommy will have to fill up the immigration cards for the whole family. Flipping through passports is a hassle (especially for a mommy like me with motion sickness, filling out 4 cards on a tray table of a moving plane). So every time I travel with the fam, I bring my piece of paper with everyone's passport details. Include the passport number, date of issue and expiry (this is tricky coz countries write their dates differently - DDMMYY or MMDDYY, so you need to be alert when filling out this part.), place of issue (mostly Manila, but with the satellite DFAs cropping up these days, you might have an occasional NCR East if you got yours from DFA Megamall) and birthdates (assuming you don't know these by heart). Aside from passport details, I also note down our flight details (dates and flight numbers) and the address of the hotel or house we are staying in at our destination (you also need your PH address, assuming you don't know this by heart). Oh, and of course, bring a pen! If you have travel agency connections, try getting the immigration cards in advance so you don't need to fill them out in the plane or immigration line.

3. Choose the right luggage to bring. You already know from here how I feel about hard-case vs. soft-case top-open luggage (but maybe it's because I don't travel often enough to not need to fill my bags to the brim). You also already know from here that I noticed airport personnel in US domestic terminals are less strict with duffel bags vs. trolleys for carry-on. If you are taking a US domestic flight and are bringing a standard trolley bag as carry-on, make sure you don't fill it to the brim. When asked to check if your bag can fit in the airport's standard steel frame, make sure to slip your trolley in with the back of your bag facing you so it's easier to push the bag towards the back of the steel frame. The front of a trolley bag is typically softer so the front should contract for your trolley to fit into the frame. If your trolley is a standard-sized carry-on, it should fit even if eyeballing the frame makes you doubt it. And if you expect your child to pull one of your trolley bags, make sure you give him the 4-to-6-wheeled one because his shorter height will make it hard for him to lug around a 2-wheeled trolley.

4. Plan your itinerary well. You already know from here that you should avoid planning trips to theme parks during long holidays at your destination. I think Hurricane Sandy took away too many school days so Spring Break was different for every school this year. Thankfully, the crowd was manageable during our recent trip. 

But brace yourself if you're planning to move around a lot like we did: we visited a total of 7 states...

... and slept in a total of 10 houses/hotels. I felt like I was constantly packing (and unpacking) overnight bags for us! So try to make sure you spend more than 1 to 3 nights in every house/hotel. We went back to NYC from New Jersey 3 times in 2 weeks and commuting with a trolley bag wasn't fun at all. Had I planned our IT better, we could have spent one straight week in NYC rather than shuttling back and forth.

5. Organize how you pack your bags. If you're also going on both West and East Coast legs of a US trip, I think it's still a good idea to segregate West-only, East-only and cross-country or East-&-West items, as I posted here. That way, you don't even need to open your East Coast bag in the West, and vice-versa. But I don't recommend combining your family's stuff in 1 bag like I did. I put all our West-Coast only things in one bag. Since our clothes were mixed up in that one bag, I needed to lay out the kids' clothes for the day everyday myself. It wore me out and didn't teach them to be more independent. It would be ideal if each family member had his own 3 bags of East, West and cross-country things. But since airlines typically allow only 2 check-in baggages per person, I suggest putting each family member's say, West-only stuff in a laundry bag (or even plastic/sando bag). This way, the clothes are still segregated per person even if they are together in one luggage. As long as the laundry/plastic bags are tied up, no amount of tossing and shaking will mix up the contents. 

Oh, and here's a list of things that you need to take with you during every leg of your trip (if you're like us who slept in 10 houses/hotels, you need to remember to pack these items at every leg): electronics' chargers, toiletries, slippers and emergency medicines. Click here for more tips on things to pack (including a bag of toys/books to keep your little one occupied in the plane).

Helps to have a small digital weighing scale. I got mine from Rustan's years ago. It's basically a 6in x 2.5in oblong handle with a tiny digital display and a short strap with clasps that go around the handle of your bag. I cannot travel without it!

6. Make copies of essential documents and cards. Thankfully, this didn't happen to us. But it is best to be prepared in case your purse or wallet gets stolen. Best to scan everyone's passports, visas, credit cards and ATM cards before printing. The printed copy should be packed in a separate bag from where the originals are. And on the off-chance that both bags get lost or stolen, you can request someone from home to email the scanned copies to you. So create a shortcut to these soft files on your desktop too before you leave.

7. Decide on your in-flight attire. You have to decide what's more important to you: comfort or minimizing baggage space. You can opt to wear slip-ons (for when you need to take off your shoes at the x-ray area) and comfortable clothes. Or you can choose to wear your bulkiest items - thickest jacket, knee-high boots. It all comes down to what's more important to you.

8. Shop online a week before your trip. If you're with your kids, chances are there will be limited shopping opportunities. So best to shop online and have it shipped to your first address at your destination. When you arrive, fit what you need to fit and schedule a return/exchange for those that don't cut it. The best part is there's a goodie package to greet you when you arrive!

9. When going out and about at your cold destination, bring a giant eco bag in your purse. It comes in handy it gets hot (say, in museums with heaters or at the theme park at noon) because you can dump all your jackets, scarves, hats and gloves in it. That way, you don't need to stuff them in your purse and carry multiple jackets on your arm. I got my giant Pockets eco bag from the St. James Bazaar years ago. It's about 24in x 18in. The first time I saw it, I remember exclaiming, "What would you need such a big bag for?!". The young woman selling it answered, "You'd be surprised!" And she was right! I use it to lug Christmas gifts, to carry shopping loot from a major shopping spree, even groceries and beach toys or winter wear during family trips. I actually used it as a carry-on going home to Manila for my 5 dozens of Porto's cheese rolls and guava & cheese strudels. :)

To be honest, I am still exhausted from our trip... So I hope these tips help minimize the exhaustion and stress during your family vacay! 

Hope all you're left with are the memorable, fun-filled family moments! Enjoy your family vacation!

Photos of the kids at the World War II Memorial in DC (edited via pixlr) are my own. The other photos are from acupofjo, imjustsaying and annnniegirl.

Click here for previous posts from the Simple Trick series.

all our bags are packed...

... we're ready to go...

... on our 5-week-long vacation!!!

See you when we get back!

Photo from deliciouslyorganized.

Click here for the down-in-the-dots version of this post.

To-Do: PLAY

This is Noah at 1 year and 8 months -- playing soccer on our street.

Yes, I let Noah play on our street. I have always been a believer in the importance of play in a child's development.

Just recently, Noah was playing outside with my niece Makki. When our neighbor Sophie went out to play with them, he came running into the house crying. Turns out, the girls didn't want to play basketball with him and instead, wanted to play badminton. After processing the situation with him - how he wanted to play a game they didn't like and how they wanted to play a game he didn't like, I sent him back out to deal with the problem. He suggested they take turns playing basketball, then badminton (syempre, una pa rin yung gusto niya!). But the girls didn't want to because they said there wouldn't be time to play both games (they only had a few minutes left before dark). So they ended up choosing a game they all wanted to play: this tag game these days called Ice Ice Water.

Aside from the physical skills the active games inevitably taught them, that day's playtime drama taught them essential character-building skills like problem-solving, compromise, conflict-resolution and frustration-tolerance.

It is no wonder then that reputable entities like Johnson & Johnson, Play Pilipinas and DepEd have banded together in the campaign 'Di Lang Laro Ang Laro (Playtime is not just a pasttime), which advocates the importance of 1 hour of daily active play in children's health and holistic development.

I love that this campaign reminds me of what's important. Because with all the academic pressure in schools these days, it's easy for parents to fall into the trap of thinking playtime is just a pasttime.

Even I was guilty of this recently. I was out doing errands and arrived home a couple of hours after Noah got home. I came home to so much homework and very little time to do it. Frustrated, I asked Noah what he did the whole time since he got home. And when Noah said he played outside, I -- the supposed advocate of play -- found myself scolding Noah for playing. Yes, it is easy to dismiss play as just play.

So I am grateful to the Di Lang Laro Ang Laro advocacy of Johnson & Johnson, Play Pilipinas and DepEd. It is important for every parent to be educated that play is as important as everything else on their kid's daily to-do list: Play is just as important as eating, sleeping and studying. So let's all put PLAY on our kids' daily to-do list. Let's include 1 hour of play every day on our children's schedules.

Noah actually put playing with his cousin on his to-do list (I put red checks so you can easily spot this task on his list).

Now, my job is making sure its box gets ticked every day.

'Di Lang Laro Ang Laro. Add 1 hour of play every day on your child's to-do list too!


Photos are my own, from nyctaughtme and courtesy of Johnson & Johnson, the makers of Johnson's Baby Cooling Bath, Johnson's Baby Prickly Heat Powder, Johnson's Baby Daily Sun Protection Lotion and Johnson's Baby Happy Berries Cologne -- my personal picks to keep Noah cool, refreshed and protected from the discomforts of playing under the sun. With these products, I can make sure Noah can play outdoors at least 1 hour every day without me having to worry about the hot, sticky feeling, prickly heat, sun damage or stinky smell from playing under the sun. 

Watch out tomorrow for the down-in-the-dots version of this post.

there's a new missus in town

Two of my fave travel & foodie buddies - J & K - are getting married today!

Funnily enough, J jokingly refers to me as the missus because during one trip, we ended up loading one cart with his & my luggage so we had to pass the Immigration Officer together. The Immigration Officer asked us if we were married and at the same time, I gave a vehement "no" and J mischievously answered "yes" -- which led to him having to sheepishly say to the Officer that "I'm still working on getting her to say yes". Since then, both J and K jokingly call me J's "misis".

And so today... I am happily bequeathing the role of missus to J's, now true missus: K.

I cannot be happier to witness these 2 friends of mine officially become Mr & Mrs. They were never a showy, mushy, PDA-type of couple.

But I've traveled so much & spent enough time with the two of them to have caught subtle sweet moments of affection between them.

That's why I know that even though these public displays of affection will never actually happen, I know that they are both feeling the exact same emotions deep inside...

Right J?

And K?

Here's to a beautiful wedding and a happy, wonderful life as Mr. & Mrs.!

Photos from annnniegirl. 

Today, I am loving...

Today, I am loving... my new Starbucks name. 

As some of you might know from here, they always get my name wrong in Starbucks. So many precious minutes are wasted repeating my name over and over and they still misspell it on my cup. Then one day, I blurted out a fake name - Vivian - and they got it right with one try. So Vivian has been my Starbucks name for several years now.

Until two months ago when they spelled it Viviane. So I called for new coffee-shop-name suggestions here. 

And one of my readers suggested Eva. I tried it last week and the barista called out "short Caramel Machiatto for Eva!". I'm not sure if the other patrons noticed it. But it didn't matter. I heard the barista say "forevah" and I couldn't help smile. As naughty as it sounds, the harmless mischief just made my day a little more fun.

So today, I am chuckling... at my fun, new Starbucks name.

Photo from i'mjustsaying.

Click here for previous posts from the Today, I Am Loving... series.

Noah says...

We were listening to old music on the way to the mall one day. The playlist had Neil Sedaka songs including Run Samson Run. Noah had heard the song a couple of times already so he was singing along at the chorus.

I was surprised because later at the mall, Noah asked, "Why should the TV run? In Run Samsung Run?"

I wanted to burst out laughing but stifled it as best I could... 'Coz poor Noah... He was probably puzzled about it the whole time in the car and walking around the mall. :(

Photo from deliciouslyorganized.

Click here for previous posts from the Noah Says... series.

orange juice for a cause

During the Habagat floods of 2012 here, I remember thinking it was the perfect opportunity to expose Noah to the idea of making a difference in our community. My FB news feed was flooded with photos of my friends' kids volunteering to pack relief goods for the flood victims including this instagram of Sophia, daughter of Camille of camillekingphotography.com.

I would have wanted to let Noah volunteer too. Problem is, we were stuck at home with a flooded street.

Sadly, I totally forgot about my intention of teaching Noah about community service until I came across Tang's new advocacy campaign Handa, Inom, Gawa! [Ready, Drink, Act!] a few weeks ago. Tang's mission is to inspire and empower kids to take responsibility and create real, positive change in the community. 

Tang featured many kid heroes who've made a difference -- from International Children's Peace Prize Awardee Kesz Valdez who founded Caring Children, a group that gives out slippers, books and hygiene kits to street children, to Harvey Gana who organized a fun run to raise funds for the expensive medication of kids with cancer, and to Pablo Gamboa who wrote and published books to raise awareness for hunger and environmental concerns.

Other kids sold home-baked goodies, bracelets and bookmarks to raise funds for rainforest rehabilitation and for charities like Cancer Warrior Foundation. Children did all these... Imagine that!

At the Tang launch, Joy Abaquin, a multi-awarded educator and founding directress of Multiple Intelligence International School, talked about the 3 E's that parents should arm children with: Exposure beyond his little world so he becomes aware of the less fortunate's very different world, Empathy to feel what it would be like to live in their world, and Empowerment to help him do something about it.

Turns out, even before this advocacy was launched, Tang orange drink has been empowering children in its own little way (okay, marketing friends, this is where the link to brand comes in). The powdered drink is so easy to prepare that moms have allowed kids to prepare their own Tang drink by themselves. Without meaning to, Tang has become a tool to teach kids a "can-do" attitude. So this is why they want to expand Tang's ability to empower children. This time, empowering them to make a difference in the world.

So I am heeding Tang's and Teacher Joy's call to empower Noah. Summer vacation is just around the corner (are you swamped with quarterly exam reviews too?). It's the perfect time to channel Noah's energies toward something meaningful... So I'm thinking of encouraging him to raise funds via an orange juice stand. Just imagine the pipe cleaners spelling ORANGE instead of LEMONADE...

And because Tang orange drink is so easy to prepare, Noah need not slave over juicing an actual orange.

He might need to bark out (like the taho-man) though to announce his wares to the neighborhood.

I have yet to expose Noah beyond his little world to decide what he would like to raise funds for. I am curious to find out which charity or cause he will empathize with the most.

Ooohh, I am so looking forward to a fun but also meaningful summer! 

Empower your own child and share your kid-hero stories on Tang's online site and facebook page.

Handa, Inom, Gawa!

Photos are from nyctaughtme, camillekingphotography and courtesy of Tang.

Mommy Mondays: learning trips

Sibika is hard enough for Noah because of the language barrier. So imagine how hard it is for him to memorize practically-alien terms as well as understand the terms' meaning or significance in Filipino. Last December, his Sibika lessons had to do with places in the Philippines. It started with Mga Magagandang Tanawin sa Pilipinas (Beautiful Places in the Philippines) like Bulkang Mayon, Pagudpod Beach, San Juanico Bridge, Banaue Rice Terraces, Pasonanca Park & Talon ng Maria Cristina. He had to memorize the places' names in Filipino, as well as a description of the sight & the province where they can be found. Then they moved on to a lesson on Mga Makasaysayang Pook sa Pilipinas (Philippine Historical Places). There were a total of 6 historical places in his lesson, 4 of which were found in Metro Manila (unlike the places in his previous lesson). So on the Sunday of that week, I decided to take Noah on a learning trip. I figured a real experience would make it easier to recall the new set of difficult-to-remember places.

First stop was Luneta Park. 

Noah got to see Rizal's Monument in full color vs the small black & white photo in his book. I told him this was where Rizal was shot and that it used to be called "Bagumbayan". He of course had to ask why we couldn't go near it (it was cordoned off), why the guards didn't move, and if the guards would move if tickled.

Second stop was Fort Santiago. 

Noah enjoyed Fort Santiago. He got to ride a kalesa (horse-drawn carriage). He even sat in front with the kutsero (carriage driver).

He had fun literally following the footsteps of Rizal. We just went the wrong way so Noah was walking in the opposite direction.

He did enjoy comparing the size of his foot to Rizal's.

And even his height vs. the Jose Rizal statue in his jail cell.

I think this is what helped with Noah's lesson best. He got to see Rizal in a jail cell. How easy will it be now to remember that Fort Santiago was where Rizal was imprisoned?

My Lola (my grandmother from here & here) was actually imprisoned in Fort Santiago as well. So Noah kept asking where Lola's jail cell was. He was obsessed with finding it, searching the place, until we found the dungeons and assumed that was where Lola was imprisoned.

I thought Noah would be eager to get out of the sweltering heat after going through the Fort Santiago gate. But he was still interested to explore the plaza (Plaza Moriones) between the ticket booth (first gate) and the real Fort Santiago gate. He even ran to this Jose Rizal monument in the middle of the plaza and right under the hot sun.

I was horrified when I saw this photo because I thought he was pretending to pee - a signature photo op pose of the hubby. But Noah was genuinely observing the monument. Ooohh, real learning!

He got a photo taken as a cardboard guard and with a real-life guard!

Noah pretended to smoke General MacArthur's pipe. It was only when I saw the photos that I realized his mouth actually touched the pipe. Horror!

He also (eeep!) tugged at the cross of some priests.

Noah played in this shaded area for a while. The Fort Santiago map says these were American Barracks Ruins. He pretended to fire the canon...

And tried to pull this (is-it-called-a-)bullet? 

After tugging on a few more bullets, we finally left Fort Santiago.

The last two weren't actually stops... because we just drove past them. I just told Noah to watch out for them through the window. We passed Espana going home so Noah could catch a glimpse of the Unibersidad ng Santo Tomas, where Jose Rizal studied. 

We also drove by Ortigas Avenue so Noah watched out for the EDSA Shrine (where today's historical event took place), the last on our list of Manila historical places.

Noah scored very well in his Sibika test. I don't know for sure if it was because of our little learning trip. I do know the learning trip has turned out to be a gift that keeps on giving. You see, before heading to UST that Sunday in December, since we were already in Manila, we also drove by the Intramuros Walls, Binondo Church and the Bonifacio Monument. Last week, Noah's Sibika lesson was Philippine Heroes and when we got to Andres Bonifacio, I asked him if he remembered the Bonifacio Monument from our learning trip. He did! And now, with that vision in his head of the monument with people fighting with swords and the KKK flag, it is easy for Noah to remember what Andres Bonifacio did for our country.

Turns out, tutoring need not be limited to worksheets. Real-life experiences are a fun way of tutoring your children. 

Photos are all my own.

Click here for previous posts from the Mommy Mondays series.