My daughter is preparing declamation piece entitled “Medalyang Ginto” for their Acalitmus Festival to be held on February 7, 8 and 9, 2012.  Acalitmus stands for Academic, Literature and Arts which held every year as one of yearly activities of school.  The school conducted quiz bee for different subject such as Mathematic, Science, Filipino and English. Also, there is a coloring, drawing, sequencing, and clay making contest. In addition, there is dancing, declamation, poem, and singing contest.  Each student will choose two subjects and two talents.

Below is the Medalyang Ginto declamation:

Medalyang ginto sinong magsasabit! Ang yong nanay, ang tatay Sino?

Isang umaga habang ako’y nagsusulat, lumapit ang aking guro at nagwika, pangalan ng bata sapagkat ikaw ang pinakamabait at pinakamatalino sa lahat ng mag-aaral sa ating klase, ikaw ang nagkamit ng unang karangalan.

Nabigla ako at nagulat!  Sa laki ng aking kagalakan ay niyakap ko ang aking guro, At naramdaman ko ang butyl ng luha sa aking mga mata.

Maraming salamat po sa papuri’t karangalan na di ko malilimutan habang ako’y nabubuhay.  Kung sakali, paglaki ko umunlad itong buhay, asahan mong Paaralan
akin ding babalikan.

Sa aking sinabi ako’y sandaling nag-isip at tila nais kong maluha sa medalyang tatanggapin, Sino kayang magsasabi.. gayong patay si itay at si inay ay may sakit.

Pangalang ng bata.  Ako bilang iyong guro ay siyang titindig upang medalyang sa iyong dibdib ay isabit.

Ang karangalan ay ihandog sa inang may sakit ay mag-ukol ng dalangin sa ama mong nasa langit.

I am proud and happy that my daughter is very active in academic and extra-curriculum activities.  In addition, she is joining dance contest, “Sumayaw Sumunod”.  I hope that she will be able to declaim and dance well.

My daughter was really enjoyed in their Sport fest.  They plays different games that’s why kids are very happy while playing those games including calamansi game, softdrinks game, ball relay game, hula-hoop relay game, tug war, and many more. There are four teams, red team, blue team, green team and yellow team. Their composed of students in different levels such as nursery, kinder 1 and kinder 2.  My daughter is belongs to green team.

Relays are games fun to play and clap when everyone finishes and it is a creative since you can make up new variations. Relays can be play inside or outside.  This game reinforces teaching direction and coordination. Kids will know the importance of cooperation, following rules and direction. While tug of war also known as tug o-war, tug war, rope war or rope pulling is a sport that directly pits two teams against each other in a test of strength according to wikipedia.

Parents also joined to play tug war and hula-hoop relay.  Kids enjoy seeing while they see their mother and father participating in the game.

The most awaited event is the awarding of winner.  All kids receive a gift composed of candies and toys even though that their team is not winning.  Yellow team got the highest score so yellow team get an extra gift.

Methodist church held their annual kinder convention last month.  Each school prepares a program for their school.  The theme of their kinder convention is “I can take care of your world”  The theme is all about environment that’s why Asbury Learning Center for Children (ALCC) decided to make a little program about Adan and Eve, when God created the world including sun, moon, air, trees, flowers, butterflies, birds, and different animals.  My daughter was assigned to play the role of butterfly.

Instead of renting a butterfly costume or buying a commercialized butterfly costume, I decided to have our own design. I bought a piece of pink fabric and go to the tailor. I describe her our design of her butterfly costume.  I decided to have simple design so that she can also wear it after the program. I also borrowed a butterfly wings to our neighbor.  From an old headband, I also created antenna headband. Also they sang environmental songs such as “Kalikasan”, “Puno’t Halaman”, and “Kabundukan”.

Some of her classmates play as flower, trees, insects and animals.  They are cute in their adorable costumes. Parents are really busy taking picture and post their cute picture in their Face book account.

Thanks to all wonderful teacher who are patient in teaching our kids and also assisting our little ones during the program.

My daughter celebrated her 6th birthday and my husband borrows a chocolate fountain.  It is just a simple celebration and only close friends and relatives are invited.

Chocolate fountain is a device used to serve chocolate fondue.  To keep the chocolate in a liquid state the basin is heated and the chocolate can be pulled into a center cylinder then vertically transported to the top of the fountain by a corkscrew. Then from there it flows over the tiers creating a chocolate waterfall in which food piece can be dipped.

I love watching kids enjoy the chocolate fountain while they dipping their marshmallows and crackers. We bought marshmallows, fita, skyflakes, graham crackers, pretzels sticks, etc as dipping goodies for the chocolate fountain.  Kids are really excited when they see the chocolate fountain that they just dip and eat and forget about cake and ice cream.

Other item that can use as your chocolate dippers are strawberries, banana, pineapple, grapes, apple, popcorn, waffles, Pringles, donuts, pastries, potato chips, corn chips, gummy bears, zinger, nuts, lolly pops, fruits bars, cheese cake and many more.

Aside from chocolate fountain, we have spaghetti, pansit canton, puto mamon, puto kutsinta, sapin-sapin, gelatin, fried chicken, shanghai, cake and ice cream.

Thanks to my sister who provide gown for my daughter. Her gown was used during her class day presentation and also in her moving up ceremony. During class day presentation their teacher teaches them a sway dance, cha-cha dance and a cotillion dance. As mother, I am very proud of my daughter because she was able to dance gracefully at stage.

All parents there are very happy to see their son and daughter wearing a prince costume and princess costume. They also bring their own digicam to take a picture or video. Some gowns are rented while some are bought from the store.

My daughter, Merecel is wearing a pink gown since her favorite color is pink. Some are wearing powder blue, violet, yellow, green, etc. Kids are so cute wearing their costume. Boys are also adorable wearing their prince costume.

During class day presentation, Mr. and Ms. ALCC were awarded to respective student who got rank during their Mr. and Ms ALCC campaign. My daughter got a fifth rank so she had her award as a sign of appreciation of the school. The proceeds of the said activities were used in school projects.

Thanks to their teachers, Ma’am Richelle who is very patient and teaching kids in their dance number. Of course, thanks to all parents for the never ended support for their kids.

Yesterday, I decided to take my daughter to the pediatrician to check her because of her recurrent persistent cold and cough. Her cold is on and off for almost two months. Although she already taken an antibiotic, co-amoxiclav natrovox last month. Me and my husband is always caution in giving antibiotic because we know that this can be harmful since good bacteria will also destroy. The pedia suspects that she has an asthma and allergy so she gave four types of medicines such as Loradine Phenylephrine HCI, Meptin, Prednisone 10 and co-amoxiclav. These medicines should be take twice a day for five days except her antibiotic, co-amoxiclav to be take for seven days. On the fifth day, she will have her follow-up check up to see if there is an improvement. The pedia said that if there is no improvement, she will have an x-ray to properly diagnose the cause of her cold and cough.

As a mother, I really worried when I feed my daughter with many medicines but I don’t have a choice but to give her in order to treat her illnesses. I just hope that after five days of taking her medicines, her condition will be improved.

During stay at my daughter’s school, one of the parents approaches me and suggests buying green barley. Of course at first, I was hesitate to entertain but I heard that this green barley is a miracle food that contains vitamins and minerals needed by our body to stay away from disease.  According to her brochure , green barley can cure the following diseases, cardiovascular problems, rheumatism, arthritis, constipation, hypertension, low blood, migraine, sexual impotence, sexual impotence, skin problems, high cholesterol, body pains, overweight, bad breath, hyperacidity, diabetes, dysmenorrheal, psoriasis, gout, cancer, ulcer, cyst, prostate, asthma, goiter, uti and many more.  Also, green barley is also known as superfood because it is said to be 11 times the calcium in cows milk, 5 times the iron in spinach, 7 times the vitamin C in oranges, 2 times the beta carotene in carrots, 80mg of vitamin B12 per hundred grams.  It also contains 18 amino acids, 17 enzymes, 16 vitamins, 17 minerals such as trace amounts of more than 50 other minerals, phytochemicals, chlorophyll, soluble and insoluble fiber.

I googled the benefits of green barley and I found out that it is loaded with several vitamins and minerals needed in our body to boost immune systems. It contains powerful antioxidants to help the body kill cancer cells so I decided to purchase 1 bottle for Php 300.00 and I observed that my daughter’s health improve.

I prefer to take food supplement that taking a synthetic drug so I decided to purchase more bottle of green barley for my family.

I receive an email from my friend and it is very inspiring that’s why I would like to share it with others.  The following are from the book of Dr. Randy Pausch.  He died of pancreatic cancer in 2008 and wrote a book entitled “ The last lecture”.

Personality:
1. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
2. Don’t have negative thoughts of things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment
3. Don’t over do; keep your limits
4. Don’t take yourself so seriously; no one else does
5. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip
6. Dream more while you are awake
7. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need..
8. Forget issues of the past. Don’t remind your partner of his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
9. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don’t hate others.
10. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present
11. No one is in charge of your happiness except you
12. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn.
Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
13. Smile and laugh more
14. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Community:
15. Call your family often
16. Each day give something good to others
17. Forgive everyone for everything
18. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6
19. Try to make at least three people smile each day
20. What other people think of you is none of your business
21. Your job will not take care of you when you are sick. Your family and friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:
22. Put GOD first in anything and everything that you think, say and do.
23. GOD heals everything
24. Do the right things
25. However good or bad a situation is, it will change
26. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up
27. The best is yet to come
28. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful
29. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it
30. If you know GOD you will always be happy. So, be happy.

While you practice all of the above, share this knowledge with the people you love, people you school with,
people you play with, people you work with and people you live with.
Not only will it enrich YOUR life, but also that of those around you.

Last August 27, 2010,  Asbury Learning Center for Children (ALCC) celebrates Linggo ng Wika that’s why all their students participates in the program. My daughter dance paro-parung bukid and bahay kubo.  She wears a filipiana costume which I borrow from my sister’s friend. All kids wear their adorable costume and I am sure that all mommies are very happy to see their little kids wearing filipiana.  Also, for the last minute, we went to the market just to search a pair of bakya.  Unfortunately, we were not able to find bakya that’s why I just bought a pair of slipper with flower design so that it can be suited to her filipiana dress. Some of her classmate wears kimona and saya.

Even though all mommies as well as the teachers are tired in preparing in this event, I am sure that they are happy and satisfied with the result because every student is charming while dancing folk dances.  Thanks also to my husband for being supported because he always there for my daughter’s activities.  He plays a role of photographer and videographer.  For the month of September, they will have a kinder convention and I heard that they will a quiz bee and dance contest since we have no formal meeting yet. Having school activities is very tiring but of course, as parents we are happy to see that our little ones are performing on stage.   Thanks to all the teacher who are always very patient.

Last December, I and my husband decided to purchase a fishing boat since my father-in-law is a fisherman. My father in law is the one who manage our fishing boat so we are sure that it is in good hands. He is the one who maintain our fishing boat such as buying fishing equipment if needed. We name our fishing boat, PRINCESS MERECEL, it is based on my daughter’s name.

Fishermen usually go fishing in the afternoon for about 6 pm then return in the morning with their catch fish being displayed for those who are interested to buy or bring these fish to the market for selling. Rest assured that these fish is very fresh.

Fishing is one of sources of income here in the Philippines. By the way, fishing is an activity of catching fish to earn a living or just simply for recreational purposes. The fishing boat use net to catch fish. So it is important to conserve our sea. Fisherman should not use dynamite in fishing in order to protect small fish and their homes.