Somewhere where dreams come true

This is one of Mia’s favorite songs, which she learned first along with her ABCs.

And one day Mia will learn the complete lyrics. For the meantime, hanggang first line muna kami =)

right here, right now!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Charter. All opinions are 100% mine.

Kids are notorious for having the ability to get what they want, whenever they want it. It was a struggle I had with Mia during her (thankfully brief) tantrum episodes. It was especially hard when it would be just the two of us in the car going somewhere.

One time this happened, she was sitting at the back and was probably very tired from all the walking we did at the mall. I knew Mia was already grumpy and wanted to take a nap so I tried distracting her by talking to her about what we just did that day.

Well, it wasn’t working. She saw the Toblerone bar in the front and naturally asked for it. I gave it to her with the condition that we would eat it at home (messy and all that, you know). And yeah, you guessed it right, she wasn’t taking no for an answer.

I tried going the these-are-the-consequences-if-you-don’t-stop-badgering-me-while-i’m-driving route and the mostly bad cop technique. It was wearing my patience down and it didn’t help that the traffic was heavy. A cranky toddler with chocolate plus a cranky mommy? Not a good combination.

I wished right then and there I had a portable LCD/DVD player like my cousin does (which she uses on Iya, my niece, who’s the same age as Mia. Rhymes, I know, haha). And that it would have a whole gazillion of movies in them (half of which would be Dora, The Backyardigans, and Word World), ready to play (and distract!).

Great no? That’s actually possible with Charter Digital, which has 6,000 movies and shows to watch, anytime you want them (learn more at charter.net/ondemand and get updates and fun extras on Charter’s Facebook page). How great would that be if we had that here?

So, to make the long story short, I ended up opening the Toblerone and a tear-streaked, chocolate-messy Mia.

mia, good. doctors, good?

NIGHT. INT. Bedroom

Mia: (rehashing what she just learned previously) tita det’s a doctor?

me: yup, she’s a doctor.

Mia: no, she’s not a doctor, she’s good na.

—

i really regret bringing mia to World Citi to be confined (about 2 years ago). all her hands and feet got ‘experimented’ on because they couldn’t get the IV inserted right. i know it’s a challenge to do that to a crying baby but doctors at St. Luke’s weren’t as unsuccessful. at WC it was the nurse who did the insertion, and though i don’t want to discriminate, you get the picture.

—

me: but doctors are good too!

—

hay, trauma. she even remembers the ‘tusok’ (puncture) whenever we pass by the WC building which is near our house. she recounts, with matching facial expression, how she got injected on and all that.

My little outlaw

no this won’t be about her recent development of tantrums. though i’d love to wail about that one. (by the way, what do you do with tantrums?!?)

before drifting off to sleep, we had one of our interesting conversations again:

Mia: Tita Det’s a doctor.

me: Yes, she’s a doctor.

Mia: Tita Khay’s a doctor?

me: Nope, she’s a lawyer. say, ‘lawyer’.

Mia: lo-yo.

me: good, lawyer.

Mia: can I have a lawyer?

wth!?

Mia’s last quarter Firsts!

Mia had a lot going in 2009. growing up to be even more beautiful and smarter is one; getting some of her firsts is another:

her first photo with Jollibee!

(well, technically because during the first Jollibee birthday party she attended we only got a video of Mia dancing somewhere in the corner of it, nearly getting sideswiped by the large bug).

this was at Rinnah’s first birthday. i don’t know why, but it seems monumental for a kid to have a memory of Jollibee etched somewhere in the form of a photograph. or else. i didn’t get to have one myself, so there goes my frustration #1 passed on.

her first Barbie doll!

from me, of course =) i regret decapitating, hairstyling, and “couture-” designing my first Barbie dolls. mia hasn’t started that phase yet, but she’s already lost the only pair of Princess Jasmine-something-or-other’s high heeled shoes, so…

and her first flower girl stint

i couldn’t have been a prouder stage mom. she walked down (or up the bridge and down again) the aisle with no problem at all. except that before that she was running all around the venue with her 2nd cousins, her hairdo was nearly falling apart just before she was to march, and that i was running after her for fear of having a soaking, dripping flower girl walk the aisle.

my cousin’s wedding was at The Butterfly Farm; go figure why.

–

come to think of it, Mia’s firsts were mine too. thank goodness for digital cameras too. hehe.

how about it, what were your favorite firsts (either as a mom or your own when you were a kid)?

Where’s the Universe? a panel interview by Mia

in one of our nightly before-bed conversations where i, the toddler-intellect challenged mommy, attempted to defend my thesis on the whereabouts of the universe:

M: where’s the house?
me: in Quezon City.
M: where’s Quezon City?
me: in Manila
M: where’s Manila?
me: in the Philippines
M: where’s the Philippines?
me: in Southeast Asia….

(i know, konti nalang)

M: where’s southeast asia?
me: on earth
M: where’s earth?
me: in the solar system.
M: where’s the solar system?
me: in the universe!
M: where’s the universe?
me: in God’s hands! (thinking that I won…)

M: where’s God’s hands?
me: *patay ulit*

Three (a post-Nov20 birthday post)

the (Dairy Queen) birthday cake that was. note to self: never put an ice cream cake in the chiller. unless you fancy eating it right out of the box, dripping.

if you’re a kid, though, that’s more fun.

at least Mia got to blow her candle.

thank you titas and titos who came (and for the gifts!). Play Doh, the holy grail of childhood playstuff — at least in our time — was such a hit with Mia and Clarice. while poor Mr. Potato Head lost a hand.

more than anything, i’m really happy God blessed us another year for Mia.  Christmas naman!

Mia the techie

“M-I-A dot com!”

-mia, when she saw mommy on her laptop, surfing away.

like i said, i swear i don’t know where she gets her vocabulary sometimes.

“it’s windy!”

-mia, one time we were outside and the wind was, well, blowing.

it’s just so vast — for a three year old.

so sabi ko nga kay Mia, since she already knows how to count to 14, all basic shapes, can recognize almost all letters (and spell her name), and scribble, wag na siya mag-preschool. go straight to grade 1 nalang. hehe.

my birthday girl

My dearest Mia,

You’re turning 3, about an hour from now! Yey! Such an accomplishment by such a little person and I’m so proud of you. For now, let’s celebrate His goodness to us, for another year you’ll be delighting us with your antics.

You’ve been telling me that you’re a big girl now. To me, you’ll always be my baby. =)

I love you so much!

Tags: mia

Stranded

like i said, September 26 for me and Mia was a different story. since our company decided to push through with the Family Day though it was raining (not as bad), i still decided to go. Mia was even dressed up for the occassion already!

i asked my brother to come with me (because i needed an extra pair of hands to hold on to mia while driving) but he preferred to stay home. what a blessing that turned out to be. so we picked up another officemate and went on our way.

Imelda Avenue in Cainta was already flooded halfway (around the area of Makro Cainta), probably half of the tires were submerged. Rexi (the camera) unfortunately wasn’t able to take photos because i was too busy navigating following a truck.

by midday after getting to Club Manila East in Taytay, the rain was already pounding hard. we were all confident that since the resort was a bit elevated, there wouldn’t be any problem with the water. the show went on.

that's the whole company (of 25), with family and minus a few who couldn't make it

lo and behold in about an hour or two, the muddy water was already thigh-deep out on the street and was beginning to flood the parking area. fortunately it didn’t rise any further but that meant we were all stranded inside CME. i already planned to go home right after lunch but the idea if submerging my car with me and Mia inside didn’t really sit well with me.

in the meantime, my mom has already been texting me not to come home anymore because there were flash floods. particularly on our street, which is sloping down towards a dead end, the water has been coming down faster than expected. my 2 brothers thankfully were aware enough to start bringing some appliances upstairs when the water started to come into our garage. the garage was thankfully empty. my mom had our other car with her in Cubao.

when the water started to come into our living room, my brothers started to bring some furniture up onto the higher level of the kitchen. (that turned out to be futile later on). they also thought about bringing in the 3 washing machines but unless you were Superman had a crane to do that, good luck with that.

by the time my dad came home, the water had rushed into the house waist deep in the kitchen and the ref was managed to be transferred upstairs. all the rest of the furniture were unfortunately left.

to make the long story short, my mom had been able to go home in the evening since the water had subsided by then. the cleaning that had to be done was unbelievable. and my mom being the cleanfreak that she is, had shifted to high-gear OC. i can imagine how that was.

i, on the other hand, had been worrying about Mia’s milk and diapers (i had only brought enough for one day) since we had to stay overnight. but God provides, that much i had been assured. one of the resort’s personnel and our HR manager braved the floodwaters and managed to get to SM Taytay. (thank you, thank you!)

by Sunday afternoon,we still weren’t sure if we’d be able to go home because the waters outside and in some areas where we planned to pass were still too high. but the sun shone, a la Noah’s Ark and a dove came bearing an olive branch.

so Mia went swimming! (forgot to download the photos)

we were finally able to go home when we got news that we could take the Valley Golf-Masinag hiway route. the mess (an understatement) that is Marikina was disheartening. even more so when i realized later that a lot of people washed up on the river banks died.

to say that we were blessed and that my family was spared isn’t even the point.  there were so many others who weren’t and who still need help.

—

pictures of how Ondoy damaged the house here

you can still help. click here to find out.

Dear Mia,

it’s nearly 2 months before your 3rd birthday. and we were just talking before bed what you wanted for your birthday. you said you wanted a birthday cake, balloons, and nothing else.

you’re so adorable. whenever i need cheering up, i just try to remember some of your quotable quotes like,

“akyu!” you shouted that when you heard the bananacue vendor yelling outside the house one afternoon.

or,

“mommy, i can’t, i can’t!” when i tried to make you write your name one time. you were so frustrated then, in such a very cute way. or,

me: mia, let’s go to sleep already because mommy needs to wake up early tomorrow to go to work!

mia: you’re leaving me?

me (with a very sad tone and face): yes

mia: it’s ok mommy, it’s ok. don’t cry. (with matching hug)

sometimes i wonder where you get your smarts, but then again i remember that you’ve got my genes. =)

you can be really stubborn too.

me (pointing to a picture of  a jaguar): this is a jaguar

mia: no way!

me: it is a jaguar because it has spots!

mia: no way! it’s a lion!

i could just let you have your way, but then what will your teacher say when you go to school? it’s great that you can actually tell the difference between jaguar and leopard spots, but you have got to get the names right my dear.

but most of the time you get it right naman. and i’m so proud of you! but even if you sing Nobody (”Nobody, nobody not you!”) with your own lyrics, i don’t care. you’re still the best composer there is.

my dear little Mishka, i am always praying for you. that you grow up to be the sweetest and nicest little girl that God wants you to be. and yes, you will always always be my little girl.

love you always!

Simple [i vs p]

i was too dazed to notice that i posted a photo for a different theme from P’s. haay.

so here it is, (sorry P!) my Simple entry.

we adults always say, ‘if only i were a kid again, life would be much simpler.’ i’m afraid i’d be guilty of saying that. it’s sad how sometimes growing up robs us of the best experiences in life. it sounds cliche but it’s true.

now that i have a kid of my own, the reality of it sort of kicks me in the butt. for a good cause, though. i wouldn’t want mia to grow up knowing how her mom is grouchy and always tired and never willing to play with her when she comes home from work.

always busy, too rattled. like this week past. when i forgot that our theme was not Ancient, but Simple. haha.

no, i wouldn’t want that.

so i’ll always try to be a kid at heart. simple, true. but most of all, fun.

mia’s 1st blog post

hi, my name is Mishka Andrea, but everyone else calls me Mia. except maybe for my pedia doctor who calls me Mishka. i like it either way even though i can’t pronounce it.

you know, i’m not all eat, poop and sleep. i can sing my ABCs, Twinkle Twinkle, Rain Rain Go Away, and Happy Birthday all on my own. i can count up to 12 now, and even count in espanol, thanks to Dora.

i like imitating my lola photocopy stuff with that white machine which my mom always tells me not to touch. i do anyway. buttons are soo nice to press and it makes me feel like a grown up!

i regularly eat itty bitty meals now, and i think my mom is very happy with me. but i like McDo apple pie, ketchup on just about anything, noodle pasta or rice without anything on it, and Cookie Crisps. i can eat kalamansi without wincing! my mom says my taste is really weird. sometimes i eat better when we’re dining out, and i think it’s because of the pretty bright lights and nice tables and spoons to mess around with.

i’m quite the party girl too ’cause i love to sing and dance. you can play any song and i’ll dance to it, even native music which my tito ian plays sometimes. he says it’s for school, but i think sometimes they just love to see me dance ’cause i’m good at it. and as you can see, i’m a very good model.

i know all basic shapes when mommy shows me stuff, and i know the letters of the alphabet! well, most of them. Z is for Zebra, you know. i’m still learning colors but i got Blue right, i think.

i love wearing dresses, especially long, billowy ones. i like how it flaps around me when i twirl. i’d ask my mom to let me wear one even when i don’t have to leave the house. and i like putting on make up too, just like lola and mommy. but i think they just pretend to put some on me when i ask them. sneaky, sneaky.

that’s about it. i’m one happy little girl that loves everything cute, cuddly, shiny, and sweet. oh, and i love bubble baths too!

Does this mean I don’t have to worry?

Is My Toddler Eating Enough?

It’s hard enough to get your toddler to sit still for meals, let alone keep track of how much he eats! But there are easy guidelines to help you figure out if your toddler is getting the nourishment he needs.

Three bites of pasta here, a half an orange there, a handful of Cheerios on the go. Ever wonder if your finicky, distracted toddler is eating enough? And what gives with the days he suddenly eats as though he’s wolfing down his last meal? Why

the inconsistency? Rest assured that extreme fluctuations in appetite are fairly typical toddler eating habits. (Read the rest of the article here)

hmm. ewan ko lang ha. but so far she’s been like a normal 2 year old — makulit, malikot, maingay. haha. so i think she’s pretty ok, just on the lighter side of the scale. blame it on the genes then.

it pays to be polite

watch your words, ma!

especially when you’re polite to your toddler. i love how kids can easily imitate an adult’s actions and words. their minds are just a sponge, even at this early age. the rate of learning is just so fast that you don’t know where to start teaching them.

so i started when Mia began talking. or blabbering, that is. simple everyday conversations would be my mode of teaching and i would always say “please”, “thank you”, “welcome”, “excuse me”, and even “see you, ingat”.

guess what, those are phrases she regularly use now. sometimes i don’t even tell her to say them, but since she hears that from us at home, she just copies.

case in point is the “excuse me”. i was just surprised one day a few months back when she wanted to pass through and i was blocking her way. she tried to push me aside and said, “etut me!” very loudly (and maybe even a little irritated).

now that just made my day.