Matthew, being part of the Journalism Club, was listed to join the PhotoJournalism contest. They were encouraged to shoot people in a plaza and then they would write about it. He chose his pictures and had them under “Having Fun in Simple Things”.

He didn’t win but we were still proud of the captions he did.

“In the modern world, people are becoming too materialistic. They buy computers and gadgets for fun, but in truth fun is found in simple things.”

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It was the kids’ Foundation Week over the weekend at school and it was Martha’s first time. Since she is still a pre-schooler, she still needed a guardian all throughout so we were there the whole three days there were activities. We would often go home after lunch (and don’t come back, hehehe) but Matthew needed to stay because it’s extra points for his extra curricular activities in school.

It was a fun, albeit hot and tiring weekend. It was nice to see our kids interact with their classmates and I had come to a few realizations of my own. Whereas before I was scared Martha would have a hard time interacting with others, I was surprised and happy to learn that she is friendly to everybody and goes out of her way to greet them. Of course, it’s a different thing altogether when we are talking about adults telling her she is cute and all, but this girl can run for Ms. Congeniality all the time. I am pressed to say that she might be a little bully too. Not only is her height an advantage (she towers over everybody by a head!), she is such a brave girl. She isn’t scared to venture in the playground alone, with 2nd graders competing their way in turns for the slide. She blends in. She still whines when she sees me, and acts like a baby, but when left alone, she can cope. And shine.

Matthew, on the other hand, is really a loner by nature. He has always been unique, maybe even a little odd. He converses easily with people older than him and loves to sit in and listen to adult conversations. He has a habit of not greeting people he knows (even if they greet him first) and is just content standing by himself. And the thing is, he doesn’t mind. (I think he doesn’t mind) It reminds me of someone I know who always felt like she was an outcast back in her elementary days and would often be labelled masungit. In fact, I think the only thing that kept her from being an outcast was because she was very intelligent and was a teacher’s pet. (And yes I am talking about me). It is bothering me a bit because I want my son to have friends and a normal social life and yet I know that we shouldn’t pressure him into doing things because it’s the NORM. I want him to be comfortable enough in his own skin. Raising kids doesn’t get any easier. That’s for sure. I am raising a socially-challenged tween and a daredevil preschooler!

Anyway, I will be listing some highlights of the foundation day activities and will blog about it in detail along the way:
1. Lego/Puzzle Making Contest (Preschool)
2. Photojournalism Contest
3. Palarong Pinoy (Pinoy Games)
4. Field Demonstration

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The highlight of Matthew’s photojournalism was highlighted as soon as he got into our Hammer and gave me my gift. I asked him how was it and he said, “Ok lang”

And then:
“Alam mo ba Ma, me magic lessons dun! 300 pesos lang! Ang galing nung teacher pinapamove nya ung coins wala talaga daya. Discounted na nga yun, gusto ko sana maglessons.”

Whenever we would go to parties, Matthew has always love watching magicians. In fact, he holds the record of being the magician’s assistant in nearly 90% of the parties we go to.

And when I downloaded the pictures from the camera that day, I showed Edil these and we had to laugh – clearly, Matthew wants magic lessons, he even took a picture of the “magician”. Hahaha!

Mr. Magic himself – I hope he can magic his way and produce safe diet pills that work!

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Last Thursday (Feb 17th), Matthew had his first experience in photojournalism. Their Journalism Club hosted a contest in time for their Foundation Day in school and they had to take pictures using a manual camera. We let him take our one and only camera (the LX3) only after an endless sermon on how to be careful with things and not be forgetful. Matthew has this awful trait of forgetting where he put things and he can be careless at times. All the time he was out, I was praying he will return the camera in one piece.

And he did! He even had this surprise for me:

He gave me this because he didn’t have a Valentine’s present and a birthday present. And I was touched because he took it off his allowance for the day.

Here are some shots he took:

I would like to post more but there are other kids involved and I would not want to post their faces here without permission

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I haven’t been sharing what is up with my big boy. It is hard being on the tween stage when everything I say to him is taken negatively and my patience isn’t strong enough to not snap whenever I hear him talking back or “reasoning” out. It’s hard to believe I will have a 10 year old by the end of the year. When I had him, I was two months shy of turning 20, had no job and was dependent on my parents but this bugoy had Nike shoes, imported diapers, branded clothes, Avent bottles and had an A/C room 24 hours a day. I didn’t know a think about strollers but if I knew, he would have ridden a Peg perego one. This one was a lucky duck, in terms of luxury. However, firstborns turn out to be the experimental kids, as parents are newbies. This was exactly what happened with Matthew. I am just so grateful he turned out to be a bright, sensitive, talented and one of a kind kid. He isn’t your typical rough kid, but he is definitely an old soul.

1. He is now into the Journalism club of his school’s paper and he is excited about the training he is getting. He is reading more books so he can grasp the English language and pick up writing styles. I am somewhat a rough mom on that part – I don’t teach everything to you. You got to read them yourself. He lets me buy books for him as much as he can and I indulge. Got to keep my end of the bargain.

2. He wants to sing lately and he is no longer shy about it.

What I like about my son is that at 10, he is still able to maintain his innocence on certain things. We dont talk at length about sex to him, but we don’t treat it as taboo either. I’ve got to give credit to Edil on that matter. When he was around 7, he isn’t allowed to see movies with kissing scenes and we would tell him to close his eyes – and he would self-regulate himself on that matter. He would ask if the movie is “pwede for him” whenever he would watch a movie himself. Last year, Edil told him he can watch kissing scenes but not the bold ones (exposed body parts) because as he puts it, “Maglolokohan pa ba tyo Kuya e alam kong alam mo na yan.” So there – I am a bit old-fashioned though, telling him that even if it seems everybody is doing it, it doesn’t make it right, to which he would tell me, “Bata mo nga naging Mommy, Mommy eh.” See? I have learned my lesson well. To this day, he would always tell me that I got fat because I had kids. Hahaha.

Anyway, when we were watching J.Lo’s movie, the BackUp Plan, he had questions why J.Lo got pregnant when she didnt have a boyfriend or husband. And then she did it with her boyfried while pregnant. During the ultrasound scene when she found out she was having twins, Matthew told us:

Hala Mommy, humabol pa yung anak ng boyfriend nya!

We were laughing so hard at his quip! Totally beats his quotable quote when he was four:
”A is for aektopus (Octopus)!”

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May 12th

Matthew learns how to ride a bike overnight. He has been training how to balance on and off for three weeks now, usually once a week, when the Dad is home.

When we stayed with my parents for a week because Caren went on vacation, Edil told me to make sure Matthew trains on his bike for the week. He practiced all night on a Wednesday and by Thursday, he told me he was able to ride his bike up to the entrance gate 500meters away. Go Matthew! It’s a great exercise for him – he has great bone structure like his Dad (and I think his fat genes too) so he won’t need any hydroxycut max advanced pills when he tries weight training.

Go Tuya!

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(Sorry emotional post ahead)

Today was a proud Mama moment. Matthew was the fifth among his batch and got two awards – Best in English and Best in Math.

But it actually wasn’t about that.
Today I realized the my son, as different as he is from other boys, is one of a kind. He is not really into sports, reads the dictionary like a pocketbook, loves talking to adults instead of his age-group and likes Josh Groban instead of Justin Bieber (Ugh I dunno why kids go gaga over him).

But he has a sensitive soul. He gives way, even if he doesn’t like to, to his sister every time. He is always the first one to notice when I am sad or have a problem and each and every time he has hugged me tight and asks me what he can do to make me feel better.

My son has a kind heart. That is what the school directress told me. My son had a kind heart.

And for someone to tell that to me, makes me wonder what have I done to deserve such child.

Proud Mama Moment.
Love you Mato.

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These were taken after Martha’s entrance exam in Matthew’s school. Matthew, for merienda, ate 1 pc of chicken + rice, a Twister Toasted and mashed potatoes. Martha ate one bucket of fries and finished her potatoes as well. While she was eating she mustve been really hungry as she told me, “Ma, ang sarap talaga!” I could have laughed so loud!

And chicken trivia for you: Matthew loves chicken skin while Martha only eats the chicken white meat. She doesnt like how the skin tastes in her mouth.

My kids are really easy to please, really. They don’t have the notion on what are nice restaurants and rarely demand toys they want (They are more of I see it I want it, but if I dont see it, I forget about it). So whenever they request things, we try to give it to them. Take note my gauge of giving is them asking for it non stop for 6 months or more That’s my way of knowing if they realllllllly want it. Case in point: Matthew’s PSP and the kids’ new puppy.

Back to how they eat, whenever we go out, we only go to tried and tested restaurants: Jollibee, McDo, Pizza Hut or KFC. Matthew loves rice (like his Dad) that you wont make him happy if I take him to Pancake House or Cafe Breton (which I always want to go to). I see him getting the same risks his Dad and my father-in-law will have, too much cholesterol. This boy can eat two packs of Lapids chicharon in one sitting, same as the princess. They will need medicines to reduce cholesterol when they get older. (At least they are young now).

Oh well, I just hope my kids don’t have diabetic tendencies like me. Judging from their body structure and their eating preferences, I think they go more after their father’s.

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