My Brave Girl

Just look at my brave girl:

 

This picture was taken when we went to Tagaytay 2 weeks ago. We went to Residence Inn so the kids can go horseback riding. And when Bela saw the zip line, she did not think twice and she tried it.

It is actually just a zip line for kids but Bela has tried the longer and higher zip line in Picnic Grove. I am glad that he is as adventurous as his dad and she is not like me who is scared of almost anything. LOL.

New Drum Class Teacher

Bela has a new teacher in Drum Class. He is the former drummer of Sponge Cola. Bela loves his former teacher, teacher Elmer, and she is already comfortable with him. But Academy of Rock has opened up their new branch in Megamall and Teacher Elmer has to take the weekend class for drums there. I asked Bela if she wants to follow Teacher Elmer in Megamall, but if I were to choose, I prefer Rockwell than Megamall as I find that mall too crowded.

Bela agreed to try Teacher Chris. During her first two sessions with Teacher Chris, she was just quiet and would even go out of the room or would request that we be with her inside the room during class. As per AOR’s manager, Teacher Chris has a different teaching style as he is stricter than the laid back style of Teacher Elmer, so maybe that's why Bela is having a hard time adjusting.

Bela completed one month session with Teacher Chris and Teacher Chris said that he noticed a big improvement with Bela. Bela is also comfortable now with Teacher Chris and Teacher Chris is even teaching her advance drum skills so Howell and I are really excited and happy with this big improvement.

And since we can really see that Bela is really serious with her drum lessons, Howell is thinking to really convert one of our spare rooms into a band studio complete with all the equipment like speakers and the like.

I am sure Bela would love this idea as she always enjoys spending time in her room, playing with her drums.

Skylanders Fan

My Bela is already 8 years old but she is still into toys. Her current addiction: Skylanders.

Every time she gets a good grade from school, or last Christmas or her last birthday, she requested that we give her any of her favorite Skylanders characters. This toy is actually played with an Xbox or PSP as it interacts with the game but Bela is just interested to play with it as an action figure. LOL.

I was checking her stack of Skylanders last week and I was surprised because she has a lot already. This makes me think that we should get a durable trunk like those Military Footlocker to keep her collections.

Bela's First Gig @ SSC Family Day

Last Saturday was Bela’s Family Day activity in school. I was part of the committee who organized the event and one of the activities that we included was a presentation per class. And for St. Walburga, Bela’s class, I asked teacher if she can help the kids practice the song Roar while Bela plays the drums.

I was actually hesitant at first because the logistics will be complicated as I either have to bring the drum set of Bela in school or I would have to rent. I asked Bela and she is really eager to perform so who am I to say No to that kind of request of my daughter.

And I am glad we pushed through with it because I can see the joy in Bela’s face as she performs. She played the song Roar while her classmates sing and dance to the tune. Here is a full video of the presentation:

And it gave me and hubby so much joy and pride that we were both teary eyed as we watch our princess rocks.

Her Gala Uniform

I was looking for lingerie here for a bridal shower that we are preparing for a friend who will be tying the knot soon but I have to do that some other time because I realized that I have to look for a doll shoes to match the Gala uniform that Bela will be wearing for her First Communion rites on February 23.

Look at how their Gala uniform will look like:

I need to find an ecru colored doll shoes to match the uniform. I thought that I still have a few weeks since the First Communion rites will not be until February 23 but they will have their pictorial next week. Hopefully we can find one later at SM. Any leads?

Skylanders Shirt by MB Project

Bela’s current favorite toy is Skylanders. It is actually an action figure that integrates with an Xbox or PSP. She does not want to play with the Skylanders game but she just like to play pretend with the action figures of the Skylanders, especially the dragon characters. Her favorite is Flashwing and when she showed me the new variation of the Flashwing character, which is the Jade Flashwing, I immediately thought of ordering a shirt with a print of Jade Flashwing for her from MB Project.

When I told her about it, she got really excited and she every minute she will ask me when she will the shirt. That is why when I got the shirt last Wednesday, she was really giddy with excitement. And she got to wear it yesterday when we went out. Of course I also ordered one for Cobi.

Here are the shirts made by MB Project:

They make all kinds of personalize shirts. Check them out in Facebook in Instagram.

No Longer a Baby

Just look at my Bela:

I realized that time flies by so fast and I no longer have a baby. This picture was taken a few weeks ago when they were asked to come in their Sunday dress in school because they will be watching the MidSummer Nights’ Dream play.

I super love the blazer that she is wearing in this picture. I bought it for her for Christmas but she was not able to wear it, that is why I got really excited when I found the perfect opportunity for her to wear it.

Her Own Drum Set

Just look at what we got for Bela for Christmas:

She has been attending drum lessons at Academy of Rock for more than 6 months now and we can see that it is really something that she likes. So hubby and I decided that it is about time that she gets her own drum set at home so she can practice whatever she learned from school.

Her drum teacher was even the one who went to our house to help us setup it up.

And now that we have the drum set, hubby is really keen on turning one of the rooms into a music room complete with high quality musical instruments, amplifiers, speakers and more.

I am sure Bela will enjoy playing with his new toy, especially after her dad finishes the setup of the music room.

Happiness in a Box for Bela

What’s inside the box?

Finally, we were able to pick up the drum set of Bela from Audiophile in Mall of Asia last Sunday. We reserved it last week and informed the shop that we will pick it up the following Saturday. But we decided to go to Subic so we were not able to drop by the shop.

Thankfully, we were able to go back to Manila the next day and so we were able to go to Mall of Asia to pick up the drum set. I called every branches of Audiophile and they are the only one who has the Imperial Star model in Vintage Red which is the color that Bela likes.

Now we are complete for the Christmas gifts for the kids. 

RockStar Bela

This is one picture of my daughter in one of her drum lessons at Academy of Rock:

She is really in the zone. And would you believe, she can already read notes and she said she can play the song Roar already.

She has been attending drum lessons at Academy of Rock for more than 6 months now I think and I must say that the tuition fee that we pay is really all worth it as we can really see big improvements with her drum skills.

She is enrolled for this month again and we plan to enroll her as long as she is still interested to learn new tricks.

My youngest also wants to take drum lessons just like her sister. He would even come inside the classroom and watch his sister play. Unfortunately, he is still too young for the lesson so I guess for now, he can just settle in being his sister fan and we will just buy him remo lollipop drums at music123.

My Rock Star Princess

Just look at my Rock Star princess Bela:

Thanks to my friend’s sister, Jonah for taking this picture. This picture was taken a few months ago when we attended the rock star party of Margaux. Bela enjoyed the party that is why we had a rock star theme for her 7th birthday too.

I too love the concept of a Rock Star party that is why I am so excited to plan for this party too. We had Jives, the popular sing and dance trio that we often see in parties, and they really rock the house down and they did not fail in encouraging the kids to go up on stage and dance with them.

We also had an illuminated dance floor which added fun to the party. Bela and her dad of course had a presentation again as what they always do every year.

If I will to do it again, I will still go for a Rock Star themed party for Bela's 7th birthday. The theme was really fun and very much appropriate for their age that is why everybody did had fun. And all those months of preparation and stress got all paid off when Bela said this while watching the on-site video at the end of the party: "Mom, Dad, I will never forget this day."

My Cutie Majorette

Just look at my cute majorette:

She got her uniform already for her Rhymizette club and she was really excited to wear it. Rhymizette is one of the clubs being offered in school and since last year, she has been telling me that she will join this club when the new school year opens.

She told me that they are practicing a dance number to the tune of one of the songs of One Direction and we are really excited to watch her perform.

Bela's 7th: Throw Back

Just look at my Rock Star princess Bela:

Thanks to my friend’s sister, Jonah for taking this picture. This picture was taken a few months ago when we attended the rock star party of Margaux. Bela enjoyed the party that is why we had ivory italian grand, guitars, rock band and more on her 7th birthday as she wanted a Rock Star themed party too.

I too love the concept of a Rock Star party that is why I was really excited when I was planning for this party. We had Jives, the popular sing and dance trio that we often see in parties, and they really did rocked the house down.

I really saw how happy Bela was during her party and she told us that it is the day that she will never forget.

Bela and her Dragon Fly

Looked mom, I caught a dragon fly:

Bela loves animals, animals of all kinds from insects to the furry hamster, to our big Labrador and more. That is why when we attended an outreach in Bulacan, she enjoyed catching dragon flies with her dad after our outreach program.

But before we left, she set the dragon fly free after her dad spent hours catching the dragon fly for her. LOL. At the end of the day, her love and concern for animals would still remain so she would rather set the dragon fly free instead of being trapped in a bottle if she will bring them home.

Bela and her Books

My daughter has been into creating her own story books. She will write the stories and do the drawings as well on bond paper and will ask us to compile it like a book.

I am really one proud mommy as she is just 7 years old and she is into story writing and illustration already. But what makes me proud the most is the reason behind why she is doing this. According to Bela, she is making these books so that kids who can’t afford to buy the books can still read the stories and information that she shares in her books. Then she told me that she will make tons and tons of books and will sell it so that the money that she will get from the sales can be use to buy food for the hungry kids in Ulingan (which is the community that my husband and I volunteers to).

This is something that I have to document so that she will still be able to recall this when she grows up. That is why I am checking out website-builder.com so I can make a website for Bela’s books, upload pictures of each of the books and the story behind each book.

I am happy that Bela is growing up to be a kid who has a kind heart who knows how to look after the welfare of others as well. My husband and I must be really doing something right for raising a daughter like Bela.

New Drum Set for Her

Bela has been doing really good with drums. She is already on her 3rd month with Academy of Rock and I can really say that she is really serious with it. I was able to speak with her teacher and he is recommending that we buy her a drum set so she can practice even at home.

Hopefully, we will be able to get the drum set soon. Our target is on her birthday on November. So for now, she has to make use of her Jr Drum Set. It needs some repair works though as we need to get a lock washer for the cymbals. But God willing, in just a few months, she can start jamming at home with her new drum set.

Cats and Dogs

My brother and I are like cats and dogs when we were little and Cobi and Bela are just like that now. Well, Cobi is actually the culprit as he always teases his ate. Good thing Bela is such as understanding ate that she will always give in for his little brother.

But if there is one thing that both of them agreed on, then it is they both love strawberry donuts:

Just look at them enjoying their donuts from Dunkin Donuts as we dined in a Vietnamese resto. LOL.

Go Green Initiative

As part of St. Scholastica’s aim in helping to protect the environment, they have launched a campaign in school wherein all food concessionaires will no longer use plastic containers and students are asked to bring their own containers when buying from the canteen. Students are also encouraged to bring their own lunch box so as to avoid using plastic containers that adds to the pollution.

Because of this, the students are more aware now of our growing problems with global warming and on how in their own little way, can they help stop it.

Thus we are extending this campaign even at home and we have started with our own green steps by using green cleaning products, recycling and more which can really help in the sustainability of mother earth.

New PEARLS Volunteer

Last July 6, we all went to Batia, Bulacan as it is the scheduled feeding program of Project PEARLS there. Batia, Bulacan is the new home of our families from Ulingan after they have been relocated.

Bela met some of the kids in Ulingan when we invited a number of them during Cobi’s birthday party and since then, she always asked me when she will get a chance to meet them again. So when they got relocated in Bulacan where the air that they breathe is clean compared to the toxic smoke that they inhale in Ulingan, we figured that we can now bring our kids every time we go there to volunteer.

It is Bela and Cobi’s second time in Bulacan and I am really glad that they both had fun especially Bela. I explained to her the importance of what she did and how much she has helped the families in Ulingan and I am really proud of her because I can really see how much she enjoyed what we did and how fulfilled she was knowing that she was able to help.

Bela'a Neuro Psychological Test Results for Academic Skills

I forgot to blog about this but we visited Bela’s pedia last May and he administered a Bela'a results for Neuro Psychological Test for Academic Skills and just look at Bela’s results.

Bela is 7 years old and is in Grade 2 this school year:

General Information – 6-7 years old

Oral Reading – Grade 3

Reading Comprehension – Grade 3

Mathematics – Grade 2

I am one proud mommy. But more than the academic skills, I am happy because Bela is growing up to be the kind child who knows how to share her blessings and looks after the welfare of others. Hope she will continue to grow to be a God fearing individual and a responsible member of the society.

I kept on wondering what she will be like when she grows up. For now, she is fascinated with anything about animals so will she be a veterinarian or a zoo keeper someday? Or since she loves Science, will she be a chemist and scientist just like those working for www.lspceramics.com/.

But whatever it is that she likes to pursue, we her parents, are just here to support her all the way.