SDC: Field Trip Friday - Nature Park

For our Field Trip Friday (which I moved to a Saturday) I took the kids to La Mesa Eco-Park. We haven't been there before, but I heard some good reviews about the place so I decided to check it out with the kids in tow, plus my sisters and nephew and niece.

I was having a Nigella Lawson moment again, and baked corn muffins early in the morning to bring to the park for our lunch picnic. That was going to be our food contribution. My sisters took it upon themselves to bring BBQ and pancit palabok made by my mom's cook, of course. Come lunch time, the kids wouldn't touch my muffins finding them too "grainy". A quick aside about the corn muffins: I made them with organic medium ground cornmeal and organic ground flaxseed, bought from Healthy Options. So there was a price premium to that, which I thought shouldn't matter because it was healthier. I personally liked the nuttiness that it brought to the muffins. I guess it's just me. My own kids wouldn't touch them, and preferred to use them as fish food instead. Those traitors! :)

click on the pic for enlarged view

Click on pic for enlarged view

The park is clean and the attractions are well-maintained. There are a lot of activities to do : fishing, koi fish feeding, biking, swimming, butterfly park, hiking trail, if you count the numerous flowers blooming, then you also have a botanical garden. All in all, I'd have to say the park is worth another visit - if the place is not crowded. So going on a weekend or on a holiday is definitely out of the question. The weekend crowd is just about as crazy as Megamall having a sale - only this is worse! Entrance cost P50 and if you are a Quezon City resident you get additional discount, if you can show them a valid ID. Take a hint from the entrance fee!

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SDC: Make It Monday (Tie Dye Shirts)

If you have the patience for it, tye-dyeing with your kids can be a really wonderful bonding activity, and a great way for the kids to make their own summer fashion statement. If you are a newbie to the tie-dye fashion bug, make like me and head off to the nearest computer and look it up in the web. There are a lot of resources available to help you get started and get some tips from the experts along the way.

It is really simple and the materials needed can easily be found at any grocery or department store: bowls, rubber bands, marbles, fabric dyes, hot water, clothespins, and of course the garments to be dyed.. Since I only had one size of marbles lying around the house, and I wanted a variety in our spherical patterns, I made do and used salad macaroni instead.

It was a make-your-own fashion adventure for the kids, as I made them choose what pattern and color they wanted for their shirts. J chose to have a blue striped shirt, with some green in the middle to break the monotony. B, my li'l fashionista was adamant and wanted a "golden yellow" (her exact words) shirt with spherical patterns. R decided on a blue ombre.

The whole morning was spent soaking up the garments in the dye. Since the dye is permanent, I had the kids don C's tatty shirts. The over-sized tees, which I pinned with clothespins at the sleeves gathering towards the neckline, made them look like ancient Romans and they had a kick out of it.

The expressive patterns that resulted when we took off the rubber bands thrilled the kids. I am sure this is one activity that won't be forgotten.

click on the pic for a larger view

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Attachment Parenting

I would just like to share with everybody what my friend, Betty P, e-mailed me about the importance of having one-on-one time with each of our kids. I remember attending a parenting seminar by Maribel Dionisio sponsored by B and R's pre-school early this year, where one-on-one time was also mentioned as vital to our relationship with our kids.. I did take her example to heart and encouraged C to do the same. We started incorporating that to our family routine, although not as often as the kids liked it to be.

Let me share with you what transpired on a recent one-on-one date between C and my eldest, J. They both left home after dinner to have dessert. This was J's reward for actively participating in a recently concluded soccer clinic sponsored by our church. As C shared with me, banter was light at first. They had fun talking about whose nose was bigger, archie trivia (did you know that Mr. Lodge's first name is Hiram?), and J fretting the fact that she got her dad's genes. She worried that her feet would grow so big and her height would shoot up making her the biggest girl in class - and that no one would like her because of this.

Then they moved on to more serious matters of the heart. J mentioned that mommy was grumpy a lot lately. And so, of course, C, being the good husband that he is, justified that i might just be pre-occupied and tired, and needed some personal time. That rationalization went well with her, but after thinking (i guess) about it, she wanted to know why couldn't I simply make my cup bigger? If I had a bigger cup, then it won't be filled right away, she reasoned. Yes, of course! Now, why didn't I think of that first? :)

Having shared that, I am grateful that my "grumpiness" has been called to my attention. Of course, I want to make life at home as pleasant for my family as possible, and a being grumpy mom is not the way to do it.

Here is the article, which I am attaching in full.

Keeping Attachment Strong
By Toni Schutta, Parent Coach for Unlimited Growth Potential and President of Families First Coaching

What makes a good mother?
"You don't need to be rich or smart or talented or funny. You just have to be there." -Psychologist Robert Karen

A friend, shared a wonderful story recently in a seminar on "Smart Parenting." She said that ever since her children were little, she's set aside special one-on-one time with each of her children. She made a commitment to do this once a week and put it on the calendar. As her children became teenagers, this became harder to do, but yet they persevered.

One time, my friend had an important work commitment that conflicted with the breakfast date she'd made with her 15-year-old son. When she told him that they'd have to postpone, he actually got tears in his eyes, even though they were just postponing the date until the next day.
Wouldn't we all love to have that type of bond with our children, at any age?

We talk a lot about "attachment" when our children are young, but then the conversation fades to other topics. I contend that we must work diligently to make sure our attachment with our children is ever-growing and ever deepening. In fact, I believe that keeping attachment strong is our most critical task.

Attachment is the basis from which discipline, respect, communication and authority grow. When your attachment is firmly grounded, the other parenting duties are more likely to be effective.

Many factors contribute to keeping "attachment" alive as our children grow. Being emotionally available to our children, loving them unconditionally, meeting their basic needs, being consistent in our discipline, being responsive to their pain and maintaining open communication, to name a few. But I'd like to go out on a limb and say that one of the most concrete things that you can do to deepen attachment is to spend one-on-one "special time" each week with each child.

Why is this so important?

A child is far more likely to reveal intimate feelings to you when you're alone with them. It¹s highly unlikely that a child, who may be feeling vulnerable already, will reveal perceived weaknesses in front of a sibling. But, given time to let down their guard with a parent, they may let you in on struggles they wouldn't reveal at the dinner table.

By having your sole attention, the child will feel valued. You're making a huge statement to them that nothing else is more important to you.

Your child will treasure this time. Remember when your kids were little and they¹d say "Look at me!"? They still need us to look at them and let them know that they're #1.

In his book, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families" Stephen Covey talks about an "Emotional Bank Account" that you can develop with other family members. He says the Emotional Bank Account "is like a financial account that can make deposits by proactively doing things that build trust in the relationship, or you can make withdrawals by reactively doing things that decrease the level of trust."

Things like being kind, apologizing, not criticizing others, keeping promises, forgiving and providing unconditional love, all contribute to the bank account. I'd say that weekly one-on-one time with each child would contribute a substantial deposit in the emotional bank account from which you could leverage things like compliance to your requests, respect, and honest communication.

Given that attachment is the base from which all other aspects of parenting flow, I hope you'll consider making this weekly "investment" that is guaranteed to bring you even closer to your child.

Here are some guidelines for getting started:
*Start small. You can commit to as little as 15 to 30 minutes a week.
*Put the special time on the calendar in ink! Try very hard to keep that commitment.
*Let the child choose how you spend your time together.

The child's inner needs will direct them to choose an activity that brings them joy. Let the child be the leader for a change! (Before you get started, feel free to set boundaries about the activities, such as the amount of time or the cost.)

Relax, and enjoy this special time with your child!

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You go, soccer girl!

Sharing with you the photo layout that I made of J during the one-week soccer clinic at Corinthians. I have decided that this summer is going to be a sports-filled summer for the kids. And the plan is, after soccer comes swimming, and in between that biking - without trainer wheels!

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My Cup Runs Over

With three kids that came one after the other, and with the two younger ones that came so close together, I have always experienced a limit to my creativity, energy, and most important of all, patience, when dealing with them. In my quest to be God's best for my kids, I continuously attend parenting seminars sponsored by the school or church, read parenting articles and books... anything to motivate and inspire me. No matter how many articles I read or seminars I attend, inspite of my best efforts, my patience still leaves me at those times when I need it the most.

J would ask me every so often which child do I love best. How do you answer that? Each one of them is truly unique and one child's strength is the other's weak spot.

Take J for example, she is the perfect eldest child - patient with her younger siblings, joyfully helpful with chores, and her willingness to try new things is just simply God-sent especially when I need to encourage the 2 younger ones to participate in a new activity/sport. But she is not that diligent when it comes to matters of hygiene and organization.

B, on the other hand, doesn't need to be reminded to arrange her things in a neat and orderly manner. She is fastidious and attentive to detail and this is where my problem with her stubbornness comes in. She wants to do things her way and at her own pace. Threats and glares don't work on her. She takes some time to adjust to new places, people and activities.

R, being the only boy and the youngest one at that, is emotionally attached to me. He is constantly trying to compete with B for my attention, prompting B to call him her echo. However, he also lives to please his dad. His playful spirit and active body makes for a tired yaya.

I try to have some quiet time in the morning when they are all still sleeping, and pray for more patience and love to give during the day, wisdom to teach and lead by example. But on the days that everything just go from bad to worse, when frustration, annoyance, exasperation, irritation, infuriation (well, you get the drift) takes over, I end up hating myself at the end of the day because I know I had let myself and the kids down again.

To let the kids understand where my frustration comes from, I have thought of a simple way to illustrate how negative feelings build up. I started with J since the I didn't think the 2 younger ones would be able to understand it yet. I brought her to the sink and showed her an empty cup. I turned on the tap a little and let some water drip to the cup. I did this a couple of times till the cup was almost full. I stopped (for added drama, of course) and pointed out to her that now all it takes was just one tiny drop to make the water inside the cup overflow. And having said that, I turned on the tap again, and true enough the water overflowed. And that, I said, was how Mommy sometimes just simply blows her top at seemingly petty acts. Presentation done. Point made.

I thought of Stormie Omartian and remembered that it's not being a perfect parent that makes a difference in our children's lives. It's a being a praying parent that does! As Stormie wrote: For it's the power of God that penetrates a child's life when a parent prays. God knows our thoughts and our needs, but he responds to our prayers.

And with that, I say good night. Tomorrow morning will find me praying again for more patience and love to give during the day, wisdom to teach and lead by example.

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Pampanga Food Trip

My blog has moved.  Please read more post at the phenomenal mama.   I hope you follow me there to read NEW posts!

 I decided to re-acquaint myself with my mother's hometown of Pampanga after reading so many food bloggers rave about their culinary food trips to San Fernando. This trip is the first time in a looong while that I will be spending an entire day in the town which holds in its roads and landmarks all the cherished memories I have of summer days of long ago.

My grandfather started his own restaurant, hotel, and appliance store along Henson st. in Angeles City as a way to comfortably raise 9 kids. Along the way, all my titos somehow got involved in the same line of business. I remember spending those summer vacations in the province and eating anything that I want, anytime of the day. (Actually, since I spent my grade school years in Davao, it was more of moving from one province to the other.) My grandparents' residence was on the the second floor of the restaurant and during summers, this is what I call home. Upon waking, I simply ordered whatever i fancied and the kitchen will have it ready in no time. Breakfast was usually pritong baboy (no doubt they contributed to those stubborn cellulites I couldn't get rid of now) and garlic rice. And if my lola ate with me, she would usually share 1 cheek of a ripe mango with me. The other cheek, she would eat with her rice, yes, as ulam! Lunch would usually be at the Chinese restaurant of my Tito M in Balibago, along MacArthur Hi-way. I remember loving their toasted bihon (which i still crave to this day! Occasionally, my mom brings this as pasalubong for me when she visits her family in Angeles), crab fooyung, nido soup and of course the patatim. And for dessert, my cousin, J, li'l sis, C, and I would just cross the street and head over to my Tito E's bakeshop, where the ube cake is simply to die for. The three of us would then head over to Century and get one room for ourselves. (You can view the hotel's webpage right here, which my brother designed by the way.) We would spend the afternoon watching videos, or lounge by the pool to get a tan. I also remember with fondness that if the travel bug hit us, those summer afternoons were also spent traversing the MacArthur Hi-way from Nepomart (to indulge our sweet tooth with imported candies and chocolates which Nepo was bursting to the seams with) upto the far end of Dau (to shop for PX clothes and shoes.) **Fashion Flashback (or Nightmare): hi-cut Reeboks in eye-numbing colors, Tretorn, K-swiss, acid washed denims and baggy jeans were the height of teen-fashion those days). At night, we would head over to Phase4, a dance club located at the same compound of the hotel, and order strawberry daiquiris ( I was feeling very grown up at twelve). With this culinary gorging every summer, I am very lucky indeed that I haven't turned into a pig.

Last Saturday, with our 3 kids in tow, safely buckled up in each of their own car seats, C and I started our own culinary journey by leaving Manila a few minutes past ten o'clock in the morning. We agreed we wouldn't be doing the usual Shell Select stopover to leave room in our stomach for the feast that was waiting for us at Pampanga. The kids were busy watching a Veggie Tales DVD and singing along to the songs, and that kept them busy for the entire trip. We took the San Fernando exit and headed straight for Everybody's Cafe. This cafe is not actually a cafe but a glorified carenderia of sorts. We had the most wonderful lunch, and the most wonderful thing of all was that it did not burn a hole in C's wallet. This is the best of the best when it comes to provincial comfort food. The kids ate up everything. J loved the lechon kawali and fried hito, which is best eaten dipped in balo-balo and then wrapped with mustasa, B finished her bulalo soup, R finished off the morcon. This resto is a personal fave for it truly represents Pampanga cuisine at its best. The food is great, price is cheap, and the service is fast. It doesn't hurt that it also showcases the wildly exotic cuisine that is uniquely Kapampangan. Think Fear Factor exotic... crickets, carabao, frogs, et al.

Our next destination was Abe's Farm (same owner of Abe's over at Serendra). I actually had reservation made here for lunch, but canceled at the last minute since the disappointment of my Abe's experience at Serendra still haunts me. Still, i wanted to check the place out as a possible weekend destination with the kids, an alternative to Tagaytay. It is located at the foot of Mt. Arayat so the place was quite windy and cool. They have a wading pool and have tied up with Nurture Spa to offer relaxing massages for weary travelers. And weary is what you are going to be once you get there. But going back to Abe's... I remember Manila being all abuzz when Abe's opened an outlet at Serendra about 2 years ago. The long queue of guest who were willing to wait 2-3 hours just to get a table intrigued me. So i made reservations and hauled C and the kids to try this new and much talked about Kapampangan resto. Growing up with a mom and a family cook who are Kapampangans has not been beneficial for me as this has left me with such a high standard - gustatorily. Suffice it to say that i was not impressed at all and am in fact wondering what the fuss was all about. But let's move on to more relevant fodders, i mean, matters.

After that, we were off to search for Cold Spoon. This is located in such an out-of-the way spot that we got lost looking for it. I had to call Joan (the Korean owner) 2 times before we finally got it right. But everything was worth it. The yogurt tasted just right and very creamy. The tanginess of the yogurt was not overbearing like Nestle's. Plus, you get to order toppings. Unfortunately for us, almost everybody was suffering from sore throat so we had to muster every bit of self control to just get a few bites in and not pig out. The place only had two tables inside and plenty more outside. But under the scorching heat of the Philippine summer sun, everybody was pushing their way in. We gave up our table and left right after we were done with our orders.

Since i already ordered a Chocolate Decadence Cake from Doren Tayag a few days before we left Manila, i scheduled to meet up with her to get the cake. She normally doesn't do meet-ups, and would just ask customers to pick up orders from her Carmenville house. But she made an exception this time and agreed to meet me at Susie's right in the middle of Nepo. Doren has been one of the family's favorite persons to go to when we are craving for out of this world cakes. Her rhum cakes are also the best that I have tasted, and that is saying a lot because I have first tasted her rhum cakes more that a decade ago.

Susie's is a required pit stop whenever in Pampanga if only for their heavenly tibok-tibok. Lola L would always bring this from Angeles whenever she comes to Manila for a visit. Although, the Cassava is another yummy kakanin that this place serves. Puto is good. Palabok, one of the best. Leche Flan, creamy. Sapin-sapin, mochi, kuchinta, et al. This is kakanin heaven, I tell you. And did I already mention that the tibok-tibok is heavenly? :)

There are numerous other restaurants to try that haven't been mentioned. Like Nathaniel's, Aurely's, Perfect Loaf, Zapata's, Jun-Jun's, Sub-delicious, Corazon's, Cabigtings, and the list really goes on and on.
 
Choice of restaurant for dinner was a no-brainer. It just had to be C Italian Dining. Awarded by the Phil. Tatler as Best Restaurant for 2 years in a row, and rightfully so! The star of the show, for me, is the panizza. Pizza with a crust so thin, you eat it rolled - with alfalfa sprouts and my favorite, arugula. This is such a unique take on eating pizza. Plus, how can anything go wrong with arugula in it? Of course, for C, the house specialty would be the flank steak, but since this one is meant for sharing (4-6 persons) we didn't order this time. But he vows to come back with enough company next time to order this.
 
Right about this time, tiredness and slumber came to visit the kids. This ensured a quiet trip back to Manila where we relived the day's events in our minds, contented and fortunate that we went through this pleasurable experience with each other. The quiet time gave me the perfect chance to give thanks to Him who is the source of all good things.

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Summer Art Camp - week1

For our first week in our summer Day Camp, I decided to go easy on the kids and started with a very easy project: feathered pencils. All they had to do was stick feathers and ribbons onto the tip of the pencil where the eraser used to be. This proved to be quite simple, even for R. The only tricky part was trying not to get scorched by the hot glue gun.

Day 2 was just a continuation of painting, finishing their undone work. Day 3 was baking day. I had them help me make vegan brownies with swiss meringue buttercream frosting. Vegan, of course, since all three kids have a multititude of allergies. I just love that there are so many variations on how to make cupcakes now, that even those with egg allergies can, well, have their cake and eat it, too. Don't let the epicurean-sounding frosting fool you, it's very easy to make! The kids took turns packing the brown sugar, sifting the flour, and beating the frosting to stiff peaks. Of course, everybody's hands got dirtied (and licked!) from decorating all those cupcakes. We made all sorts - bugs, butterflies, monograms, and my personal fave - swirls!

click on the pic for a larger view

On Thursday, I decided to wake up early, ahead of everybody. This was going to be picnic day and I was feeling very nigella lawson-esque and wanted to personally prepare all the food that we were going to bring. So the whole morning was spent doing just that, with the kids helping when they got up. We made stuffed mushrooms and spinach-artichoke dip with garlic toasted baguette. We got to the picnic field at just the perfect time. The kids were all well-rested after their nap. The afternoon sun was just about to set, and the wind was just right to do some kite-flying. My sis in-law, her husband and their li'l girl joined us for some afternoon fun in the sun.

click on the pic for a larger view

Day 5 was the usual painting day for us. Day 6 was the highly anticipated Pampanga Food Trip. This is the family's first outing of the gustatory kind, and since we are a family who loves to eat, this trip is a most awaited event. Click here to read more about the food trip. Just thinking about it compels my mind to make me type down Mangan tamu! Manyaman ini!

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Prologue: Ong Family Summer Art Camp 2008

With school officially over a few weeks ago, I became like all the other moms I know and hurriedly began to look for fun activites for the 3 kids. I know I wanted them to continue with their annual swimming classes. Plus there is the church sponsored soccer clinic that I really want J to join. And then, J has also shown some interest in skating. She definitely wants to do arts and crafts. I was also thinking of football for them. Joining the McDonald's Kiddie Crew was also discussed. It was a long drawn lists of activities between the 2 of us, J and me.

So off we went to Art Camp Bezalel to make some inquiries about their 3-week module of arts & crafts for both J and B. J has already attended two years ago and she really had a great time then. It was the usual Q&A between the probing parent and the eager-to-close-the-deal receptionist. Then it hit me that I can do this whole arts and crafts shebang right at home! I love doing arts and crafts. I love painting. I love drawing. And I definitely love baking. So I hastily ended the conversation with the receptionist and prepared to leave. While driving, I casually dropped the idea about this whole project to J, which I now famously call “The Ong Family Summer Art Camp 2008”. She was as excited to say the least. She went online the moment we got home and researched for activities to do. We finalized her list after lunch and went straight to the bookstore and crafts store to buy all the supplies that we were going to need. We made a schedule that we can stick to, that way we can all treat it like the real thing and not slack off in the middle of the project (okay, maybe I was the only one who needed that). We came up with themes for specific days. Like we made a “Make-it-Monday”, “Field Trip Friday”, Tuesday’s Tasty Treats”, and then there’s also “Swimming Saturday”.

The list goes on, and we are just as limited as our imagination. I will be posting some of our works and trips in the coming days.

Of course, I will still be enrolling the kids in the things that i can't teach them personally, due to lack of , ehem, talent. Soccer clinic is ongoing as I write this. Swimming should come after, and should J find that soccer is the sports for her, I have already found the perfect soccer module for her right here.

This is one of the best decisions I have made regarding their summer activities. For not only did I save C P15 grand. I also get to spend a lot of time bonding with the kids. And that is simply irreplaceable.

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The Phenomenal Woman. Get to know me.

I am Tina. Married to C since 1999. We dated 3 years prior to that.

I am a mom to 3 kids. Before being pregnant, i could never imagine myself being a mom. Thought that I had no maternal instinct whatsoever. Never really liked kids, more so crying babies. Little did I know that all it takes to awaken the mommy in me is to see my li'l one right after delivery. Everything about parenting just came naturally, like there was a online manual waiting to be clicked for auto-download.

I love fashion and everything else beautiful! Motherhood and raising three kids haven't changed that, although it has certainly put a serious dent in my wallet. I have always prioritized quality over quantity, and the same goes for keeping friends as well.

Martha Stewart Living is a fave mag to browse through, if only to pretend I am a great domestic goddess. My domestic skills have greatly improved, even if it took me 8 long years before I realized I have to start somehow.

I love Photoshop! I love to create photograph albums and brag books, too. Thus, you will be be seeing my works in some of my posts.

I love arts and craft! I love making crafts projects with my kids. I have always loved to paint and sketch, and I thank my mother for enrolling me in all those art classes when I was growing up.

I love reading! A lazy saturday afternoon would find me in bed with about a dozen or so books and magazines with topics as varied as fashion, health/fitness, self help, cooking, beauty, parenting, travel, relationships, religion, etc.

I love writing! It has been a passion that I have stuck with for more than 2 decades. It is unfortunate though that my love for it is not as great as my talent for it. (but that's where trying hard comes in. Wink!)

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Reason & Cognition.: Why this blog came to be.

Late to the technology party as I am, I am having such a wonderful time discovering the wonderful world of blogging. I started this blog primarily to record the goings-on in my family’s life. Hopefully, when my kids read this in the future, they will relive all the happy memories, laugh at all the silly anecdotes, and feel a tug in their hearts at each tender-hearted moment.

Our Phenomenal Life is all about the life experiences of my family, about life as we live it – from a mommy’s point of view. While being a work at home mom is not easy, and I definitely have my “monster mommy” moments. I ultimately still think I am lucky, that all I worry and stress about is to make sure the kids are well-behaved, plan our dinner and merienda menus, come up with the family’s weekend/summer/vacation activities. I am fortunate that C encourages me to be there full-time for the kids. C and I both completely devote ourselves to our family and try to be God’s best for the kids, but more so for each other.

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