Tales of my journey in lifeAdventures in achieving work-life balance…

We have been receiving a lot of praises lately for the things that we do. And we have to admit that these commendations bolster our confidence. However, we have to be very careful not to bloat our ego and think highly of ourselves. We only have to be thankful to HIM for giving us our skills and talents. I once read in a forwarded email the following lines…

"He who asks is a fool for five minutes. He who does not remains a fool forever."

And I would also like to quote the Holy Bible…

Let no one deceive himself. If any one among you considers himself wise in this age, let him become a fool so as to become wise. – 1 Corinthians 3:18

If you will observe the people who are highly successful in their field, you will notice one common value. Humility. They always have this beginner’s mind-set and they are always open to learning new things. Try to look also at those who think they already know everything and you will notice that they are still at the bottom.

Reflection:

Do you see yourself as wise and you no longer need to learn new things? Do have the AKNY (alam-ko-na-yan) attitude? Is it helping you? Or is it hindering you from becoming a better person?

Be blessed,

My 4-year old daughter Ayen who is very much a kinesthetic learner is always testing my creativity and patience. I have been teaching her phonics but we always have to end after five or ten minutes after I start. I tried using flash cards, meta-cards, singing songs but the idea was not well-accepted by my daughter. She did learn a few but not in the pace I wanted.

Last Wednesday, I wanted to give it a try again. However, she requested to have a story-telling session instead. I relented. But her angels must have whispered to me for a brilliant idea entered my mind as I was starting to tell my story.

I picked up a clean paper, drew on the paper the story of Little Red Riding Hood (her favorite story of the month). But with a twist. Little Red Riding Hood has to read the letters/words written on the road so she can have the power to topple down the big bad wolf and so she can reach her grandmother’s house.

(Forgive me for my sloppy drawing. Now you understand why creativity is a challenge to me?)

In spite of my horrible drawing, it was a hit! My daughter read the phonics aloud and she did it well! I was elated!

After their afternoon nap, we had another activity which was also a hit. We played piko (children’s game of hopscotch) but also with a twist. Instead of the usual course, I drew the phonics and my daughter has to read the words right before she can move to the next box. When she completed all the boxes, she got a price which was a just a Voice biscuit but was more than enough to make her happy. Below is a sample of the course. I just changed the words/phonics when she successfully completes one course.

I know these are just simple discoveries. And some would say that I do not have to go through the trouble of thinking how to teach my kids and I could have left it to an educated pre-school teacher. But it feels so great discovering my children. And my kids love it as well…

Cheers,

i got tagged by Chuvaness…

1. Kamusta araw mo?
- nakakainis ng konti. hindi ko alam kung bakit may mga taong hindi marunong tumupad ng kanilang mga pangako!

- may konting worry kasi may sakit ang bunso ko

- pero masaya pa rin! still blessed to be breathing at this moment

2. Napagalitan ka ba ng kahit sino ngayon? Sino?
- wala naman… buti na lang!

3. Anong kinain mo ng lunch?
- friend chicken na sinunog ng kasambahay namin dahil nag-prito ng alas-dos ng madaling araw. buti na lang masarap yung pag-marinate ng asawa ko kaya yummy pa rin!

4. Sino kasabay mong nagbreakfast?*
- mag-isa lang ako kasi hindi nagising husband ko. napuyat kasi kakabantay sa bunso naming inuubo.

5. May gawaing palpak ka ba ngayon?
- wala naman…

6. Anong tugtog ang huli mong napakinggan?
- nung sunday pa ang last tugtog na napakinggan ko. humayo’t ihayag ng bukas palad

7. Sinong idol mo?
- maliban kay Jesus, madami pang iba!

8. May kinakatakutan ka ba ngayon?
- hindi naman takot. concern lang. yung bunso ko may sakit kasi, gusto i-confine ng pedia.

9.Ano gagawin mo bukas?
- mag-homeschool sa mga bata…

10. Sino gusto mo makita ngayon? Bakit?
- at this minute, yung bunso ko

11. Kailan ka huling umiyak?
- nung weekend. sa sobrang frustration, napaiyak ako.

12. Anong dahilan?
- see number 1

13. Anong latest realization mo?
- na may mga taong takot tumupad sa mga pangako nila

14. Nahold-up ka na ba?
- sa awa ng Diyos at ng mga holdupper, hindi pa naman

15. Magbigay ka nga ng linya ng kantang nakaka relate sayo..
- "It is not length of life, but depth of life." (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

16. Sino ang kinababaliwan mo ngayon?
- asawa ko!!! (takot ko lang pag iba ang isagot ko, haha!)

17. Sinong online sa messenger service na gamit mo?
- madami sila

18. Ilan ang friendster account mo?
- isa lang po..

19. May sarili ka bang digital camera?
- meron pero yung mumurahin lang

20. Anong kinakain mo ngayon?
- curly tops

21. Gusto mo pa bang makipagbalikan sa kahit sinong ex mo?
- hindi na no! (ganun ulit, baka awayin ako ng asawa ko! seriously, no. i am happy with my significant other)

22. Nasubukan mo na bang makatapak ng ipis?
- yes at nakakadiri

23. Anong lagi mong salitang binabanggit?
- okay

24. ano ang favorite number mo?
- hmm… wala

25. Bakit?
- ewan ko

26. Anong event ang pinakahihintay mo?
- ang magkaroon ng sariling bahay!

27. Anong mahalagang pangyayari ang magaganap next week?
- lilipat kami ng bahay (sana!)

28. Gusto mo bang makapag-aral sa ibang bansa?
- wish ko lang!

29. Nagpaplano ka na ba ng kasal?
- kasal nino? ng anak ko? ngye!

30. Sino ang huling niregaluhan mo?
- kaibigan ko

31. Ano ang kulay ng karamihan sa t-shirts mo?
- red at black

32. Paano mo sinasabi sa isang tao na may gusto ka sa kanya?
- sinasabi ko kung bakit ko sya gusto

33. Saan mo gustong mapunta 2-3 years mula ngayon?
- hmmm…. ang dami eh

34. Sinong namimiss mo ngayon?
- Mama ko

35. May kababata ka ba?
- ang dami at mga bata pa kami hanggang ngayon

36. Music video na huli mong napanood?san?
- wala eh… boring talaga ako

37. San ka mahilig makinig ng music?
- sa laptop ko

38. Album na lagi mong pinapatugtog?
- hillsong, the katinas… mga love songs…

39. Nakakilala ka ba ng bagong friends?
- ang dami rin!

40. Graduate ka na ba?
- hay salamat, yes!

41. Nasaan mga magulang mo?
- tatay ko, hindi ko alam… nanay ko, nasa bahay nya

42. Mahilig ka bang manapak?
- hindi po… takot ako baka masapak din ako

43. Sino sa mga kaibigan mo ang huling nakasama mo?
- mga kasama ko sa community namin

I am tagging Rochelle & Abby

- for the fun and laughter I had with my kids yesterday. we had a blast playing simple games such as bato-bato-pik, samson-delilah-lion, and reading stories. The kids’ laughter was really therapeutic.

- that my son has now recovered from his asthma attack

September. People talk about the start of the ‘ber’ months and the countdown to Christmas begins. But not for me… not yet. My countdown is for the Big Three-Zero. Yap! Turning 30 this year… And this puts me on a reflective mode.

The day is marked!

3-Oh! in

This is indeed a quest…

My husband and I are shepherding six couples who recently graduated from our community’s Marriage Encounter Weekend. After a three-day ME Weekend, the graduates are to meet for 10 follow-up sessions which we call reunions. On our second reunion, my husband and I shared one of the tools that helped improve our relationship. It is not a secret for it is a knowledge very common to everybody but is very difficult to practice - the I Message.

More often than not, people express their feelings, especially negative ones by putting the blame on another person, express how they interpret the action, with the intent of making the other person feel shamefully sorry and beg for forgiveness. However, doing this results to a deeper misunderstanding.

With the I message, a person will express his/her feelings by not blaming, shaming or disgracing the other person.

How do you use the I message? Say it this way…

I feel ____________________________

describe your emotions, be specific. are you angry? hurt? depressed?

When you ___________________________

what caused the feeling? be factual, no interpretations.

Because ____________________________

What was the result of the action? Why do you feel that way?

However, I noticed that using the third line is somewhat risky. When our lambs (the ME graduates we are shepherding) practiced this, the third line made them resort to expressing how they interpret the action. For clarity, let me give some examples on how they used the third line:

because you do not respect me

because i think you have an affair with another man

because you are rude

See how they will make the spouses raise their defenses? People usually use the third line to put blame on the other person. The message now becomes a "you-did-this-to-me-therefore-be-sorry" message. When one is not used to using the I Message, I suggest he should first get used to the first two lines.

This is not easy. This calls for a change in behavior and requires a lot of humility. And, of course, the equation does not end there. The person on the receiving end should also know how to empathize in order for the communication to be successful.

Now, why am I talking about this? Because our lambs are practicing this kind of communication - the I message. And they talked about how it helped them communicate better. One wife raved about how it made his husband responsive to her. The husband, on the other hand, said he feels he is not being made to look as if he is an a**hole and this makes him more loving towards his wife.

My husband and I feel so blessed for being able to help these couples renew their relationship. It is indeed true that by helping one experiences J-O-Y.

Reflection:

How do you express your feelings to the people around you? Does your words express love, hope, and trust? Or does it destroy relationships?

Be blessed,

These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips. But their hearts are far from me…  Isaiah 29:13

I am not claiming to be a perfect person. In fact, I am the most sinful person I know. However, I am aware of my shortcomings and I strive to be a better person each day. In my desire to be worthy of God’s love, I want my life to be a testament of how I thank and glorify Him. I want my actions to be a testimony of how good the Lord is.

Yes, I am hurt. It is my right to hang on to this pain and demand retribution. But it is my duty as a Christian to learn to forgive.

Be blessed,

I talked about a spat I had with a relative.

My daughter reminds me about the lesson they had about forgiveness. As we prayed together before we went to bed, my daughter reminded me to ask help from Jesus so that I can forgive my relative.

My husband bought a cola.

My daughter remembered the discussion about the go, glow, and grow foods. She reminded her dad that the cola is not healthy.

My husband had to throw the contents in the sink.

My husband was reading in the dark.

My daughter scolded him for reading in the dark for this will hurt his eyes.

Our helper threw a trash in the side street.

My daughter reminded her to throw trash in trash cans. And she discussed the effects of improper waste disposal to our environment.

With homeschooling, it is not just our kids who learn. We learn to walk our talk.

Be blessed,

• the homeschooling adventures which continually opens our minds and hearts, which bonds our family closer to each other
• for the chance to help couples repair their marriages and for seeing the happiness restored in their eyes
• for the good health of my kids  and my husband
• for the trials we went through and continue to go through which make me become a better person today, which make me see what really matters in life
• for the chance given to me in spreading the word of the Lord (On this note, I would like to say I am jittery and there are thousands of butterflies in my stomach right now for I am scheduled to give my first full-blown talk in our community tonight. Lord, please give me the wisdom and the discernment so that I would be able to impart the message you want me to share with our community members)

Be blessed,

My middle child Ayen played with the camera and took pictures of herself. I love how the pics capture her eyes..