THE RED ROSE

I  am not a "flower-person". It's not like I hate flowers. I appreciate them but not really go gaga over them like most women do.  Their hearts melt at the sight of it. They go ecstatic when they get one. Chocolates do that to me! (LOL!) Oh well, things could change. Right? I was ecstatic to receive a flower from somebody special just recently. Yes. A flower. Just one stem of fresh red rose! Wow! I went home thinking what changed my perspective. I used to get bunches, bouquets of flower from my suitors and admirers before. But never felt this way. Midlife crisis? (LOL!)I don't think so. I'm too young and I'm confident of my place of being now. So no! Is it because I love the one who gave it?  Hmm! And so I realized it's not about the flower anymore, its about my choice.  Liking it was a choice. A decision. Whatever reasons brought about that change, bottom line is, it s the choice we make that matters. Our life is shaped by  the choices we make indeed. Good or bad. It doesn't matter. This is life. And it is full of trials, tests, heartaches, pain, hurt, disappointments, heartbreaks, you name it! As humans, we are inclined to making bad choice at times. It could break us one way or another. But again, if it happens, there's always that choice.  Either to get up right away, or stay in that place and not move forward. Its how fast we get up from a fall that makes the difference! 

THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR

Every parent and school must have known Eric Carle through his wonderful children’s books! His number 1 work of art in 1969 – “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” is the most popular book he has written. Very colorful and artistically written and created, every child is drawn to it!  This book has been translated to more than 45 languages and over 25 million copies sold.

His art work is created in collage technique, using hand-painted papers which he cuts and layers to form bright and cheerful images. As an added dimension, many of his books also has die-cut pages giving them a playful quality – a toy that can be read, a book that can be touched. The themes of his stories are usually drawn from his knowledge and love of nature, which is also shared by most small children. His books also offer the child the opportunity to learn something about the world around them. Learning, stimulating, creative and fun experiences for very young children. 

“The Very Hungry Caterpillar” is one of Gabby’s favorites. The story not only follows the very hungry caterpillar as it grows from egg to cocoon to beautiful butterfly, but also teaches the days of the week, counting, good nutrition and more. Very interactive fun! Some of Gabby’s collection of his works include “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” , “Pancakes, Pancakes”, “The Tiny Seed”, “Do Kangaroos Have Mothers Too?” and “From Head To Toe”. Each month, I bring her to a bookstore and let her choose a book that we will read for D.E.A.R. (it’s our Drop Everything And Read day!). It’s smart to surround them with books to read!

Arts Workshops

IMAGINATION STATION is the newest project of Lifeline Daycare Centre. It aims to provide a venue for children and teens age 3 to 15 year olds to learn, explore and develop their skills in various aspects. Art, science, music, crafts, writing, photography, sports, etc, anything that you can imagine your child can do! In collaboration with professionals, teachers, students, artists, musicians, moms and dads and people who care – the concept was born.

The courses are guaranteed very affordable. Reaching out to the community, the Foundation is now accepting enrollees and will start classes in “ART FOCUS” course on September 13^th, Saturday 8:30am through 11am. It will run for a month with specific 8-session modules designed per age group. 

Click To Give Free Books

In conjunction with my D*E*A*R post, I am promoting the “Literacy Site” in the hope of uplifting Literacy rate in the world. I believe that literacy is the solution to poverty as it opens doors of opportunity and understanding that no other skill can provide. It is only through reading, writing and understanding that a level of communication is achieved hence, make a huge difference in every life. Without these abilities, communication, which is the key to progression, will fail.

At the Literacy Site, you will be able to help fund books for educating children around the world. With a click a day, you can help fight the spread of illiteracy, and change the world for the better.  It’s just a click away!

You can also pass this on to your friends to create awareness and help out children around the world become literate.

 World Literacy Facts*:

·  Over 780 million adults in the world are illiterate.

·  64% of the world's illiterate are women.

·  Nearly 60 per cent of the estimated 113 million children who do not attend primary school worldwide are girls.

· On average, nearly one in three children does not complete 5 years of primary education, the minimum required for acquiring basic literacy.

*World literacy statistics from UNESCO 

MOVIE FAVORITE OF THE WEEK

I had a post recently about how too much television could make our child dumb. Though if utilized in a regulated and appropriate way, television could be used as an effective tool to educate children. So I make sure that Gabby watches the right and suitable movies and cartoon programs with my guidance. So I thought of sharing with you what we (Gabby and I) have watched and why we like it. Sort of a preview or a review of good films and programs. Come back soon and feel free to leave a comment on every post or post your own personal favorite on your site. Just don’t forget to buzz me so I can check it out too!

     

D*E*A*R

D*E*A*R is the acronym for “Drop Everything And Read” program launched in Gabby’s school July last year. It was a result of the successful Book Fair held in the school as part of its endeavor to equip its students with every means possible for them to succeed in life. With the “DEAR” program, the families are encouraged to hold a “DEAR” session one night per week where we are encouraged to read together at the same time and in the same room, using a variety or reading materials: books, newspapers, magazines, internet articles, and picture books for young children. Research shows that children develop an enthusiasm for books and are more successful in school when their parents actively engage them in the fun of reading.

 I’d like to share with you some hints on how to get started: 

• Set home goals for reading and put them in writing. You may post it on your refrigerator.
• Decide together which night to set aside for your reading time.
• Make reading a daily routine.

I highly recommend this program to mommies out there. I’ve seen this worked for Gabby as her development in reading and love for books was in leaps and bounds eversince we started our DEAR session. Try it and see how it works for you!

 

Annica Is Apple

Hi Anicca. You think you are mango, but they call you an apple? Hmmm. I am going to reveal to you what and Apple is then tell me which one best describes you!

APPLE

If apple is your favorite fruit, you are an extravagant, impulsive and outspoken person, often with a bit of a temper. While you may not be the best organizer yourself, you make a good team leader and are good at taking things forward. You can take quick action in most situations. You enjoy travel immensely. You ooze with charm when you are with your partner. You have an enthusiasm for life,  unmatched by most.

Being Optimistic

I got the approval from SponsoredReviews.com for this site. Upon reading the email notification from them, I went to open my SponsoredReviews account and found over 40 opportunities to choose from! Wow! But of course I will have to send my bid for every opportunity and await advertiser's approval before I can write a post about an assignment. I sent my bids and I expect to be very busy once I get the approval! Yes. I am anticipating tons of work at this point! Talk about being optimistic! LOL! So come back soon for a heap of well reviewed and no nonsense posts here! 

Race Is Pineapple

Hi Race! Got your messages. Seems you are having a hard time again dropping messages on my site. Thanks for taking time out. Anyway, here’s what your favorite fruit says about YOU:

PINEAPPLE

You are quick to decide and even quicker to act. You are brave in asking career changes, if that is what is to your advantage. You have exceptional organizing abilities and are undaunted by the size of the task at hand. You tend to be self reliant, sincere and honest in your dealings with others. Though you are not given to making friends very quickly, but once you do, it is for life. Your partner is often impressed with your sterling qualities but disappointed in your ability to show affection.

I agree with this. You can accomplish heap of tasks on your plate. I was a witness to this, you can multi task with very minimal assistance or help. I guess that was good training from where we we used to work. We were expected to learn on our own! Now, I just don't know if you have problems expressing your feelings to your partner? Do you?

Genny Is Mango

Hi Genny. Thank you for your reply. Here is what your favorite fruit says about YOU:

MANGO

A mango lover is a personality to reckoned with; quite often, you are a person who has quite fixed ideas, and influencing you is not an easy task. You tend to be an extremist with strong likes and dislikes, and at times even like to control a situation. You enjoy getting involved in something that presents mental challenge. Strong as you may be, you are like a kitten when you are with your partner. You accommodate the love of your life, and make up for all the strong will elsewhere!

I like the last part where it says that you are a softy despite of your strong personality. LOL! So tell me if this is who you are! I am interested to get to know you better.

Praying Is Basic

I read a post by my good friend Race about the problems she is currently encountering with the application to Paypal of her EON Unionbank Card. She’s been getting the message “ This credit card has been denied by the bank that issued the credit card.”  I would like to share this rather funny yet meaningful experience with you Race and all my readers.

I exactly had the same problem with my own EON Card. I reported it thrice to the issuing bank, I sent emails to PayPal, I tried re enrolling the card again and again. Then I finally said “STOP!” I noticed it was just going round in circles but the problem was not being resolved. I had to sitdown CALMLY in front of my laptop, went to Unionbank Website, and read CAREFULLY and PATIENTLY the instruction on how to enroll the account in PayPal. I found out that there should be atleast Php200.00 balance in my EON card (to prove account history) in order to get approval from PayPal. So without wasting more time, I went to Unionbank and deposited the required amount. I went back home and opened the PayPal website to enroll. I got the the confirmation right away!

Lesson Learned: READ! Really, that’s the bottom line. I was so eager and excited  to start making money, I tend to short cut or bypass some steps and processes hoping to expedite it. Haha. In life, we are faced with a lot of these, and oftentimes we get too emotional that’s why we don’t get to think clearly and objectively. We sometimes forget to do the basics. In the case above, to read  guidelines and instructions was the basic thing to do. But really, in life, PRAYING is the basic thing to do to get that clarity of mind and proper discernment.