NOT TOO MARRIED TO DATE!

 One of the things that Jay and I agreed to work on when we moved to Taguig is our date day which became pretty much nonexistent when we had our third child and we moved to Cavite.

It's one thing to leave 2 kids for a friend to oversee and another to leave a 6 year old, a 3-year old and a baby!  Seriously, I'm their momma but sometimes, my kids drive me nuts! Even my mom, their grandmom, beg off from this task often. So, we pay our babysitter a bit more than the usual fee and pray that she keeps her cool till we come back. 

We thought that the Avengers was the movie that would be worth all the expenses for a night's date. Our last real movie date was two years ago, the rest of our movie dates were done within the confines of our home, when the kids would be asleep. Anyway, we waited so long to see this one on big screen so we contacted our trusted babysitter and went on our date the night before Jay's birthday.

I assured Jay that Avengers with a bag of my favorite cheese popcorn from Taters and a huge cup of coke to share between us will be heaven enough for me, but we realized that we'd probably be too tired and hungry to cook dinner for ourselves when we get back, we counted our change and went for a simple but filling dinner at Kenny Rogers. 

Avengers was superb! It's the best hero-group movie ever -- X-Men and Fantastic 4 does not compare! Jay and I will definitely save up for a dvd copy when it comes out. I especially love the way they made Hulk's character more interesting and charming. But of course, I am in love with Thor's 17th century-type diction. (I'm just assuming on the century, but I'm sure you get the idea!)

But more than that, I enjoyed the night immensely because I had my husband all to myself and I was his for those few hours. We were able to talk and laugh and just be with each other for that one evening. We had the bag of popcorn all to ourselves, too! We were refreshed by each other's company, revived by the graciousness of God (after all, these moments are rare...) and renewed by the experience.

I think I just might have fallen in love with my husband all over again. Dating is good and it's good for our kids, too. They sense the peace, you know.  I guess we're never too married to date! 

"Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun" Ecclesiastes 9:9.

“A man doesn’t own his marriage; he is only the steward of his wife’s love.”  ~ Edwin Louis Cole (Ed Cole)


"Fight for your spouses. Protect your children. Guard your families." -- Yours Truly.

THE PHILIPPINE HOMESCHOOL CONFERENCE 2012

I waited excitedly for an entire year for this year's Homeschool Conference. Jay and I agreed to go together and I invited three other people to go -- my friend and fellow Kids Music Team volunteer, Wilma Navarro who started homeschooling her 3 kids last year; my friend & former neighbor in Molino, Joy Ydia who was interested to find out if she's called to homeschool her child, Hiram; and a family friend and trusted physician/surgeon, Dr.David Callejo who owns Phoenix International School in Cavite-- and who is seriously considering putting up a homeschool division in his school at my cajoling.  Joy didn't make it, Wilma was there and Dr. Callejo sent his principal, Sol Cabinti to see what homeschooling is about. Jay, sadly, had another event he had to go to and had to beg off.

HOMESCHOOL BREAKTHROUGH:

Representatives from the Department of Education were there. I wasn't when they took the stage but according to my good friend, Chame Abbey, their representative recognized homeschooling as a prime option in education here in the Philippines. I have to give it to Mr. Edric Mendoza & the rest of HAPI volunteers. They really advocated for the homeschoolers in our country and by the grace of God, managed to crack the walls that seem to bar people from grasping the real essence of homeschooling. As Mr. Mendoza puts it, one day, people will no longer be taken aback by the idea of homeschooling nor ask us the common questions and misconceptions such as on socialization and all that because it'll be a norm. Bravo! Bravo!


CONFERENCE TAKE-HOME:
I was only able to come in the afternoon sessions. I officially missed the two of the most interesting parts of the programme -- part one of the talk of best-selling author of "Ultimate guide to homeschooler", Debra Bell and the talk by Founder of Catholic Filipino Academy, Bo Sanchez. I have my reasons. I do believe, though, that God had HIS reason why I only had one talk to chew on -- part 2 of Debra Bell's.

While many of us get lost in figuring out which methods and curricula would be effective for our children and our homeschool setup, Debra Bell and other homeschooling advocates all over the world (through videos) emphasized on the significance of the harmonious relationship between the husband and the wife and biblical parenting in homeschooling. That's my take home. I think our 2011 homeschool was quite successful in terms of achieving the academic goals -- but I honestly think that I have weakened -- almost to a failure, as a wife and as a mother to my children -- especially during these past two months. I took on projects to help in our financial needs and it's been tough to run a maidless household of 3 little boys who manage to turn our home upside down in a snap. It's my reason but it's not an excuse. HAPI advocate, Mr.Edric Mendoza shared that his wife, Joy does not start any on any academics until character is in check -- how do you pass on something you do not have? His father-in-law added and it makes sense to me. As Christians, we should know that it is our lifestyle that truly speaks more than the words that come out of our mouths. So, my daily reminders would be:

Honor my husband in EVERY way. 


Entrust my children to the LORD in EVERY WAY. To love them. Be patient with them. To be gentle with them. To PRAY for them. To LOVE & HONOR their father in every way. 


I need to let God work on my character despite my current setup. 


It has been what God has been impressing in me for the past several months and the conference just made that quite clear.


So, where do the academics and all others go from here? If I grow on the areas above, the rest of the aspects in homeschooling will be more rewarding.

THE GLOBAL CONFERENCE:


Homeschool Association of the Philippine Islands (HAPI) will take part in a global-wide conference in Germany. I don't have all the details yet, but will supply it as soon as I do. All I can tell you is that it's huge and the outcome will affect homeschooling families all over the world to some degree; and if you would like to help out, there are three things that you can do:

      1. You can be a participant -- contact HAPI http://hapihomeschooler.com/
      2. You can donate -- No specific amount required to donate, just contact HAPI
      3. You can pray for it's success!


TIM TEBOW:

Did you know that Tim Tebow was homeschooled? Do you know Tim Tebow? I'm sorry, I'm feeling a bit lazy to supply the profile but please do google the name if you are not familiar with him yet. He was being invited to speak in this year's conference but he's a bit busy. Mr.Mendoza said that he's cooking up something much bigger with Tebow's dad and maybe, just maybe, next year, he'd be available to grace the  next conference.

I think that this year's conference is perfectly timed and though I missed half of it, I didn't go home empty-handed. By the way, I didn't win an iPad2 but I got a DVD set of BBC specials! Yahoo! I love raffles!

Special thanks to my good friend, Chame Abbey who sponsored my ticket.

HAPPY HOMESCHOOLING 2012!!!!

"Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord" Ephesians 5:22.


"Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him" Psalm 127:3.

"Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior's hands" Psalm 127:4.

"His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed" Psalm 112:2.

THE MOTHER & HER REBEL CHILD

  I'm posting a short excerpt of one of my submissions, one for the "If My Life were a Book" contest, published in The Philippine Star in August 12, 2007. It speaks of how my mom had welcomed me back and showed me the unparalleled love  of a mother on that period in my life that I have rebelled, ran away and finally, escaped from the hands of an abusive man to come back home to her loving arms.

"The car stopped in front of a familiar house. I had no tears, but my whole body was quivering.I don't know if it was from the excitement or the awkwardness of coming home after a long time. I motioned for the cab driver to wait as I nervously pressed the doorbell. One of the gates was open; I decided to walk in. My mother was standing in the middle of the garage as if waiting for me to walk in as I did. It was as if she knew I was coming home that morning. I said, 'Mom, I'm coming home and no longer leaving'. She smiled at me and said, 'Welcome home.' No condemnation, only love. I shyly smiled and admitted, 'I have no money to pay the cab.' My mother reached into one of her pockets, strode out and paid the cab driver. No questions asked."

      It may seem like it were the other factors that helped rehabilitate me from that experience from my youth. But the truth must be told. It was my mom who came out to face that gunned, psychologically-disturbed man who came to our door and told him to leave; the one who helped me stand on my feet again, forgive myself and see that I can still do something with my life. She unceasingly prayed for me, took me out on dates, showered me with kisses and loved me unconditionally. We had our moments and I really wish I have honored her in the past as much as she deserves. I love you, Mommy! I couldn't have seen these good days without you. Happy Mother's Day to you!


"Her children arise and call her blessed" Proverbs 31:28.

Full article is posted on the Philippine Star official website. To read, click this LINK.http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=12205

MY LAST AMERICAN IDOL BLOG FOR 2012

You read it right. I won't be waiting for the finale before I conclude my American Idol fetish. Just some final notes:

Colton is out, Elise is out, Skylar is out.

I must admit, Colton's eliminations came a bit of a shock to me. His rendition of September was outstanding, that is, if that wasn't again a rip off of another not-so-famous band's version.

He says that "Bad Romance" may have done him in. I'm not too sure about that.

For those who may not understand why the Gaga standoff -- here's why: Lady Gaga is very open about her Illuminati influences on her music, performances, beliefs which is everything that Christianity is against. For more information, click this LINK.

Colton could be right, or the show may be rigged considering that he has the most number of followers on twitter and facebook among all other contestants.

Elise had to go, that's for sure, and it's not because she's not good enough. Her choice of music is a bit too profound for the voting demography of this year's American Idol. 

With Skylar, that's sad. I think she's really upped her game. But to leave within the last 5 weeks is not really surprising for anyone of them. At this point, anyone can be voted off.

I have to give it Hollie, she's been in the bottom 2 for as long as I can remember and still, she manages to scoot back to the following week. To be fair, though, she's improved a great deal since her "Honesty" night. I won't be surprised to see her on top 2 with Philip Philips. I'm actually bored with the rest. And the judges, seriously! Too much standing ovation  this year! Ugh!

I still predict Philip Philips to win this thing.  So, there you go guys. I'm no Colton fan , but I thought that when he was eliminated, he took with him the rest of what would be exciting performances. 

Ciao!

THE FIRST HAN-LESS AMERICAN IDOL WEEK

I contemplated on not watching the rest of the season for this year’s American Idol when Hee Jun Han was eliminated. I honestly only continued because of his fascinating presence on the show after my picks were among those eliminated for Top 13. I didn’t think he’d win but I somehow hoped for some miracle that he would beat all odds and make it to Top 3. For me, that skit did him in! Ugh, that was annoyingly tasteless and unnecessary.

I have to admit, I knew Han was in for the boot, so, for the first time in my entire life, I voted. So, there you go! I guess I'm a Han-fan! Now let's talk about the others...

DEANDRE BRACKENSICK. Deandre’s out. Finally. Deandre is my least favorite, and it’s really not because he can’t sing. I think I’ve been proven wrong on saying that he can’t surprise me. I actually enjoyed all 3 of this guy’s upbeat performances. I just hate the hair flipping, the puppy-dog expressions (I hate this the most!) on his face every time someone’s eliminated, and his bob up and down dance move. So outdated!

HOLLIE CAVANAGH. This girl’s being steered wrong. First of all, I think that if they really want to mentor this kid, they better speak in a language she’d understand. Stop that “thinking too hard” comment, she’s not getting it! Tell her to read and understand the words of the songs that she’s singing (I think Iovine tried this) and ask her how she relates to it, to care about the lower notes as much as she cares about the belting notes, teach her dynamics –when to soften, when to give it hard, when to make it loud, when to pull back and why – demonstrate the songs to her, if necessary. She thinks technical, so the approach must also be technical. Don’t let her dance again, please. She’s not much of it. Sure, she can follow sway-sway steps, but that’s it. I thought that vaudeville dress looked great on her and she’s got such a pretty face, but it all went wrong. FLASHDANCE was about a contemporary jazz dancer and it was pretty awkward watching Hollie do that little belly dance during the entire number wearing a costume from the Bugsy Siegel era. Contrary to what Tyler said, she wasn't "pitchy all over the place".She was in tune. It was the right song for the voice, she just failed to connect.

PHILLIP PHILLIPS. First of all, let me make it clear. I like this guy. I think he’s musically talented. I think that he’s got rhythm seeping out his veins. I think he’s the real deal. His musicianship is genuine. I still think that he’s a shoo in for the title. I’m just not a fan of growlers and despite how the judges drooled on his “That’s all” performance, I thought that for the first time this season, he fell flat on this one.

Another thing, he needs to be told that he’s not the funny guy in the bromance. That was Hee Jun. He’s the cool, sweet, “carinoso” part of that duo.At least, that's how he's been projected. Seeing him try an antic behind Ryan toward the end of the show made me feel a tad embarrassed for him. Seriously.

ELISE TESTONE. I loved the Vienna number. That “Troy”-like run in the end was extraordinary! The thing is, consistency is the key. I think she’s trying hard to try out new things for every performance, it may cost her. I wanna know what love is is just not the song for her. She’s exciting enough. She’s got to find the right songs because that’s what the quality of her voice is all about and she needs to embrace it. It’s got a distinct quality that can only be appreciated in the right kinds of songs.

JESSICA SANCHEZ. Know why this girl is effective? Because after a series of intense performances, this one came out refreshing. Her clothes are spectacular, I love them. Her movements are cute and her strides are confident. And that duet with Joshua, whooo! She’s got soul I never thought she had! She was able to establish among her fans the tricks that her vocals can do early on, they no longer question her vocal abilities.They're booked solid on the votes. So now she’s relaxed and having fun.

JOSHUA LEDET. I think that the only thing that would keep this guy from winning the competition is if the number of voters who like gospel-style singing will be outnumbered by those who don’t like the style.

SKYLAR LAINE. I’m a huge fan of pop-country music. Our playlists include songs by Dixie Chicks, Lady Antebellum, Leanne Rimes, Faith Hill and Rascall Flatts. I loved Carrie Underwood when she first came to the show, I enjoy Kellie Pickler and I thought that Scotty McCreery is outstanding. I’m just not a Skylar Laine fan.

COLTON DIXON. I do not deny that Colton Dixon can play a mean piano and I am curious to hear his original songs on record. But I’m not his fan either (my husband is). I have one good thing to say about this dude, though. It takes a lot of courage to admit that he used Quiet Drive's version in his performance and give them proper credit for it even though the judges raved about how he has made the song his own. So, for that, bravo! (clap clap)

Who do I think will make it to Top 5? Joshua, Jessica, Colton, Phillip and Skylar, unless Elise does her magic and bump off any one of them. I still think Phillip Phillips will win, that is, if his fans will not get bored listening to him do the very same thing over and over and over again. As many of them finally realized, American Idol IS a competition, they should've known that from the moment they auditioned. Win it and then do their thing afterwards.

The bigger question for me now is, who’s going to earn the “Judge’s Save?” Hmmmm**

On American Idol 2012 Top 13 and so

Okay, so I'm a huge fan of American Idol. I've been watching it since....I think, Fantasia's season. They had it ON on our honeymoon night, haha!

It took me a few days to recover from my huge disappointment over the Top 13. I was rooting for Hallie Day and Creighton Fraker. I always have a soft spot for struggling artists. Maybe because I've lived it, too, at one "long" point in my life.

Here are some of my thoughts on SOME of the most colorful contestants in the Semi-Finals:

REED GRIMM. He's a genius in music, that's pretty obvious. I really enjoyed his rearrangement of "Moves like Jagger" and my guess is, he also had a hand in the music arrangement of that thousand eyes and hold up I'm coming (sorry, I don't know the titles) songs he did with the other contestants on Hollywood week. It's just that, everytime the music stops, he acts strangely and annoyingly childish.I think they tried to give him a chance to show off more of his vocal skills, like in a ballad or something, but he didn't get it. Hey, I'm all for entertainment, but American Idol is first and foremost, a singing competition.

HALLIE DAY. She was my favorite. I thought she would be Top 12. Nope, I didn't think she'd win, Philip Philips already had that in the bag from the beginning. But I know those pipes have more to offer than what's been showcased. Too bad she got voted out early. She could've done better with that song! I think that she's oozing with sex appeal,too, like a human Jessica Rabbit. What wildcard should've been Hallie's went to Brielle. What a waste!

JESSICA SANCHEZ. Finally, a Pinay on the American Idol stage who can actually deliver! Not sure if she's appealing enough to get the votes to win but she's definitely got two minority groups in America behind her as long as she continues to set that stage on fire. For those who do not know, Jessica is Filipina-Mexican, she's not purely Filipino.Not that it matters.

CREIGHTON FRAKER. What can I say? (Sigh)I like "True Colors" but I knew it was going to get him in trouble. Despite the amazing vocal arrangement in the end, it was still the wrong song to sing on such a critical night! He does have that screechy quality in his voice at times, but that can be fixed. One of the other two wildcards should've been for Creighton. I still think that this guy has so much musical talent.

HEEJUN HAN. I think this guy's got a really smooth voice,I give him that,  I just don't know what else he's got to offer and how far it'll take him. I'm a bit worried that he won't be able to pull off other music genres, especially the uptempo ones. He's very charming on TV, though. He's got the viewers hanging around for his next funny line. I think that popularity-wise, he's gonna give Philip Philips a run for the title. Highlighting their "bro-mance" by the way,  is a brilliant move by the producers. I won't be surprised if, at the beginning, they orchestrated for this to develop the way it did. What a finale it would be if Heejun Han and Jessica Sanchez would be there! But then again, Philip Philips almost already secured his spot, so there's only room for one more.

PHILIP PHILIPS. I'm not a fan. I don't like growlers. But I think he's going to win. He's good-looking and I see that people, the judges included, like his style. I like his personality, if that counts.

JEN HIRSH. I think that she should get back together with Creighton, Aaron, Reed and that spectacled guy that was kicked off during Hollywood round 2. Now, that would be very interesting and enjoyable to watch. She's an awesome vocalist, but I can understand how she didn't appeal to the voters. I can't explain it though...I guess, X-factor?

EBEN FRANCKEWITZ. I like this kid. That voice was pure and still raw. Whoever advised him to do that Adelle song forgot to teach him dynamics to his rendition.The song came out plain and straight. With all the notes flying high that night from the other contestants, his performance just wasn't strong enough.

ELISE TESTONE. She's a good singer with a great, big a'voice. But I hear so many of those, lately, so I've yet to appreciate her.

HALEY JOHNSEN. After watching her performance on YouTube over and over again, I finally understood what she was trying to do. At first I thought she was out of tune and I found myself cringing till her last note. At first, I thought she couldn't find the melody with all the known sound sytem problems they've been having in AI. But I realized, she chose not to sing the melody! She sang the back-up notes instead so she can show off her vocal calisthenics which I think was...well, it's something. Seriously, I think this girl knows the notes, it just didn't come off well. I've been replaying the song in my head with all the right dynamics and the creativity is actually impressive. There was a lot of shouting in the high parts and so much lack of control, it made my throat feel a little uncomfortable.In these kinds of competition, you gotta sound correct the first time the voters hear you. It was a risk not worth taking. It's like she grabbed the "worst performance of the night" throne from Bailey Brown in a matter of minutes, which was sad. She is a much better singer and performer than she came out.

HOLLIE CAVANAGH. Okay, she's not bad. She just went off-key a couple of times. AI producers should really do something with that sound sytem problem they have! Hollie sounds like a kid fresh off her voice lessons. Her notes were round, the vocal placement in-line. She was too technical for my taste.

ADAM BROCK. His constant crying overshadowed his singing skills. Whoever said people like seeing a grown man cry?

DEANDRE & JEREMY. ZZZzzzzz. I'm not interested; Maybe Jeremy has more potential on surprising me? Jennifer Lopez lays her credibility on the line for this guy, he'd better deliver!
Have you heard of The Boss or Brix from the Philippines? Those are my standards for good singing falsetto. They're not even the biggest stars here but Deandre pales in comparison.

COLTON DIXON. Oh yeah, there's him, too....he'll probably land in the Top 5. He'd better redeem his little sister. Much of the attention he's reaping now was at her expense. Seriously, this was supposedly her year-- he wasn't going to audition, but he's getting all the lovin'. I think she deserves the redemption.

(Photo courtesy of http://www.wetpaint.com/american-idol/gallery/american-idols-top-13-finalists-party-with-the-judges-in-la-photos#5)

SHOULD WE GIVE OUR KIDS ALLOWANCE?

Money's quite an issue these days.

I know it's been an issue forever, but recently, it's been hot topic in all the talk shows I've been watching like "Anderson" which I thought started out really great. (Those gossipy type issues seem kinda cheap, though)

Anyway, there've been finance experts on TV giving sound financial advice on how to handle money and all that. I have to tell you, I take notes and actually applied some already, like giving up my freedom and taking some more projects to get more income rolling in. I'd probably be talking more about that on my next blog.

In a lunch meeting with the production team of one of the projects I'm involved in, our graphics artist raised a very good point. He said that his dad made a comment about how credit cards have totally bumped off that traditional value of patiently and painstakingly saving up for something that you want.

And he's got a point, too!

I remember that in the 90's, my brother would save up on his allowance to be able to buy the shoes currently at trend. He even saved up to get ME a pair of "Tretorn" sneakers, and it took him about a couple of months or so before he could purchase those for me from the then popular, Cash & Carry.  You do remember Trets, right? I think it's making a comeback or something.

Nowadays, people simply get whatever they want off the shelves on credit and promise themselves to pay on salary day. Paying it off doesn't always happen, though, which is why so many people are up to their necks with debts. I must say that most of the time,I'm glad that Jay and I aren't eligible for a credit card! (I do need my debit card reactivated so I can buy those books we need for homeschooling!)

Then, there's this question raised to a financial advisor about allowance. The financial advisor said that if you want your kid to learn how to take care of money, they should not be given allowances but should be made to do chores for a price. For example, if they do the dishes, they get $2. That's about Php85.

We don't give our kids allowances yet, but we've asked our 6-year old Pablo to do his part in the chores by throwing the toys back in the big boxes. In return, he gets Php50 a week for his Transformers fund. Originally, we did that so he would learn to take care of his toys knowing that he's worked so hard to have them. These transforming babies don't exactly go by the cents, you know, and he's been asking for the entire cast! At that time we started this chores thing for money, he was being careless with these robots and ended up getting small parts lost or those plastic arms getting broken. So, we thought of pushing a premium for them. Did it work? Ah well, I don't know yet, we're still at it.

But here's the thing. That thing about allowance, I'm almost gonna go for it. There's just something that I'm not quite at peace with.

You see, I don't want my kids to think that they'll have to work for stuff from me (or their dad). I love them and I do want to give them these things. I do want them to learn not to squander money and to learn that in life, you gotta work to earn your keep. I mean this literally. But I also want them to know that Jay and I would give them good things. Things that they want to have, without them having to work for it just to get it. I don't want to spoil them either. I'm still not quite sure `bout this issue.

What do you think?


"Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!" Matthew 7:9-11.