/

28 April 2012

screen free

28 April 2012
Untitled Untitled
 Untitled
Untitled Untitled 

run. climb. swing. twirl. rock. play.

we decided it was time to do some screen time moderation. we hardly watch any tv, so it's the ipad mostly. i was prepared for a scream-filled week. but she didn't seem to mind its absence. she had fun rediscovering other playthings. spent lots of time at the playground. pretend play was the mainstay. ipad-free for 5 days already. much easier than i thought.

out of sight. out of mind. whew.


update: incidentally, april 30 - may 6, 2012 is screen free week! are you joining? here are 101  screen-free activities should you decide to.


{this moment}

          hooandsteinbeck

 a friday ritual. a single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. 
a simple, special, extraordinary moment. a moment i want to pause, savor and remember. 
+++
 inspired by soule mama

25 April 2012

storytime favourites

25 April 2012
Untitled

in this day and age, digital media is fast becoming the norm. while reading on computers, tablets, and e-readers is convenient, it cannot replace the experience of reading the printed word. the smell of ink, the feel of leafing through pages, and the satisfaction of snapping a book close is truly an experience like no other. which is why, i am happy that my toddler girl LOVES books. the printed kind. even more so when we read them to her. after several "some mores", she would insist on "read by myself, mummy."she would then flip through the pages and linger at her favourite page or say her favourite line over and over again! it's very cute, really =)

inspired by stasha's listicle this week, i thought i'd share the 10 books that we currently have on rotation and some of her favourite lines from each book.
hoogoeswhere
1. "small feet, big feet, here come pig feet" - the foot book by dr. seuss
2. "stop everybody! i know what i'll do. i'll just be myself, my whole self and not you."- who are you, sue snue? by dr. seuss

3. "to the tiger in the zoo, madeline just said, "pooh-pooh." -madeline by ludwig bemelmans
4. "off he swims to some far lake, feeling that his heart will break. crying great big tears, he glides; behind the reeds and sadly hides."-the ugly duckling
5. "chuckedy-chuckedy-chuck...out pop little yellow rubber ducks, one after the other,
one after the other." - 10 little rubber ducks by eric carle
6.  percy the park keeper ABC by nick butterworth
7. "what's a library, daddy?" "what a lot of books!" - peppa goes to the library
8. "splish! splash! splosh! this is goldie the fish!  - peppa's first pet
9. "there are many kinds of quiet, first one awake quiet, jelly side down quiet, don't scare the robin quiet..."the quiet book by deborah underwood
10. "oh dear, what a fuss? thanks so much for saving us."-little red riding hood

and you? what are some of your favourite books?
check out what others have on their reading lists here.

23 April 2012

toddler tale

23 April 2012
Dear A,

You were already in your freshly laundered PJ's then you rummaged through your closet to look for a more suitable sleep outfit. You settled with this hello kitty tunic. I suggested that you wear leggings with it. You chose this floral skirt instead. Sure. Why not. 

xo

21 April 2012

beach on my mind

21 April 2012
hoogoeswhere-saltwaterhoogoeswhere-feed
UntitledUntitled
UntitledUntitled
Untitled Untitled
UntitledUntitled
Summer is not my favourite season. I despise the sun. My hubby? He's the sun-seeking one. So during our short visit to the Philippines last March, he had to have his beach fix. Also, toddler girl hasn't been to an actual beach. So we went on a day trip to Eagle Point in Anilao, Batangas. Twas about an hour's drive from the hubby's hometown. Upon reaching, we had to be "shuttled" down to the resort area itself. The road was steep and winding. Toddler girl kept saying "it's so fast!" She was clinging to daddy for safety the whole time! When we got to the resort, we were a bit a disappointed as we saw rocks instead of fine sand. Largely our fault though because we didn't research properly. Despite that, the daddy and daughter pair enjoyed tremendously! The beach water was pristine and we had the place to ourselves. While the pair was busy collecting rocks and swimming in the pool, I was happily watching them under the shade.

18 April 2012

outernet

18 April 2012


look out your windows. get out of your doors.
there's a whole world outside our computers. 

best job



Just had to share. Don't forget to bring out the tissue.

16 April 2012

the real diaper journey.

16 April 2012


This post is written for the Real Diaper Week Carnival with the theme "Real Simple. Real Diapers."  We aim to educate and advocate the use of cloth diapers in the Philippines.  Please scroll below to read the other carnival posts about cloth diaper styles, how to's or must haves.
Why Cloth?


I'd never given cloth diapering a second thought until I took hiatus from full-time work.  I started reading and learned really interesting things. Modern cloth diapers aren't anything like the "lampins" we grew up with. Now we have modern fabric that is soft, do not crack or keep odour, breathable, water-resistant and super absorbent! Polyurethane laminate fabrics hold up well in the washing machine and dryer too! Good quality cloths are gentle on baby's skin so no worries about getting the irksome diaper rash.

Did you know that having a child on disposable for 3 years means adding over six thousand more diapers to the landfill? And that it takes over 300 years before a disposable fully decomposes?

Oh, poor Mother Earth.

Of course the economical aspect of cloth appealed to me more. Building a stash of modern cloth diapers is an investment that will save you money in the long run. As an example: my stash of 15 pocket cloth diapers ~PHP 1,000 (S$30) each = PHP 15,000 (S$450), plus maybe a few extra inserts a pre-folds,  hybrids. Mind you, this stash will last me till the end of my diapering days and I can keep them for my future children's use too! Disposable on the other hand (based on Singapore SRP), 6 pieces per day x S$0.30/diaper x 365 days = S$ 657/year (~22,000 PHP). Not to mention the costly nappy rash creams and anti-fungal creams that we've to use in case of a rash. Do the rest of the math and see how much savings you'll incur!


15 April 2012

titanic | not only in the movies.

15 April 2012


i saw this on twitter the other day (via). i can only shake my head in disbelief.
i'm aghast and disappointed that there are people out there who are ignorant of the real events behind the deadliest peaceful maritime disasters of all time. 

today marks the 100th year since the ill-fated sinking of the rms titanic in the frigid waters of the atlantic ocean. to commemorate, an aritfacts show is ongoing at the singapore art and science museum (29/10/2012 − 29/4/2012). i would have passed up the chance to view the exhibit were it not for my good friend, who came over for a brief visit. thanks che che. now i consider myself lucky to have dured during my lifetime. 

surreal and eerie. these feelings were instantly evoked the moment i stepped into the gallery. extensive recreations of the ship's grand staircase, the hull, the boiler room, the first and third class cabins, the promenade brought back visions of jack, rose and their clandestine affair from the movie adaptation. survivor accounts plus the authentic items recovered from the ship's wreckage - stamps, belts, articles of clothing, letters, perfumes, trunks, jewellery, scarves, bank notes, a toothpaste jar, among others - were haunting reminders that real people perished in the catastrophic sinking. 

a life-sized ice wall in the iceberg gallery simulated the subzero temperatures that hastened the death of those who were left afloat. as a filipino, it was interesting for me to note that four-inch thick manila ropes were used to tie the ship's bollards (steel posts) to the pier. who knew that manila ropes existed over a century ago? 

to me,  the artifacts presented was one thing, putting a name and face behind those personal items was another. none of the passengers and crew were left nameless. we were each given boarding passes with real passenger names when we first came in. in the memorial gallery were listed the names of the 705 who lived to tell their stories and the 1,523 who perished. among the survivors was my passenger. elin matilda dolck from the the 3rd class cabin. elin was 24 year old from helsinki, travelling to pennsylvania with her husband, pekka, to flee the economic and political oppression of the russian occupation of finland. i wonder if pekka had survived too. i truly wished he did for that fateful day also marked their 3rd month of marriage. 

there were more stories told, all equally poignant and sobering. but much is left for speculation.
a century and numerous expeditions thereafter, the mystery behind the titanic tragedy has been solved. 
giant ship vs. iceberg. human vs. nature. a tragic reminder that mindlessness sinks us.
we know now how arrogant complacency, blind faith in technology,  and a series of preventable errors claimed the lives of thousands. 
may this kind of tragedy never befall human kind again.

10 April 2012

easter bits.

10 April 2012
 


growing up, i wasn't exposed to western easter festivities like egg hunts, brunches, the easter bunny and the like. where i come from, holy week was a family affair. while other families would hie off to the beach, my mother made sure that my siblings  and i stayed home and joined in the churches' lenten activities. at home, we would watch reruns of the 10 commandments, benhur and other bible stories on tape and whatever lenten specials were shown on tv. this was pre-cable and pre-internet, mind you. and then there were the superstitions that came with the season. my grandmother (bless her soul)  forbid us from laughing and smiling on good friday! we were told to be extra careful not to get wounded as wounds were thought to heal longer than usual. meanwhile, easter celebration started at the break of dawn on easter sunday where we all eagerly awaited the salubong. kids were encouraged to join the choir of angels to serenade the reunion of jesus and mama mary. these are some of my fondest memories of childhood.



this year, we decided to start a tradition of easter brunch with my little family. we'd like for our daughter  to have fond memories of this wonderful celebration of hope. so on sunday, we went to hear morning mass, ate a few easter chocolates at home, then off to brunch. i had planned to organize a mini easter egg hunt but the toddler hasn't fully recovered from her recent bout of flu, so pffft. next year. next year.

**
during the homily, the toddler girl wanted to lie on the pew and was louder than usual. i shushed her and told her to behave. the more i shushed, the more she protested and grew loud. "no mummy, i don't want to keep kwawet (quiet)." the hubs brought her out but she managed to  let out an eardrum shattering "i-don't-want-to-go-out" scream before they were out the door. all eyes were on me. yes me,  the mother who let her toddler misbehave at church. what a shame, i thought. there was nothing else to do but put my best poker face on. oh well.

**
thankfully, brunch at spruce turned everything around. as expected, the place was filled to the brim. we had made reservations so getting seated was not an issue. waiting time for food was longer than  expected. but i tell you, the food was worth the wait. the hubs had their big brekkie (eggs, german sausage, roasted tomato, roasted potato, mushrooms and foccacia toast) with sparkling wine. i had their signature burger. it has got to be one of the best beef burgers here in sg. it had just the right amount of "beefiness."my SIL had banana pancakes with honeycomb butter and blueberry syrup. while we don't usually order a separate dish for the toddler girl, we made an exception and got her the mac n cheese side dish as it had good reviews. luckily she loved it and finished half the serving.

all in all, we had a restful and reflective easter weekend. hope yours was as well.



             

04 April 2012

weekending

04 April 2012





weekend started with a spontaneous trip to the neighbourhood coffee shop. a toast, water in hand and donned in jammies. i say it was one of the best fridates ever.  
so, who knew that a pineapple is, in fact, a large berry? you did? good for you. =)


then came saturday. the hubs wanted to check out the htc one regional launch. so we went.  
it was a one of a kind experience as we journeyed to paris, new york, and sydney in a matter of minutes! showcased at the launch were htc's newest and most powerful smartphones to date. as an apple fangirl wannabe, i felt a tinge of guilt for being there. but i thought, it was good opportunity to check the competition out. we had kraze burgers and chilli fries here afterwards. 


the sun was out and the sky particularly blue on palm sunday. hearing mass was in order while the rest of the day was spent watching this. it was a weekend well-spent. 


here's looking forward to a solemn week ahead. a meaningful and reflective holy week to all who commemorate.

02 April 2012

these days

02 April 2012
right now, she is all about wearing twirly skirts and sparkly shoes to go play in the playground. 
then there's dancing and non-stop twirling. 
oh may she never lose that gift - of dancing to music only she can hear.