The Mommy Journey

Dora the Explorer Toy Organizer Giveaway

2009-11-15T00:00:00.000+08:00

If you like to decorate your kid's room, you should check out CSNBaby.com. They have so many nursery decor you can choose from! And with the help of CSNBaby.com, I am giving away this Dora the Explorer 9 Bin Toy Organizer! This giveaway is exclusively for all of my readers located in United States and Canada only!

If you would like to join, here are the simple REQUIRED steps:
1. Please post about this giveaway on your blog.
2. Leave me a comment telling me why you want to win. Please don't forget to let me know where you posted about this giveaway. Completing this step entitles you to join!

For additional entries: (1 additional entry each)
> Subscribe to my blog via email feedburner...

> Follow me here.
> Tweet about this giveaway. Message should be something like this: The Mommy Journey is giving away Dora Toy Organizer courtesy of CSNBaby.com!

Please don't forget to leave me a comment telling me what you have done so you can gain additional entries!

The contest will end on November 15 12AM EST. The winner will be drawn via Random.org and announced a few days after!

Arts Day : Ni Hao Kai-Lan

2009-11-10T00:00:00.000+08:00

We have recently discovered a Nickelodeon show entitled "Ni Hao Kai-Lan".

Ni Hao, Kai-lan introduces its viewers to the Mandarin Chinese language, along with elements of Chinese culture and values, multiculturalism (through the diverse backgrounds of Kai-lan's friends), and intergenerational families (e.g., Kai-lan and her relationship with Ye Ye). Ni Hao, Kai-lan also helps to support social and emotional development for preschoolers through cause and effect problem solving. (taken from Wiki article)

This is Kyla's drawing of her new favorite character.

Our Ark Avilon Trip

2009-11-09T00:00:00.000+08:00

Last Monday was a holiday, so we grabbed the opportunity to bring the kids to a zoo called Ark Avilon located in Pasig. We went with my sister and the kids had a great time!

can you see the white tiger?

this was Toby's favorite! jaguar!

kyla with the turtles

family picture!

Toby and the big fish

Toby fed the rabbit!
Kyla and Toby playing at the playground inside Ark Avilon.

Afterwards, we went to Fun Ranch.
Kyla passing by the hanging bridge, followed by her Aunt Suzette(my sister)

There were some rides which the kids wanted to try out...

The train

The bump boat

The bump car

Well, it was tiring to travel quite far... but thank God there was no heavy traffic that day and the kids had a blast!

Neno's Award

2009-11-08T21:05:00.002+08:00

A big thanks to Tetcha of Pensive Thoughts and Willa of Smart Mommy for this award.

The Neno’s Award Rules and Regulations:

1. As a dedication for those who love blogging and love to encourage friendships through blogging.

2. To seek the reasons why we all love blogging.

3. Put the award in one post as soon as you receive it.

4. Don’t forget to mention the person who gives you the award.

5. Answer the award’s question by writing the reason why you love blogging.

6. Tag and distribute the award to as many people as you like.

7. Don’t forget to notify the award receivers and put their links in your post.

I started to blog because I wanted to share my experiences being a stay at home mom. As time passed by, I realized that this is also a way to connect with other moms and to make online friends. I started a weekly meme called Mommy Moments for this very reason and so glad that I did because I have met so many wonderful moms!

Now, I am passing this to Rose of Etcetera Etcetera, Hazel of Delineating Des, Evan's Mom of A Little Boy's Blog, Rachel of Us, Three and Company and Andrea of Memories As A Mom

Mommy Moments Posts

2009-11-08T00:31:00.000+08:00

Hello Mommies!

The 1st anniversary of Mommy Moments is a few weeks away and I need your help. Can you please reply to this post and tell me how many posts have you made for Mommy Moments?

I just might have some surprises for you!

Mommy Moments - Let's Pretend

2009-11-06T00:00:00.002+08:00

Hello! Thank God Its Friday again!

Our theme this week is LET'S PRETEND. Kids love to pretend or play make-believe. As adults, we tend to forget why this is important to kids. In fact, as stated in an article in Family Anatomy, "The self-talk that kids engage in during make believe unstructured play might help them develop their self-control, problem solving skills, and self-monitoring skills." You can post pictures with your kids wearing costumes or kids playing make believe...

Now, here is a recent photo of my little boy trying to scare us. He has been trying to scare people with what he calls "mu-mu eyes"....

As for my daughter, she just loves to pretend she is a fairy!

Now, its your turn! Join us here at Mommy Moments! Happy mommy moments!

Thursday 13 - Events I am Looking Forward To

2009-11-05T00:00:00.000+08:00

I can't believe its November already!!! So my list today is about the 13 events I am looking forward to starting this November onwards! :)

1. Putting up Christmas decors
2. The first wedding hubby will be presiding over on November 14
3. Announcing the winner of my giveaway on third week of November
4. Parentin.TV Talk series on November 21
5. Finally being able to come up with a decision on my eldest schooling for next year
6. My birthday
7. My hubby's birthday
8. Christmas day
9. Christmas break
10. Going to watch Disney on Ice
11. Mommy Moments Get Together
12. My son's 3rd birthday
13. The New year

Drop by Thursday 13 for more lists!

Language Development

2009-11-04T13:00:00.001+08:00

When my daughter was 2 years old, she can talk well and express herself in words very articulate and clearly, but as for my son, at 2 years old and 10 months, sometimes, we still can't understand the words he is saying...

I did a bit of research and thanks to Mommy Leah's post, I got some tips on how I can help my son in language development. I would like to share this tip that I got from Kaiser Permanente.

All children have the innate desire to verbally communicate. As parents, it is our responsibility to provide our children with the right environment and stimulation to encourage and enhance good speech and language development. Language learning is a life long pursuit.

However, the first five years of life are the most important ones in which to establish a strong linguistic base to build upon. Language stimulation practices involve making a number of subtle changes in your interactions and behaviors with your child, which may serve to facilitate language development.

For example:
1) BE A GOOD SPEECH MODEL: Our children learn through observation and imitation. Try “TO DEMONSTRATE” good speech and language patterns rather than ‘TO CORRECT” speech or language errors.

2) MAKE LANGUAGE VISUAL: Talk about what the child can see. It is important to label objects and actions that the child can readily see so that the child can pair language with a real experience. This practice can also be reinforcing as it allows the child to observe the consequence or result of language use.

3) COMMUNICATE AT YOUR CHILDS LEVEL: Be aware of your child’s language abilities. Then, talk with the child at, or just above that level. Keep comments simple and direct (avoid “Baby Talk”).

4) FOLLOW YOUR CHILD’S LEAD: Observe what your child is doing. Provide comment or commentary about what your child is paying attention to or experiencing at that particular moment. This practice helps to make language more meaningful for your child.

5) CREATE OPPORTUNITIES TO USE LANGUAGE: Does your child need to use words in order to communicate? Many of the questions we ask our children may require only a simple yes/no are pointing response. To increase the need to verbally communicate, try asking a question that requires a verbal response (i.e. “What would you like to drink?”). To increase the likelihood of a verbal answer,
model a target response (i.e. “You’re thirsty. Would you like a cup of Juice or water?”). Encourage, rather than demand imitation.

6) EXPECT MORE FROM YOUR CHILD: Using language expansion techniques, try to build upon your child’s utterances. For example, if during mealtime your child hands you an empty cup and says “Mare,” you might respond, “More? More milk. You want more milk.”

7) COMMUNICATION SHOULD BE FUN AND REWARDING: Play games or plan activities that encourage verbal interaction. Play games in which your child needs to ask you for something (i.e. Go Fish). Another activity might be drawing a face with you asking your child for directions, “What do I draw next?” These activities foster turn taking and cooperation which are important for both language and
social development.

United Nations Day

2009-11-04T00:00:00.000+08:00

Kyla's school had their United Nations Day Celebration last October 29. Kyla represented the Philippines.

She enjoyed and participated in all their song and dance numbers.

She also joined the India dance presentation.
If you have been following me, you would know that my daughter doesn't like to perform in front of crowds. That is why I was so proud of her that she was able to overcome her shyness!

Arts Day : M is for Monsters

2009-11-03T00:00:00.000+08:00

The materials we used for today's art work are markers, tissue paper rolls and googly eyes.

M is for MONSTERS! Happy Tuesday!

Monday Movie Meme - Mobsters

2009-11-02T23:32:00.003+08:00

This week's theme is Mobsters. I am not really a fan of mobsters but I remember watching...

For more movies, check out The Bumbles Blog!

Family Fun At Nuvali

2009-11-02T01:11:00.005+08:00

After the storm Santi hit us here in Laguna 2 nights ago and left us with devastation, today we decided to go to Nuvali to have some family bonding time.

the kids loved feeding the fish... and they also enjoyed riding the motorboat around the lake... i wasnt able to capture any nice photos there since it was already dark when we rode the boat.

We saw the sunset

And the full moon was out too...

It was a great way to unwind after the storm.

Organic Baby Clothes

2009-11-01T23:49:00.000+08:00

When you have little ones at home, you need to have a number of their clothes available since they get dirty fast. They can get dirty either by sweating, by wetting their clothes or by playing! We don’t really invest so much on clothes as the kids outgrow them so fast. But when we do buy them clothes, we buy those cotton ones to ensure that the kids don’t get too sweaty and those which don’t cost too much.

I just recently learned about Organic Baby Clothes. I found out that organic cotton is grown without the use of toxic chemical pesticides and fertilizers or toxic chemicals like bleach or dyes. They are also not sprayed with formaldehyde to preserve their "fresh look" before shipping. Definitely, something worth investing on! The clothes are not only eco-friendly, but they can be customized and have cute designs! You can add your own text or photos on the clothes you buy!

They have really cute pre-designed Cloth Diapers available and you don’t have to worry about the size since one size fits all! When my kids were still babies, i love buying Baby Onesies! It is so easy to wear them on babies and they look really cute on them! There are several colors that one can choose from! There are also long-sleeved or short-sleeved onesies too.

A Shower of Awards

2009-10-31T00:00:00.003+08:00

Here is a shower of awards for the weekend!

It comes with the usual rules:
1. Pass it on to at least one other blog but the more the better.
2. Never ever tell anybody who gave it to you. (Link backs not allowed)
3. Make a nice acceptance speech.

Examples of acceptable acceptance speeches:

"As deserving as I am of this award I can not believe that they finally woke up and gave it to me. I have always striven to uphold the high ideals this award represents. You did well in selecting me."

Using Quilly’s Words:
Given the paucity of mellifluous isangelous blogs, how could you obstrigillate the awarding of this opprobrious award to this blog. I accept with great pleasure.

As a Raven’s Mini Challenge:
This blog, having roughly no bowling monsters in the closet from Pennsylvania on its menu for the day, is proud to accept this award.

-----------------------------------

Thanks to Hazel of Delineating Des for all these awards!!!

"You can see this box of chocolates is filled with different and unique candies and just like the chocolates we are all different and unique people. We are the same in that we all have common ingredients that make us more alike than not. Except for the frosting, which represents our personalities, we are indeed very similar on the inside.”

And of course there are rules:

1. That you must pass this award to others.
2. Link back to me when you have passed them forward.
3. Write a nice post about this award.
4. You must read this award with a southern accent. I call it southern day where we all have to speak with a southern accent. I know that will be hard for some of you, but for the rest of us, we will be fine. So now, ya’ll just enjoy this little ol’ award and have fun with it.
5. And of course let your folks know that they have a nice award waiting for them.

For those receiving this award it is bestowed on to blogs that are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to six bloggers who must choose six more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.

I am passing Just Another Prestigious, Honesty, Blogger Buddy, Chocolate Box, and the Circle of Friends Awards to:

Enchie of Sweet Nothings
Jacris of Mom's Special Diary
Kikamz of Just About Anything
Seiko of Seiko's Diary
Clarissa of Kizuna
Rose of Rose's Obstacles and Glories

A note for Hazel:
Thanks for sending all these awards to me. I am delighted that you have thought of me. You are a great writer and I truly enjoy visiting your blog. Looking forward to your Mommy Moments posts too!

Mommy Moments - Precious Gift

2009-10-30T00:00:00.000+08:00

Thank God It's Friday! Its another week for Mommy Moments and our theme today is PRECIOUS GIFT! Your post can be any tangible or intangible gift you have received from your kids!

My daughter loves to create drawings and art works and cards and letters... She gives them to me and I have kept all her art works in an envelope... the special ones, those marked with I LOVE YOU, I keep them in the pocket of my Bible's little bag... She is so sweet! Truly precious...
Here are some of the works she has made!

My little boy loves to give power hugs and kisses! Those are enough to complete my day!

How about you? Share your favorite gift from your kids... Join us at mommy moments!

Accor Hotels 3 Day Super Sale Asia Pacific

2009-10-29T22:13:00.002+08:00

Traveling to another country is something that I love to do. Probably it is because my mom loves to travel too. At a young age, she took us to Taiwan and every summer, she takes us there for our summer vacations. When I was working, I was blessed to be part of a great company who allowed me to travel to different countries like the USA, Singapore, Thailand and Hong Kong. Definitely, this experience is something I like to share with my kids in the near future. Now that my daughter is almost 6, I am hoping that next year we can visit another country together.

I was excited to see the that there is a 3 day super sale of one million hotel rooms at amazing rate across Asia Pacific. The Accor Hotels 3-Day Super Sale Asia Pacific runs for only 3 days, October 27 to October 29, 2009. But there has been a surprise extension for only 24 hours on October 30. It is interesting to note that rates start as low as US$30 per night! The booking made should be for stays between December 2009 until April 2010.

Better check it out today!

Thursday 13 - Because of my Kids...

2009-10-29T00:00:00.000+08:00

My list today are TV shows or movies that I have watched over and over again because of my kids!
- Diego
- Dora
- Bob the Builder
- Veggietales
- Barbie
- Toy Story
- Ni Hao Kai Lan
- The Lion King
- Ice Age
- Thomas and Friends
- Elmo's World
- Wonderpets
- Blue's Clues

For more lists, visit Thursday 13!

Couple's Corner - We're In Love

2009-10-28T19:00:00.000+08:00

After officially becoming a couple on March 2000, we already had our wedding/marriage in mind. We were serious and both coming from long relationships before, we were sure that we were meant to be husband and wife. It was not an easy road for us. My parents opposed our relationship and our plans to get married. I come from a pure Chinese family and they prefer that I get married to a fellow Chinese. My hubby is Filipino and though they dont know him yet, he was already pre-judged.

It was quite difficult as days go by. We were set to get married, knowing that it was God who led us together and in my heart, I KNEW that God had called me to become his wife. There was tension in my family and as the months passed by, the date we had set to get married was drawing nearer. It was 2 months before the date when my parents finally agreed to face him and had formal talks with him. The dinner went well and all they asked was to move the wedding for a few more months so we can prepare and since this was the first wedding in my family, they wanted to be involved. We agreed....

So to cut the long story short, we had a short engagement. We loved each other and our story is not the usual mushy stuff... We got married 11 months after we became a couple with the blessing of my parents and God's provision. Well, that's another story for another week!

Web Hosting Info

2009-10-28T00:22:00.001+08:00

It’s been almost a year ago when I purchased my very own domain name http://www.mommyjourney.com. I am reminded that I need to renew ownership of this domain. Anyway, I was advised by one of the first people who helped me when i was just a newbie in blogsphere to purchase my own domain if I was really serious with blogging. Aside from easier recall with people, advertisers and other paid blogging services are more interested with own domain blog sites. Now when you have your own domain, you would also need to have your own web hosting service provider. There are many companies which offer you cheap services but how can one be sure that the service is of top quality? This is why I visit the web hosting rating and reviews site so I can find out who are the top 10 hosting providers. I also check out the blog section when I need some technical information. Articles like how to incorporate a domain into your blogger account is very helpful to bloggers like me. It gives me a step by step guide as to what I need to do after buying my own domain. I also read articles so I can be updated with the latest in the IT industry.

When Children Resist Instructions

2009-10-28T00:00:00.001+08:00

I would like to share a parenting tip that I received on my email. It is entitled When Children Resist Instructions....

When a child continually demonstrates resistance to instructions, then it's time to decide whether you need to emphasize relationship more or you need to discipline for a lack of responsiveness.

Sometimes we take our children for granted, order them around, and don't appreciate them enough. The result is children who tend to resist instructions. If that's the case in your family then it's time to show more love and emphasize the value of your relationships together.

On the other hand, some children resist instructions because of poor character. Training is work and some children need to learn how to demonstrate genuine responsiveness when someone wants to talk with them. If you ask your son to come help in the kitchen, and before you finish your instruction he's whining and complaining, then stop the process. You may have to postpone discipline for a time because you need to get the table set in order to stay on schedule, but don't just let it go.

After dinner, talk to your son and confront him about his poor attitude. Explain the importance of cooperation and that you're going to have him help you with dinner every evening for a while. Increasing the workload to give more opportunity to practice may be just the constructive consequence needed to build a cooperative attitude.Kids want life to be easy. The reality is that life is hard. Cooperation is an essential character quality all children need and now’s the time to teach it.

For more on how to build a good Instruction Routine with your children, consider the Parenting is Heart Work Training Manuals and CDs. Lesson One outlines a five step Instruction Routine and helps you know how to teach it

Diet Anyone?

2009-10-27T23:33:00.000+08:00

Losing weight has always been one of my goals. After giving birth to Toby, I haven’t tried to go on any kind of diet yet. I just am not sure how and where to start. I have tried eating low carbs diet but it didn’t take off much weight. Probably due to lack of discipline in my part. I have heard of surgeries like laparoscopic gastric bypass where doctors section off the stomach to a thumb-sized sac to lessen food intake. The effects have often been downplayed. But according to MSNBC, there are so many possible side effects like ulcer, intestinal hernia and gastrointestinal pains.

Now there is another diet treatment called HCG diet treatment. It is a medically supervised weight loss program. It involves no surgery, no starving, no pills or expensive packaged meals. It is a low calorie diet with a small dose of a hormone that stimulates metabolism. Causing one to lose weight more effectively. In fact, there are thousands of people who have already used this simple and inexpensive treatment. There are two options to choose from. One can choose the injectable or the oral supplement. This treatment actually tries to reduce fat and adjust the body’s metabolism so one can stay slim.

Arts Day : Popsicle House

2009-10-27T00:00:00.000+08:00

Today's art work was quite easy to do. The materials needed are popsicle sticks, markers, paper and glue. I asked Toby to help me stick the popsicle sticks to create a drawing of a house (I helped him put the sticks on the correct positions) and a fence. I asked him to draw a sun and outline the sticks with colored pens. Then I guided him in writing his name. Its interesting to see his development every time we make crafts together!

Couple's Corner - When I Met You

2009-10-26T23:15:00.002+08:00

I am joining Couple's Corner though I am already a few days late! :)

The theme for last week is the day we met or dined out. Hubby and I met through the church we were both attending way back in 1999. I can't believe its been 10 years ago. We were both in the worship team ministry. He plays the bass guitar and I usually operate the overhead projectors every worship service. Then I was asked to join the youth staff and he was part of the youth band. We were part of the same group and hang out on the same circles. The first time we went out just the two of us was in December 1999 to celebrate our birthdays since our birthdays are just a day apart. We had lunch together, watched a movie and had dinner together. I didn't really think that we would be taking our friendship to the next level but God made the arrangements and on March 2000. We were officially a couple.

Fedhz Blogversary and Bday Contest

2009-10-26T22:48:00.001+08:00

Win $200 from Fedhz Blogversary/Bday Contest!
Everyone is invited to join in the fun! The contest runs via a point system so you better go and check the mechanics for more chances of winning! If you decide to join, please don't forget to mention that you were referred by me, Chris!

Family Fun Activities

2009-10-26T21:54:00.004+08:00

What are your Family Fun activities ?

For my family, its the simple things we do together.
We usually play together. Dine out together. Do grocery together. Reading together. Praying together. Visit places like museums, parks, malls and parties. Doing crafts together. Watching movies together. If we are able to go on trips, those special moments are truly treasured as well!

Being together as a family is what its all about.