Last week my father-in-law arrived from his three-week Asian tour with three of his friends.  I got souvenir magnets from him to add to my collection and some goodies from Negros!

They went to Singapore, Philippines and Bali, Indonesia.  Their Philippine stint included a tour in Taal Lake, Tagaytay, Corregidor, Intramuros and other parts of Manila and Makati.  Sheeeshh, I haven’t even been those places yet! We found a travel agent that took very good care of them and even went out of his way to make their stay a pleasant one.

After their stay in Manila, they transferred to Negros to visit my parents.  It’s the second time for them to see each other.  The first time was when my parents came to Prague to see us.  Mom prepared a well-planned itinerary for them; tour in the Victorias Milling Company to see how sugar is made, they attended the reenactment of the Cinco de Noviembre battle in Silay where their presence was recognized by the Mayor, they visited the Negros Museum, saw the Ruins, trekked the hilly Mambukal terrain up to the 7th falls, went swimming in Pacific Shores, etc. etc.  It was a fully-packed and very busy 4 days for them in Negros and of course, aside from seeing the sights, my family made sure that they get to taste the famous delicious Negros cuisine and Filipino hospitality at its best.  I am glad our Czech guests enjoyed their stay in the Philippines.

I’m posting some of their pics courtesy of mah sistah (Happy Steps Travel Blog)!

Lunch by the sea. They feasted on oysters, crabs, fish and shrimps! They’re seated from tallest to shortest! haha

Lunch at Pacific Shores with my family…

At Don Salvador Benedicto…


Mom with the towering Czechs. (:

The Mambukal Boating Lagoon

Posing in front of their cottage at Mambukal Mountain Resort.

My two dads. (: At home, during their farewell lunch.

As I was browsing through the files of our family pics, I came across Caity’s pictures when she was “gardening with her papa Ed” (my dad). I then remember my Dad, now a 75-year old, who likes to do gardening, play the organ, watch TV or enjoy the computer reading news, playing solitaire game or browsing through the videos or photos of his grandchildren, in Prague or in Finland. Sometimes he chats with his children through YM too. Just yesterday, I was chatting with him.

Caity gardening with Papa Ed.

As a mechanical engineer, one of his favorite pastimes is also tinkering with the van, trying to do little maintenance here and there, with his box of bearings, gears, screws and nuts. It’s like the kitchen is to the woman as the vehicle is to the man. Yeah, I think it is inherent for a man to place the car or whatever vehicle he owns close to his heart, don’t you think so?

Hmmm.. okay, back to browsing and organizing our pictures. Have a good day everyone!

A friend who recently saw Caity’s picture commented that I already have a little lady. Well, in my eyes, she’s still a child, because she really is! She’s only three years old! I don’t want to rush her into growing up.

Childhood will take years but years do fly very fast! There will come a time in the future that she won’t be needing me anymore.  She’d prefer to hang out with her friends than me; she’d rather spend her weekends with her boyfriend. Yay! It is possible. Soon she will be choosing her own clothes (she’s even starting to do that), she’d be worrying which to wear over a bunch of prom dresses and other girly matters. Uh, the thought already makes me sad. That’s why I am savoring each moment I am with her now – now when she still yearns for mama.

Here’s an equation I’ve formulated just now:

mom of two + digital camera = lots of pictures!

happy Caity and baby Adie!

Caity playing with Dad

baby Adie feeling comfortable with Dad carrying him
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It’s the glorious season of spring and we welcomed it with a visit last weekend to a friend’s homey cottage outside of Praha. While we were enjoying ourselves despite the cold weather, my little girl C kept herself busy tinkering around. Aside from wandering in the garden, she picked up a gardening tool and played with it.

Here are some pics to give you an idea:

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She lives in Hawaii, as all of the members of her family are now there. Before, they were in Guam when the family migrated from the Philippines. At 73, she doesn’t look her age, especially as she goes for casual wear like cargo walking shorts and spaghetti t-shirts when times are hot, as in during summer. Her face is powdery fine and almost wrinkle-free, though she doesn’t apply anything on it, no wrinkle crèmes, not even face powder, if you believe me. But it’s really true!
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Now “restricted” to the confines of home, what with two babies (an almost-three-year-old and a newly-born more-than-a-month-old), I dream of vacation sometimes. If only I could go home, my family – mom, dad and sis – would be more-than-willing to help in taking care of their much-missed cutie Caite and not-yet-seen baby Adie. Not that I’m complaining, as my thoughtful, helpful and able hubby gives me no reason for such (in fact I should say I’m very thankful to God for the gift of his person!) Yet, I can’t help dream of Outer Banks beach rentals – just reminiscing of the days when, together with my family, our own family bunch of three (yet!) were in a beautiful beach back home in our beloved Philippines.

Every mom has her own style of coping up with her kids’ mess, whether it’s an ice cream smeared on a newly washed white shirt or red crayons scrawled all over the wall. Some mothers can be so strict even up to the point that the kids can’t enjoy being at home anymore, while other moms don’t mind the mess at all. I know a mom who keeps her house spotlessly clean and even her décors, indoor plants, televisions, computers and other appliances can’t be moved or touched. So just imagine how her kids feel so restricted at home, they can’t move about or else her interior design arrangements will be ruined.

IMO, for responsible parents, it’s a matter of keeping a balance. While it’s okay to be tolerant with kids playing at home, it’s also essential to teach discipline and inculcating in them a sense of responsibility and respect for order at home and learning how to keep things tidy. One good idea is to teach them how to keep and store their play things after a game or how to fix and arrange the room. If a kid did something wrong, e.g. doodled on the wall, or poured some sticky liquid on the floor tiles, don’t blow off your top, but just point out their mistake and let them clean it up properly instead of doing it yourself.

My little girl is growing up fast! And she’s still as active as ever. There’s never a moment that you can see her stay put in one place, except when she’s sleeping of course. She loves to sing and dance along with kiddie songs while watching the video. She still enjoys flipping through pages of books or magazines as if reading them.
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As I’m looking forward to my delivery date, I’m also imagining what my life would be with a new baby to take care of. Thanks to hubby’s never-ending support, his dad and mom and also my family and friends. I know Caity would be happy to have a baby brother soon, she even kisses my tummy and says “Baby.” I wonder how she would react when she sees him.
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