Justin has some very peculiar habits when it comes to the foods he eats and how he eats them. For a toddler, he likes ketchup, gravy and sandwich spread.

Justin likes to smother his rice with ketchup and gobble up the combination with gusto.

When we’re eating at either Jollibee or Kenny Rogers Roasters, Justin gulps down his gravy straight from the tiny plastic container and he would request for countless refills.

Justin also likes to get a spoonful of sandwich spread and devour it without bread. This is when mommy and daddy take over. We’re the ones getting the sandwich spread from the bottle and we give it to him little by little. We then hide the bottle of sandwich spread when we think he’s had enough.

Do your kids have food quirks, too?

Yesterday was Justin’s first time to be inside a movie house. It wasn’t planned, though. We were having a leisurely walk in the mall, and we happened to pass by the cinema area. What piqued Justin’s interest were the big numbers near the entrance of each cinema. He wanted badly to get inside the theater, so his dad yielded and bought tickets for Adam Sandler's film Bedtime Stories.

I still had to do my grocery shopping, so I begged off, leaving Justin in his dad’s care. I did not leave the two of them immediately, however. I asked the lady guard if I could get inside the theater to see my little boy’s reaction.

Father and son occupied two seats initially, but Justin was uncomfortable in his, so his daddy scooped him up and placed him on his lap instead. I left the two of them in that position. I took advantage of this time alone to do some shoe shopping for my mom and for myself before heading to the supermarket.

After two hours, there was still no text or call from Justin’s dad. I texted him while I was lined up at the cashier to pay for my groceries. When I saw the two of them, I excitedly asked how Justin’s first movie theater experience went.

From the look on hubby’s face, it wasn’t very successful. Why? Hubby recounted that Justin couldn’t stay still in one place and wanted to roam around the theater. Perhaps, he thought it was just another play area where he could do what he wanted and play all he wanted.

And what’s worse? My son pooped. He isn’t potty-trained yet! And that was the end of the story. Father and son only lasted 30 minutes inside the theater, that after having paid Php300.00. We learned earlier that children one year old and above should also pay full flick fare.

What was your kid’s first movie theater experience like?

This is my entry for this week’s theme.

The pictures were taken during the celebrations of Justin’s second birthday. I say “celebrations” because we actually held two birthday parties for him.

The first party was held on a Monday, July 7, 2008, his actual birthday and we had his godparents as guests.


Justin's first birthday cake


Justin about to blow the candle on his first cake


Justin and Mommy with Ninang Jing, Ninang Remie and Ninang Charm
The second party was held on July 12, 2008 with his grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins.


Justin's Barney-inspired cake, a little messed up already


Justin blowing the candle on his second cake


Justin with his birthday gifts
Both parties were held in our small condo unit in Ortigas.

If you want to join Mommy Moments, please visit Chris' The Mommy Journey.

I can’t help but notice the way we, parents of this generation, care for our little ones. (I’m not generalizing here, though.) In our attempt to lessen the amount of work that we need to do while attending to the needs of our children, we like to take shortcuts.

1. We order takeout food instead of cooking for our children.

2. Instead of making our kids eat on their own, we much prefer feeding them, saving us the trouble of having to clean their mess afterwards.

3. We sometimes get irritated by their nonstop blabbering and questioning, so to make them stop, we force them to play or sleep.

4. Instead of reading bedtime stories to our kids or teaching them the things they need to know, we make them watch TV or VCDs/DVDs.

5. We leave it up to the nannies to do everything for our children, which makes our kids wonder if their nannies are their mothers. Ugh!

These things may be due to any of the following: (1) we’re tired from work, (2) we’re too old to keep up, or (3) we’re too lazy.

So, which of the things listed above are you guilty of doing?