We love books!
Books…I’d spend more for books than I would for shoes and dresses…(Gizelle Khan-yes, my quote)
(Oh in case, you’re wondering I’m back from vacation and I miss joining Mommy Moments and all the wonderful themes. So I’m starting again and hopefully next week I’ll have an entry for all missed themes.)
As far as I remember, I’ve enjoyed reading as soon as I learned how. Needless to say, I’d read everything that I can, where I am. From the Bible to Science books, Encyclopedias to magazines, from comic strips to newspaper articles, recipe books to pocketbooks to language books…I’m really glad that the kids share that passion with me. So let me show “some” books from our place…a little bit more and we’d be certified bookworms! 
The district Library which my daughter and I often visit.
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My daughter reading some books at the Library. She’s into german short stories and science stuff.
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Some books I ordered from Amazon.
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Treasures I stumbled upon a school bazaar. (All the more exciting for paying 5 euros -10 books!)
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Little boy looking through the pages of an English-German Dictionary. He was the only one who I got to practice reading to while still in my womb. He knows the value of books that not once had he torn a page even when still a baby.
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Most importantly, learning the bible with the help of Bible-based books which makes it easier for them to understand.
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Daddy moments
A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty.
~Author Unknown
True enough, I can say that my husband is well loved by our kids. Whenever they hear the keys clanking from behind the front door, they’d immediately stop what they’re doing. They would run to the door then shout “Daddy!” and throw their arms around him then give him a kiss. It was as though the best thing that they look forward to in each day is to see him home again.
My husband as a typical guy tends to just keep everything to himself. Back in the days though he wrote some pieces on his old blog from an outdated networking site…here is one of those few notes that I copied.
“Growing up may not turn out the way you planned it to be, I strongly believe. When I was a kid , I wanted to be a doctor, I then changed my mind and wanted to be a cab driver (back then, I just wanted to drive) but now I’m a self proclaimed artist (since I abandoned my job as an artist and I’m still looking for another). I’ve been drawing since I was a kid. Sometimes I have been tinkering with gadgets and electronic stuff then I would be mixing soap with vinegar to see if there would be any chemical reaction. I guess that makes me part artist, mechanic and scientist. 
Now I am still wondering why I’m not a doctor. I look back at my childhood as an experimental way of growing up, having more mistakes than choosing the right choices. Perhaps or perhaps not I’m doing better than most of my childhood friends but sometimes I still think it would be nice to be a ten year old kid again, just enjoy life, no worrying. Just play, eat, be scolded, go to school and all that.”
“Now that I’m a father, I hope my kids would have the fun, ten times more than I enjoyed my childhood and I hope they would grow up to be ten times a better person than I am and when that happens I can finally say to myself that “I did good.”
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Dear Dad…
Exactly a year ago, sadly, was the last time I saw my dad (for now). I have been crying then and now as pangs of pain and loneliness with regrets overwhelm me. Twenty eight years; that short was the time I’ve had a father…in those 28 years, many were spent away and reminisced only through letters and photographs.
My dad never failed to send photos of himself when he was in Greece, Norway, the Netherlands, Germany and other parts of the globe though mostly at sea. He enjoyed the life of being a seaman and he was proud as I was that he had seen many places at a young age. As I looked at those photos, I remembered the stories my dad told me back in the days …
I can’t remember how many times I myself wrote him a letter…so for now, I am writing him a letter, one I will hold on to until we meet again…when God calls him from deep sleep. (John 5:28-29)
“Dear Dad,
I am not one who observe Father’s day as those other days designated as someone’s special day. When you read this letter, it means that I’ve survived and endured the race that’s why I was able to personally hand it to you.
For a year now there were mornings that I would wake up in tears, remembering that you are already in deep sleep. I am grateful that I learned the truth before this happened. Now, I look forward to the promised Paradise with hope and longing…to the appointed time that I can welcome you back and proudly say “Dad, I did good, I stood up for the truth.” To finally able to tell you and proudly show you that I ‘ve raised my kids well and have instilled in them the truth that has lead us to everlasting life. Now, you can finally meet my youngest, who has most resembled you.
Thanks, that’s the first thing I wanted to say. For bringing me to this world. That in itself was the greatest gift. Though imperfect, I found my place in it and understood what’s it about. Thank you for the inspiration, for making me love different cultures and languages…Achtung! That was your favorite German word, be proud that your daughter is now fluent in it…Ich habe dich vermisst…
Thank you for believing in me…I never got the chance to thank you for that but I endured what I should because I knew that there was someone who always believed in me no matter what.
Thanks Dad, thanks really, sorry that I told you too late…then again, we have a fresh start here in Paradise. No more pain, no more crying, my only tears are for happiness….(Revelation 21:4)
Love, Gizellae
10 June 2010
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Unforgettable Summer
Beach, apartment and pool, bridges and gondolas, pizza and pasta…Guess where were we one summer time?
We’ve had fun trips mostly during summer especially when we don’t have plans of visiting home (read: Philippines). Italy was one of those memorable summers we had…though Pinas would have been more enjoyable since we get to spend time with the family not to mention that the money spent anyway for flight and shopping is the same amount spent for a week at the coasts of Italy. I bet we’d have the same fresh seafoods too!
The apartment we rented in Lignano is in a small compound with it’s own pool and a few minutes away from the beach. When we’re not so ecstatic going to the beach then we let the kids play at the pool. Since this is Italy, where pasta and pizza are originally from, we maximized the opportunity and ate with much gusto…Pasta ala pesto, marinara, carbonara, tomato-based, topped with shrimps, with salmon, ground beef or simply just the sauces, they were awesome. Since pasta can be used/cooked everyday for a year without repeating a dish there’s an endless choice to which we would stuff our selves next. Pizza topped with almost everything edible, cooked by the modern oven or the traditional one…they’re all a delight. We didn’t forget risotto (little rice) too! Chicken, shrimp and anything on it is like eating during a feast at home…and the Gelato of course, pistachio, strawberry, vanilla, straciatella, gum and chocolate, name it and they have it for as low as 0.80€ per cone!
The highlight of our trip was when we visited the City of Bridges, Venice. Armed with a map and our two cameras, hubby and I toured the city well, as real tourists. We bought Murano glasses, some souvenirs (no masks unfortunately), we witnessed a musician playing on wine glasses with water and we reached the Grand Bridge and finally ate canelloni just at the foot of it. We got lost once but got back on track and ended up at the Piazza San Marco.
This summer we would be home for my brother’s wedding. Surely, we’d be having new memories, new photos to take and new friendships to rekindle.
Happy:
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The Hurdle Race of Motherhood
Motherhood is a complicated and marvelous adventure. Mothers enjoy precious moments that they would not trade for the world. Yet, some at times feel they are on the verge of a breakdown. A mother’s life can be compared to a hurdle race. And it seems that as time goes by, there are more and higher hurdles.
Mothers may sacrifice free time and much of their social life to make sure that their children are well cared for. “I’m always on call,” is what most would say. “I have traded relaxing baths for quick showers, and romantic dinners for microwavable food. For me there are travels untraveled, places unseen, things undone. But the laundry is done, and it’s folded!” (Hmmm…though I still need to do the ironing, lol).
Of course, most mothers would also speak of the unique moments of joy that they experience as they raise their children. “The occasional smile you get, the sweet ‘Thank you, Mommy,’ and the warm hugs—these are the fuel that keeps you going.” I couldn’t agree more.
Mother Joins the Work Force
A major hurdle that has complicated motherhood is that many are meeting traditional family responsibilities while taking on the demands of a job to help support the family financially. Many of these mothers work on the outside, not out of choice, but out of necessity. They know that if they stayed at home, their families, and especially their children, would go without many things. Their salaries—often lower than those of men doing comparable work—are of great importance.
For example, in São Paulo, Brazil, 42 percent of the work force are women. A newspaper there called mothers who raise children full-time an “endangered species.” In the rurals of Africa, a mother with a bundle of firewood on her head and a child strapped on her back is a common sight.
The Demanding Workplace
Adding to the hurdles, the job market may require that mothers put in long hours at work. And the demands may not stop there. When a mom, who lives in Greece, was hired, her employer asked her to sign a document in which she promised that she would not get pregnant for three years. If she did get pregnant, she would have to pay compensation. She signed the document. But about a year and a half later, she got pregnant. Her employer then showed the paper to Maria, who went to court to challenge her company’s policy.
In less extreme cases, employers may pressure mothers to return to work as soon as possible after giving birth. Usually, no reductions in hours are granted after they do return. Thus there is no accommodation for the fact that they now have responsibilities toward a very young child. They are not able to take much time off without financial hardship. Mothers may also have to cope with poor child-care facilities and inadequate state benefits.
On the other hand, some mothers work, not for financial needs, but for self-fulfillment. Some decided to return to work after the birth of their children. A mom recalls that on finding herself suddenly alone at home with a baby, she would “sometimes stand and stare out of the window and wonder what the rest of the world was doing.” And some mothers seek to escape the stress of family life by going to work. Britain’s Daily Telegraph reported: “Some parents seek extra hours in the relative calm of work. This creates a vicious circle, diminishing further the time they spend with increasingly apathetic, aggressive and deviant children.”
A Juggling Act
Balancing work and home is not easy. Echoing the feelings of many, a mother from the Netherlands said: “Tired, tired, tired. I even wake up tired. When I come home from work, I am overcome with tiredness. The children are already saying, ‘Mom is always tired,’ and that makes me feel guilty. I do not want to miss work, but I also want to be that sociable mother who makes everything possible. But I am not the mirror of perfection I want to be.”
She is one of millions of working mothers who embraced the idea that ‘quality time’ with the children could partly make up for frequent absences—and who have found the idea wanting. Many mothers today say that juggling the stresses of work with the responsibilities of home leaves them overworked, overstrained, and underpaid.
When women spend long hours away from their children, the children do not get what they need most—the time and attention of their mother. Fernanda A. Lima, a child psychologist from Brazil, says that no one can fulfill a mother’s role as well as a mother can. “The first two years in a child’s life are the most critical,” she says. “The child is still too young to understand why the mother is not there.” A substitute figure can alleviate a child’s need for its mother but cannot take her place. “The baby senses that it is not getting its mother’s loving care,” says Lima.
A full-time working mother with a little daughter, said: ‘I felt so terribly guilty, as though I was deserting her [at the nursery]. It’s hard knowing you are missing out on seeing your child grow and develop, and it’s very strange thinking that she is more attached to the nursery than to you.’ An airline stewardess in Mexico admitted: “After some time, your child does not recognize you, he does not respect you simply because you are not rearing him. They know that you are their mother, but suddenly, they prefer to be with the woman that takes care of them.”
On the other hand, full-time mothers who stay at home to look after their children say that they have to endure being patronized and downgraded by a society geared to glorifying paid work. In some societies being a housewife is no longer considered an honorable position, so women are pressured to have their own career, even if the extra income is not necessary.
Left to Struggle Alone
Adding to the hurdles of motherhood is this fact: Tired from a full day’s work, a mother comes home, not to rest, but to continue with the regular household chores. Mothers, whether they work secularly or not, are often still seen as the main ones responsible for caring for the house and the children.
While a growing number of mothers work longer hours, fathers do not always compensate. The Sunday Times of London wrote: “Britain is a nation of absent fathers, according to new research showing that men spend as little as 15 minutes a day with their children. . . . Many men do not take much pleasure in spending time with their families. . . . By comparison, the British professional mother will spend 90 minutes a day with her children.”
Some husbands complain that their wife finds it difficult to delegate tasks because she insists that everything be done exactly the way she is used to doing it. “Otherwise, you do it wrong,” the husbands say. Obviously, in order to benefit from the cooperation of her husband, a tired housewife may have to be willing to make some concessions as to the way certain household tasks are done. On the other hand, the husband should not use that argument as an excuse to do nothing.
Adding Hurdles
Deeply rooted traditions may also add hurdles. In Japan mothers are expected to raise children who are similar to those in their age group. If other children are taking piano or painting lessons, a mother feels compelled to have her children do the same. Schools pressure parents to have their children join in the same extracurricular activities as the other children. Being different can lead to harassment from children, teachers, other parents, and relatives. The same is true in other lands.
Advertising and consumerism can make children demanding. In developed countries mothers may feel that they should provide what their children want because they see other mothers providing those things. If they cannot, they may feel that they have failed.
This discussion of modern motherhood should not obscure the feat of millions of hardworking, self-sacrificing mothers who do their best to fulfill one of the noblest causes—that of raising the future generations of the human family. This is a privilege. The Bible says: “Children are a blessing and a gift (inheritance) from the LORD.” (Psalm 127:3, Contemporary English Version)
“Despite the challenges, motherhood has its unrivaled joys. It gives us mothers a sense of satisfaction when we see our children respond to the training and discipline given and become responsible members of society.”
Kudos to all moms out there!
-WT 04.2002
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Motherly advice
Random thoughts on parenthood and child rearing.
“Be obedient to your parents,” and “honor your father and your mother.”—Ephesians 6:1, 2 .
“Do not despise your mother just because she has grown old.” Proverbs 23:22
Before being parents to our children, we are children to our own parents. The advice above is one that I keep even now, it is after all, the first command with a promise…‘That it may go well with you and you may endure a long time on the earth,’ continues the proverb.
At this age, obeying our parents or the elderly seem to be be an out of trend thing, sadly. Times have changed and if you observe closely, children are much more hard-headed than we once were. So even at our age, honoring our parents is still a timely advice. This is so because when our kids see we respect our own parents, it will be a good example for them…and we both will benefit later on.
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“Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. How happy is the man whose quiver is filled with them!” (Psalm 127:4, 5, An American Translation)
The value of an arrow is determined by how well it is aimed as it leaves the bow. An arrow must be aimed with care and skill so that it will hit the target. In like manner, it is vital that, as parents, you wisely and prayerfully ponder on the kind of start in life you will give your child. Will he or she on leaving your care become a balanced and mature adult, respected by others and an honor to God? How many more years do you have to learn the outcome? I have about 10 and I fervently hope when the time comes I can proudly say, I did it right!
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Children too need to feel appreciated. Not that parents should shower them with empty flattery, but they should commend their children’s praiseworthy qualities and the genuine good that they do. Wise parents likewise find ways to express appreciation for each child’s unique qualities, abilities, and accomplishments. At the same time, they try not to emphasize accomplishments so much that their children constantly feel driven to perform. They do not want their children to grow up exasperated or downhearted.—Ephesians 6:4; Colossians 3:21.
Spend Time With Your Kids
The Bible says: “As apples of gold in silver carvings is a word spoken at the right time for it.” (Proverbs 25:11) As this scripture makes clear, timing is often the key. We need to learn to read between the lines…and be a shoulder the children could lean on…
You’d think that I’m a lazy person, that I do not want to work and I leave all the money-raising to hubby…
Let’s analyze, say I go to work from 9-5…little boy would be at the daycare until 3 while my 2 older kids would be in school from 8 to 12 (sometimes 1). They would then go to the the after-school institution (Hort) to eat lunch,do some homework, play and at times have field trips. The hort is open until 5:30 in the afternoon so there would be 30 minutes to go rushing and pick them up…how about the little boy? Oh, we just had to pay a babysitter to pick him up and stay with him at home for 2-3 hours more.
What about dinner? If you pay the babysitter extra bucks then maybe she can cook and iron the clothes too and clean the house as well…so where would my paycheck go anyway? lol.
Point is, I do not need to sacrifice my time to work long hours then pay for a babysitter and helper when I can do home work myself. True, we never get paid for doing the things we do at home…working moms seem to be tougher than us staying at home…but at the end of the day, I can proudly say “today, I cooked sinigang that the kids enjoyed so well!”
I know, my time will come, when my kids grow a bit bigger, when they can go home from school on their own, when they’re allowed to have house keys, I will have my own time. For the mean time, I’m a stay at home mom and I will stay to be one until the right time comes.
P.S. (Paid blogging is helpful by the way…) 
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