I’ve been having sleepless nights lately. Nope, it’s not because of too much caffeine; I’ve long given up on caffeinated drinks, thank you! My inability to have a good night’s sleep these past few days is because of work. I have a lot on my plate right now that my sleeping time is sometimes spent on mentally reviewing my to-do-list for the next day. No wonder I’m looking like a zombie when I wake up because of the dark circles under my eyes. What I need right now is a good remedy for my puffy eyes. Can you suggest eye creams that work?

Last Friday, Justin’s school held its first Parent-Teacher Conference for this school year. My slot was in the afternoon, so I had to take a break from work to be able to attend it. Because there were no classes that day and Justin was getting bored at home and because he won’t allow me to go without him, I brought him along together with his yaya. They just played in the school playground while I went inside his classroom to discuss with his teachers my son’s performance in school.

Developmental Portfolio (DR) is their term for a report card. The school also uses letter grades to evaluate the student’s progress in different areas: M means Mastered, G means Good Progress, W means Working on Skill, and NY means Not Yet. The following areas are evaluated: Physical Development (Large Muscle Coordination and Small Muscle Coordination), Personal Development (Emotional Development, Work Habits, and Self-help Skills), and Readiness Skills (Speaking and Listening, Reading and Writing, and Math).

In his DR, Justin received 5 M’s, 57 G’s, and 15 W’s. He got all G’s in Large Muscle Coordination and Emotional Development. His teachers also wrote this comment on his DR: Justin enjoys playing with his friends but also looks forward to chatting with the adults in school. He will confidently volunteer himself even when asked to do unfamiliar activities or tasks. He has become quite independent in the last few weeks."

As a mom, I’m always concerned about the safety and security of my son. When Justin was just a baby, I made sure our home was infant-friendly to avoid cuts, bumps, or falls. Aside from ensuring that he’s properly nourished, I also religiously took him to his pediatrician for his vaccinations and wellness check. I also saw to it that he’s using the right medicines for his needs. Finally and most importantly, I was showing him love that only a mother can give.

I have never changed my mothering ways from then to now that he’s already a preschooler. I have actually become more paranoid now about his well-being because he can get rough when he plays, which causes him to get hurt sometimes.

Now, my four-year-old loves going to the malls, playing arcade games, and getting on kiddie rides as much as he can. Last Saturday, when to went to Market! Market!, we took him to Blanche Kiddie Rides. It was Justin’s first time there there, and before I let him try the rides, I made sure everything was safe.

In the pictures below, you’ll see him wearing a helmet to protect his head in case he falls due to a wrong turn or in the event that his motorbike collides with another car. I also instructed his yaya to be constantly at his side to protect him from getting hurt. And because no helmet is required when riding the kiddie cars, I made him wear his baseball cap instead; that’s to protect him from the sun.


Wearing helmet for head protection


That’s Justin’s yaya in white shirt and blue pants trailing along


With absorbent cloth on his back for sweat protection


Wearing his baseball cap to protect him from the sun
I’m sure I’m not the only mom in the world who is so particular about her child’s safety. I’d like to hear your thoughts, too, on how you protect your child from harm.

Last week has been a hectic week for me at work. I usually stop working at 5pm, but for three straight days, I ended up working between 7 to 8pm. That is why I decided last Friday after abruptly ending my work that the following day, Saturday, would be leisure time for me and the entire family. I did my grocery shopping on Friday night, early--I usually do this on a Saturday--to make my Saturday afternoon free.

First things first; I had to make a quick trip to Makati Medical Center in the morning for my lipid profile test to recheck my triglyceride, good and bad cholesterol, and total cholesterol levels. Then after lunch, we went straight to Market! Market!

Of course, we had to give in to our son’s whims first, so we took Justin to Blanche Kiddie Rides to ride a motorbike and a car (or was it a jeep?). He really enjoyed driving the motorbike ; he actually rode it twice. He spent a total of 40 minutes in the kiddie rides, and we spent Php200.00 ($4). And guess who we saw yesterday? Niko of Niko’s Blog was also there with her lovely daughter Yena and Yena’s cousins, I think.


“Look, Mom, I’m driving!”


Niko and Yena with Tetcha and Justin

Then, it was eating time. Because I’m done with my blood test, I decided to give myself a break from my self-imposed low-cholesterol diet. I vowed to eat what I wanted, and we went to one of our favorite dining places before, Shakey’s. They have an ongoing promo right now, and we chose to order a package good for 5 to 6 persons. They call this package Deal 2, and it costs Php835.00 ($19) plus service charge). The package consists of a spaghetti platter served with garlic bread, a large thin crust Manager’s Choice Pizza, Buddy Pack Chick’n’Chips (5 pieces), and a pitcher of house blend iced tea.


Why aren’t you smiling, Daddy?


Yummy spaghetti!


Manager’s Choice Pizza

Chick ’n’ Chips
I missed eating here, really, and I enjoyed what we ordered. We had leftovers that we took home for our dinner later.

Next stop was Fashion Market. This is a shopper’s haven. It’a tiangge (flea market) where you can find all sorts of items where you can haggle the prices of the items you want to buy. I bought a bolero, a polo shirt, and two sleeveless tops for only Php1,050.00 ($23). Hubby bought a pair of jeans worth only Php350.00 ($8). I also bought a Secosana bag on our way out. It’s on sale, by the way! I was alive!

A little shopping was what I needed to revitalize after a really stressful work week. We will go back again to this place one of these days to see some of their kids’ stuff. Justin was happily eating ice cream while Mommy and Daddy looked around. Before we finally left the mall, Justin spotted a train book (a book shaped like a train) that he asked his Daddy to buy for him.

We all went home happy: Justin had a grand time at at Blanche Kiddie Rides, we enjoyed good food at Shakey’s, and we shopped a little, too. I wish we can do this everyday!