This Rugged JoyFull Home

One of the greatest rewards of being a stay-at-home mom is that you get to witness on a 24/7 basis how your baby or babies metamorphose from being "cute" to "superlatively cute". The development of their speech is critical especially for boys who tend to develop it later than girls. My girl who’s now 7 y/o, started mumbling one-syllabic words and humming familiar melodies when she was just 4 1/2mos. When she turned 1y/o, she could talk just like any of us adults around her. My boy, on the other hand, was the total opposite of his Ate. When my boy turned 1y/o, he could only say "Mommy" and "Daddy" and a few indistinctive words which probably meant I want this, I hate this, give me this, I’m pissed off…usually followed by fits of crying.  Now that my boy turned 2, things have changed a lot with his speech. He would make sure every now and then that his message would come across and taken seriously no matter how they sounded. Unfamiliar the sounds ...

Conversations with “Mr. Noah,” Son of “Funny-Daddy Clown” Originally Written in July 29, 2008 Noah : Mommy!!!Mommy!!! Meee shee poh-keee! poh-keee!pokeee! Gee-tawrr! Gee-tawr” (pointing to the dvd screen right in front of him). Mom : Yes honey (puts red pen down and stops checking Ate Euy’s Math lifepac), that looks funny (pretending to look on the small dvd screen and tried to look “excited” like Noah). Noah : Mommy!!!Mommy!!! Meee shee “poh-keee! poh-keee!pokee! Gee-tawrr! Gee-tawr” (pointing to the dvd screen right in front of him) (this second time louder and a lil bit annoyed) Mom : Oh! That’s a very pretty dance number anak, I love it too…( again, pretending to look on the small dvd screen and tried to look “excited” like Noah). Noah : Mommy!!!Mommy!!! Meee shee “poh-keee! poh-keee!pokee! Gee-tawrr! Gee-tawr” (pointing to the dvd screen right in front of him) (this third time louder and a lil bit annoyed that he knows Mommy is just pretendi...

August 8, 2008 AVAILABILITY / AVAILABLE Definitions : -Qualified and willing to be of service or assistance -Capable of bringing about a beneficial result or effect (www.thefreedictionary.com) “AVAILABILITY,” a character trait awarded to Eunice Bethany when she was on K-5 during their Moving-up Ceremony last July 28, 2007 at The Master’s Academy Homeschool, Christ’s Commission Fellowship 3rd Flr. Auditorium, St. Francis Square Bldg, Mandaluyong City. Text was written and read by Mom. At TMA Homeschool we believe in honoring the parents as we received recognition on the same day for “surviving” the entire school year “unscathed.” We also believe in honoring our children for putting up with us, parents. Kidding aside, here’s a verse from the Bible that continues to inspire us to school at home where our classroom is the world: “And He (Jesus) went down with them (His parents) and came to Nazareth , and He continued in subjection to them; and...

I see pictures of me and my hubby and my kids building sand castles by the sea shore; I see my daughter wearing her new colorful swimsuit as she gets her tan. And of course I see myself in my new body wearing that two-piece swimsuit which I have resolved since long time ago would never become a reality he he  I see pictures of us eating at our favorite restaurants; pictures of us frolicking with our own shadows as we chased each other at the park kahit sa kapitolyo lang.  I see pictures of my hubby behind the wheels and I just seating nicely by him; 2 kids on the back singing along with the car stereo; I see 4 trolley bags, 1 for each family member stacked up behind us in the car; I see our speeding car breeze through the Startoll way. 

Aromatic but overly mature herbs can be literally intoxicating. I'd spent an entire gloomy afternoon sorting out those that go in the bin and those that need to be hung in open air to dry. Thank God for my youngest sister Nini, for passionately chopping these little dynamites of fresh and dried aromatic herbs such as sage, rosemary, basil, oregano, and dill. There's a lot going on in this balsamic vinaigrette: red cane vinegar, ground pepper, assortment of finely chopped herbs, EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)... Nini was always confident in concocting our vinaigrettes! Two straight months of El Nino summer and we are finally ushered to the La Nina rainy season. I speak herbs, I breathe herbs, I talk herbs, I blog herbs...No matter what the season maybe, herbs have become a family staple. And why not? For this rainy season, a few days before bidding summer goodbye, I have finally pruned and harvested some of my green pets, some overly mature...

Sightings of snakes in the past on this neighborhood being surrounded by a lush-thick forest had been an established indication that rainy season is in the offing.  She can't get scared even if she felt so scared, she wanted to scream but just couldn't scream because her kids were watching her react to the situation. Last night,  her lil boy spotted a black and chunky 2-feet long snake at the garden writhing towards the greenhouse. Funny, lil boy was about to pee in one of her pots but instead, he went back to mom and nonchalantly announced, " Mommeee, there's a snake in the garden ..."  Adrenalin rushed this woman and her 2 intrepid kids to the garage, she grabbed her SAMURAI in the car (now you know what she's capable of doing) and went back to face the unwanted passer-by. But snakes would be snakes, alas, it's gone in split seconds! She's thankful to God for His loving protection upon her family; for the unseen angels that God sent to keep watch ov...

These quilted patches tell of many a different stories... A special Christmas gift from the maker of our "honeymoon quilt", my best buddy, Rina. Was told that she had to stay up late rushing this purple patchwork for Christmas as a present to me and my daughter to share. It came with two matching pillow cases galore! Just recently, October 2009, another gift from the maker of our "honeymoon quilt". One good thing about quilts is that they get "comfier" as they get older. A bible clad in hand-sewn patches created by "moi". One of my early attempts to sew patches way back 1995, was told by a mentor-friend that one rule for a good patchwork is to align the corners well...this project being my very first was a contrary to that.. Patches are forever. We call this quilt our "honeymoon quilt" as this was given to us by a very dear friend as her wedding gift to us on March 25, 2000. Our "honeymoon quilt" ju...