President Mama

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Pa-Sosyal Si Barbie

I’m sure many of you parents out there try to be very careful about what you say around the kids. When you are talking about some juicy piece of news about a relative, you rarely mention names and would prefer to use “Kwan” and “Si Ano” as aliases. Or some of you just spell out names, news, any chismis.

But spelling things out, literally, has a limit. Once the kids reach grade school, your spelling days are over.

So instead you try to use high fallutin’ terms which they will rarely, we hope, fathom.

However, things tend to backfire…sometimes…

Gaby : “Adi lets play with our Barbies. Bring them all out.”
Adi : “Lets make hati na lang, Ate. Some for you some for me and lets have a party!”
Gaby : “No, I want to have clubs na lang.”
Adi : “Ok, my club will be named Berries!!”
Gaby : “My club’s name is THE SOCIAL BUTTERFLIES!”

Posted in Ismol Tok, The Hezzies.

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By Cookie – July 29, 2010

Politics and Sports…Do Not Mix

Overheard while watching the Ateneo-DLSU game…Gaby invited a playmate over to play and watch the game.

Ateneo was leading by 9 points..

Gaby : “YEY!! GO ATENEO!!

Playmate : “YEY!!”

Gaby : “I love Ateneo. Eh you, who are you for?”

Playmate : “Noynoy!! Noynoy!! Noynoy!!”

Posted in Ismol Tok, The Hezzies.

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By Cookie – July 25, 2010

Heartfelt Prayer

Gaby’s prayer last night….

“Dear God, please cure the pepe (boil) on my gum already. And please take away my Mom’s allergy. And please wake me up early so I won’t be late for school. And please don’t let it be traffic tomorrow so I won’t be late. And please tell Mama to pick me up early. Thank you. Good night. Ay wait, I forgot. Please don’t put tartar on my teeth, OK. Goodnight.”

Posted in Ismol Tok, The Hezzies.

3 comments

By Cookie – July 19, 2010

More Hair…More Pogeh

After watching Percy Jackson, the girls were so smitten with the character that they both decided that he was one of the coolest kids around. When they told their Dad about their feelings, this is what happened.

Gaby : “Papa, Percy Jackson is sooooooo cool!! And he is sooooo pogeh!”
Papa : “More pogeh than me?”
Gaby : “You’re pogeh too, Papa.”
Papa : “Yah, but who is more pogeh?”
Gaby : “Uhm….Percy! He has more hair kasi, so he is more pogeh.”

Posted in Ismol Tok, The Hezzies, The VP.

1 comment

By Cookie – July 19, 2010

The Birds and The Bees According To a 1st Grader

With the current debate on whether sex education should be part of the curriculum as early as preschool, it came as a surprise that a few days ago my youngest kid blurted, “Mama, how are babies made?”

It was so spontaneous and I didn’t know how to handle it.

My first taste of sex ed happened in 7th grade when I had homework for my biology class. We were studying the reproductive system and I was reviewing with my grandma. I guess it was her protective nature which made her decide to use “safe” words in explaining the process to me. And to think she happened to be an educator par excellence.

Anyway, the review went this way….

“The puchikoy of the boy and the puchikay of the girl……(you get the picture)”

I pretty much understood what she was trying to say, though not scientifically. But I got it. Up to the time I had to study the process in earnest later on, I was still using puchikoy and puchikay as descriptive terms of….you know what and you know what.

So, with my kid asking the same question, I didn’t want to shock her with the “puchikoy/puchikay theory” just yet. Luckily, my eldest saved the day. Mind you, we haven’t talked “birds and bees” yet. She just had her own theory.

Gaby’s theory goes this way…..

A baby starts as a bean in Mama’s tummy. Then Mama has to keep eating healthy food so the bean will grow. When its time to come out, Mama has to scream, “The baby is coming out!!!” and Papa has to rush her to the hospital so the doctors can take the baby out.

This made Adi happy because all the while she thought that babies were born in the toilet.

As for this whole issue on whether sex ed should be taught early, well, I think it should be the parents who explain the basics. I guess its the “old school” in me. And I’m dying to use the “puchikoy/puchikay” theory.

Posted in Ismol Tok, The Hezzies, Yearn To Learn.

3 comments

By Cookie – July 8, 2010

No More School Jitters

One month into the new school year and things are already looking up.

Sure the schedule is a killer but I was totally expecting it. Never mind that I barely get any sleep. Sleeping at past midnight and getting up before 5a.m. is like taking a nap but I’m not complaining. Never mind that I’ve been wracking my brain trying to figure out what to prepare for my daughter’s packed lunch. I don’t hear her complaining so I suppose I’m not doing so bad…so far.

But what really got me worried was that my eldest didn’t take to her first few days in elementary school too well.

On her very first day she was crying buckets. She refused to be left alone and made me stay outside her classroom until I was ushered away by the Grade School coordinator. During assembly time for the first flag raising ceremony she was sniffling and pretending to be ok.

When I picked her up later in the day she confessed that she was terrified. She said that she was scared because she didn’t know what Grade 1 would be like. And I’m assuming she was shocked at how different grade school was like compared to the safe and comfy confines of her preschool and prep classes. No matter how often I told her that grade school was just like prep only better, I don’t think she bought it.

It remained this way for the next few days. The “going-to-school” ritual would always include several packs of tissue paper.

But one day when I picked her up, I noticed that she had a huge smile on her face. As she was walking to me I saw that she was with 2 other girls and they were busy chatting up a storm. I also noticed that she was in no hurry to get to me. In fact, it looked like she was stalling and buying time so she could stay with her friends a little longer. Her friends were pretty much doing the same thing.

As she rode the car she gleefully announced that she had made 2 new BFF’s and that they were making “chismis” the whole day. She also asked me to take her to school early so she could be with her friends right away.

The next day I made sure to get up earlier so we could go to school early. My kid was all excited too. A complete contrast to her demeanor in the last week or so. And when I dropped her off she was more than happy to go to school. Its been that way since. Proof that friends can really turn a gloomy day into one that you look forward to.

Posted in School, The Hezzies.

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By Cookie – July 1, 2010

Presidential Facts According To A 1st Grader

I knew that something would go wrong. My 1st grade daughter came home yesterday and promptly showed me her Homework notebook. In it was written, “Watch the Presidential/Vice-Presidential Inauguration because it is a historic event.”

So this morning I announced that she wasn’t allowed to play in the neighbor’s house because she had to watch the inaugural coverage.

Immediately after breakfast I turned on the television. My husband, noticing that I was flitting back and forth from the room and the kitchen (I was preparing lunch early so I could watch too), volunteered to annotate the program for our kid.

After PNoy delivered his inaugural speech I decided to give the kid a spot quiz, just to see if she really understood what she just watched. Lets just say it was a lesson in understanding how a young mind works.

Question 1 : Who is the new President of the Philippines?
Answer : Noynoy Aquino

Question 2 : Who is the new Vice President of the Philippines?
Answer : JEJEmar Binay the leader of the Jejemons

Question 3 : Where does Noynoy live?
Answer : Near Lola’s house. (my Mom lives 3 minutes away)

Question 4 : Where was the Inauguration held?
Answer : Near STC (the convoy passed the same route we take to school)

Question 5 : Where will the President live now?
Answer : Malacanang Bahay

Posted in School, The Hezzies, Yearn To Learn.

3 comments

By Cookie – June 30, 2010

1 Point Goes To The Veep

Everyone in the family knows that my husband and I have pretty weird conversations. It follows since each of us have an unconventional sense of humor that actually complement each other.

So its no surprise to have us trading cuss words and colorfully worded insults which are not meant to hurt each other. We just talk to each other that way.

Proof.

Over the weekend we had to schedule an emergency trip to my hubby’s hometown due to a death in the family. We were mostly somber during the trip until we reached the Candaba swamps. There was a huge sign christening the swamps as “The Candaba Wetlands” which, to me, seemed very appealing and better sounding than swamps.

Anyway, since we were on our way to a wake, the subject of death came up. I asked if their family intended to have the deceased relative cremated since this was the “uso” thing to do these days. Apparently not, at least in their family.

So I said that if and when it was my time, I wanted to be brought straight to the crematory from my death bed. I didn’t want a wake. I just wanted to be cremated right away. And I wanted my ashes scattered in the Candaba Wetlands to serve as fertilizer.

My husband gave a snicker and said, “Pag namatay ka, ikakalat ko ang abo mo sa SnR at sa Trinoma. Para you can be in your favorite shopping places forever!!”

End of conversation. One point goes to the hubs.

Posted in Ismol Tok, The VP.

2 comments

By Cookie – June 9, 2010

Party Pooper…Not!!

Ever since summer started, our breakfast table has been HQ for the neighborhood kids. It isn’t anymore surprising to have one or two of our neighbors over for breakfast tagging with them special breakfast requests. There are days when I have to cook up another batch of pancakes, hash browns, grilled cheese sandwiches, eggs and hotdogs. If I’m lucky, they ask for cereal. But I’m not complaining. The kids love that they have friends over and so do I.

However, this morning was a bit different. Blame my PMS and the fact that I barely got any sleep because I downed a mug of coffee after dinner because I was sleepy as early as 7pm. So anyway the kids had their BFF’s over for breakfast and they were talking about the birthday party they were attending this weekend. They were talking fashion. One kid was coming in an origami dress, the other was coming as Hannah Montana, Adi was going as a ballerina princess, and Gaby wanted to go as a female Adam Lambert (a girl version is what I mean…hehehe).

They were all trying to outdo each other and getting into a heated conversion and I was hearing ringing in my ears. I was, to say it nicely, getting damned irritated. Their screechy voices all together was beginning to sound like long nails on a blackboard. I had to put a stop to it so I asked if parents were allowed to the party. Affirmative.

So I said, “Hmmmmm…I wonder what I’ll wear? I know!! (with matching Eureka expression) I’m going to wear that green bikini that barely covers my boobs…the one I almost threw away. Finally I can wear it.”

Silence.

In unison, “NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!”

Then I said, “Ok, I’ll just wear my blue bikini then. The one with the hole in the middle.”

I finally ate in complete silence.

Posted in G's, Home & Hearth, The Hezzies.

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By Cookie – May 31, 2010

The President Goes To Congress

This is real….this is Me!! And I’m sitting in the future office of PGMA. I just happened to pay Congress a visit so I could watch the joint house canvassing of COC’s.

But before moving to the session hall, I had lunch in this office. Yes, in this very office!!! I had half a club sandwich and a can of soda ordered from the coffee shop downstairs.

Posted in G's.

4 comments

By Cookie – May 28, 2010