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?

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.

Summer is Over. Start of the New School Year

I can’t believe that the 2 months of summer vacation is over just like that. Next week, Bela will go back to school as a grade 2 student. I remember last year, I have a lot of fears for my daughter as it is a big transition for her, moving from Sr. Prep to Grade 1.

In Grade 1, they will have teachers for each subject and she was in school almost the whole day. On the first week of class, Bela would go home almost at the brink of crying and she keep on telling us that teacher does not like her. I was even asked by her special programs teacher for a meeting as Bela would hide under the table and she needs to do a lot of convincing before she comes out of the table.

My heart was shattered as a mom, seeing my daughter like that. But every time I will ask her, she will say that she still loves school so I am thankful that it did not reached the point when Bela would detest going to school.

Hope this school year will be different. I am really praying to God that Bela will have supportive and patient teachers and adviser and nice classmates so it will be a smoother transition for her this time.

And speaking of first day of school, I suddenly remembered that I have not printed sticker labels for Bela’s notebooks and books. Good thing I remembered that I ordered to print flyers at printingamerica.com few months ago and so I will check if they print sticker labels and bag tags too.

Good luck my dear daughter. Have fun in school.

The Controversial Scrapbook of Grade 1 – St. Eusebia

Every year after the field trip, we will be asked to make a scrapbook to document the student’s as well as their chaperone’s experience of the trip. This time, instead of making one scrapbook per student, we will be making one scrapbook for the class and the homeroom officers will be responsible in making it.

So I texted all my co-parents today to ask them to submit pictures that they want to share for the class scrapbook. I ordered cheap envelopes to give to our adviser so she can sort the pictures that will be submitted.

All who replied to my text was really happy with this setup as we know how time consuming it is to make a scrapbook. So I was really surprised when I got a text from one mommy complaining that she already bought the materials because she thought that each student would have to submit a scrapbook. She told me that we should have notified her in advance so she does not have to buy the materials and she is saying that those that she bought would just go to waste.

Well for one, our class adviser have notified us way, way in advance that we will just have one scrapbook per class. It is not my problem anymore if she is not reading her daughter’s notebook or if she can’t understand plain English. Second, the materials that she bought would not be put to waste if she would just donate it to us who will do the scrapbook for the class or she can even use it to make a scrapbook that she can keep. Third, nobody is stopping her from making and submitting her own scrapbook.

I guess it is how she put the text message that really irritates me. For me, as a parent, I should be careful with what I say or do. These are the parents of my daughter’s classmates that I am talking to and I think it is just right to be polite to them or just show them that I am an educated parent.

But I have to let bygones be bygones. I can’t control how other people think and act. It is them who will look bad and not me. So moving on.

Grade 1 Educational Tour: Field Trip

Last February 13 was Bela’s field trip. The assembly time is at 6:00 AM as the bus has to leave at exactly 6:30 AM so we were up early. Bela was really excited that we did not have to wake her up. She was up at 3 AM and she was already asking us to give her a bath. LOL. This is how excited she is for this trip.

This picture was taken in Jollibee Quirino while we are waiting for our order for our take out lunch:

We went to Bioresearch Farm, Gardenia Plant, Jose Rizal Shrine, and our last stop was at Sta. Elena Fun Farm. I have to make a separate post about each of our destination but I first have to download the pictures that I took of the field trip since I am responsible for making the class scrapbook (which for some reason, one mom is not happy about ☹ but that deserves a separate post too.)

Opening of Buwan ng Wika @ SSC

Last Monday was the opening of the Filipino Month in Bela’s school. They were asked to come in their Filipiniana costume and this is what she wore:

I have blogged about this a few days ago but I did not post the picture. This was the costume (or should I say terno gown?) that I bought in Quiapo. This was actually the 2nd costume that I bought as we were able to buy a traditional Filipiniana dress already in one of the stores. I was looking for a Maria Clara costume in the second store that we checked and this gown was what I saw.

I was actually having second thoughts if I should get it or not because I was thinking if this gown would not be over acting for a simple program in school but my mom said that it would look OA if I were the one whose going to wear it. LOL. And my mom was right as my fashionista friends approved it when I posted it in Instagram.

Bela look really cute in the gown. She told me that she was shy to wear it when I brought her to school last Monday but was really happy when she reached home because she said that all her classmates love her dress.

Filipino Month Celebration at SSC

Looks like I will need to find a way to improve my PC performance as soon, it will be loaded with tons of pictures to process and upload, since it is the start again of the different activities that Bela have in school.

For this month, they will be celebrating the Filipino month and they will be asked to come in their Filipiniana costume. I assumed, just like in Kinder and Prep, that they would also have a program as part of the culminating activity for the Filipino Month. I learned during the orientation that parents will still be allowed to come to school and watch and so I told hubby to prepare his SLR camera so he can capture those memories again.

I have bought a costume for Bela already but I don’t want to post it here first as I want it to be a surprise come Monday, during the opening ceremony of their Filipino month.

Bela's Thursday Schedule in School

Every Thursday, Bela will be in school the whole day from 7:20 Am to 4 PM compared to her regular schedule where she gets off from school at 1 PM or 12 noon. This means she has to eat lunch in school which worries me because she is a slow eater.

For her snacks alone, she will go home having only a bite of whatever she has for snacks and every time when I ask her why she did not finish her food, she will tell me that she did not have much time.

That is why we told her that she should learn to eat fast, by herself. Look at this picture:

We asked her to try eating chicken all by herself without yaya’s help. She was able to finish it….after almost an hour. LOL.

Hope she will imitate her classmates and she will be able to finish her lunch also. Otherwise she might loose weight again which I don't want to happen….:-(

Bela's Week 2 in Grade 1

Last Wednesday, Bela went home sad and she immediately told her lola when her lola fetched her that she had a bad day in school. It is because she received warnings from her Filipino and Math teacher.

When I asked her about it, she told me that her teacher kind of got a little mad at her when she rested her head on the table. Her teacher called her attention and Bela said that her teacher was asking her to move in front. Bela said that she refused to move because she doesn’t want to leave her proper seat. Bela did this not because she doesn’t want to follow her teacher but I know that she got scared already and she is trying to correct what she did by staying in her proper seat, and not move in front when she was asked by her teacher.

Bela also said that she cried during Math when her teacher asked her to repeat everything that she has done in her notebook. She said that she was too tired already and so she cried when she was asked to do it again.

Bela can be really playful at times and I know that Grade 1 is really a big adjustment for her. Imagine, from Prep when they have only two teachers (the adviser and the music teacher), they now have 8 different teachers so it is 8 different personalities that she has to adapt. I have spoken to Bela’s Prep teacher during the last PTC for Prep and have aired my concerns because I know Bela can still be a little immature for her age. But every time something like this happens, she always go home sad because I know she wanted to do the right thing.

My only sentiment is that I hope her teachers will not be that tough on her. I know this is a good learning experience for her but it is just the second week of school so I am hoping that they will give the kids a time to adjust, as I know that the transition to Grade 1 will really be a big adjustment not just for her, but also to all her classmates.

Bela is a smart girl and she is a good girl too. I have explained to her that teachers are the bosses when inside the classroom and she should not be doing anything else while her teacher is talking. I am sure if her teacher will just explain to her, she will understand and she will comply.

It pains me especially when I learned that she cried in class. This is a first time for Bela, as she never cried, ever, even when she started going to school at the age 2.5 so I really got worried. I know this are growing pains for her but I just hope that her teachers will also give her time to adjust and will help her in the transition process.

First Week in Grade 1

Bela survived her first week in big school. It was an orientation week and a getting-to-know each other week, as they don’t have any formal lessons yet. I was with Bela on her first day and mostly, their teacher just gave the kids an orientation of the usual class routines.

Yesterday, I asked Bela what they did in class and she told me that they had a tour of the school so they won’t get lost. She was so excited as she tells me the story and she told me that some of her classmates were crying, as they are scared to get lost in school.

I was worried for Bela actually as I know that the setup in Grade 1 will have a huge difference when she was just in Jr and Sr Prep. But just like what my husband and my friends have been telling me, I should forget about negative thoughts and I should just have full confidence with my daughter.

I know they are right because I know that Bela is a smart girl and I should just let her spread her wings. Who knows someday she will have her own IT company with error and omission insurance so her company will be secure and stable no matter what happens, or she can be an artist or a writer.

But whatever Bela plans for her future, we her parents will just be here to support her all the way.

First Day High in Grade 1

I am in senti mode yesterday. I took a day off so I can take Bela to school as it is her first day after the summer vacation. I can’t believe that I already have a grade-schooler.

Parents were still allowed to enter the school grounds and so I was able to help her carry her things. She has a lot as she has 15 books, 9 notebooks and 9 folders. I guided her to her new classroom (which was the same room when she was in Jr. Prep) and helped her settle down in her chair. 

She asked me if I have no work and I told her that I took a day off so I can bring her to school. I asked her is she can already manage on her own on her second day and she confidently said yes.

I am a bit worried for her as this is a big school setup already. She will have 8 different teachers for all her 8 subjects. She will even have Filipino and Sibika at Kultura subjects now.

I still see her as my baby. But I know I can’t stop her from growing up. Soon she will be using pls laser for experiments in school, choose her course in college, and many more. 

My prayer for now is that she will be able to adjust well in this new setup. My husband was telling me that he knows that Bela will do well and I should not be worried. I guess what I am feeling now is just natural for mommies. I guess it is time for me to accept that Bela is no longer a baby and I should let her spread her wings.

New Bag for Grade 1

I was reading the memo that I received upon enrollment and I learned stroller bags are not allowed in school. I was worried at first as I just shopped for Bela’s things and she will have 15 books, 10 notebooks, 8 folders, and her other stuff like her pencil case plus a separate lunch bag, so I know that it will be a heavy load.

Thankfully I learned from Mrs. Del Rosario, Bela’s teacher in Prep, that they only need to bring home their notebooks everyday and the books will just be left in school. But still 9 notebooks is a lot so I have to buy a bigger bag for her. She only has small bags when she was in Kinder and Prep, which can’t accommodate her 9 notebooks.

Bela loves animals so I know a bag with animal prints will really make her feel excited to go to school. And so I ordered her bag from Beatrix and she was just the happiest when she saw it:

It is a little pricey compared to her Skip Hop bags and I was not able to find any online coupon to get discounts but this is the only brand that I found which has animal prints and looks durable to hold her things.

I will be bringing Bela to school today. I am one excited and anxious mom.

New Discovery for my Citibank Credit Cards

I was so surprised when I went to Bela’s school to pay for her tuition fee because it is only now that I found out that I can use my citibank credit cards to pay for her tuition fee.

Well using my credit card to pay for her tuition fee has a lot of advantages:

1. Instead of paying right away for the tuition, I can use the cash that I have for other important things like pay for the electricity bills, shop for our grocery supplies and more as I still have more than a month before my credit cards are due.
2. I can also avail of the best credit card deals like I can earn bonus points, mileage, freebies and more if I use my card.
3. If I don’t have the money to pay for Bela’s tuition in full, I can use my credit card to pay for it and apply for deferred payment so I can pay for Bela’s tuition fee in small monthly installments which will be easier for us financially.

Now I am happy that I go though the whole credit card application as I was able to make good use of my credit card instead of just using it all the time for shopping. LOL.

On Writing

On her first week at school, she came home with this:

She showed it to us and this were her words:

Bela: “Dad look, you will be so proud of me. I can now write in 3 lines only”

(I know where this is leading to and she will ask us to get her a little prize. LOL. Good thing I will buy coogi clothes for hubby so I will be able to drop by Toys R’ Us too to get her a little something.)

Writing is one of the areas that need improvement for Bela. I even enrolled her to summer classes and Kumon to help her with her writing. When she was in Jr. Prep, their teacher will ask them to copy the reminders on the board in their assignment notebook. The lines in the notebook that they are using is quite narrow compared to the writing notebook that Bela was used to when she was in Nursery so when she writes, she occupies 6 lines and even more and it is all over the place. LOL.

So when I saw that she could copy well the reminders on the board already, I was one proud mom.

First Day of School: Sr. Prep

Last June 14 was the first day of school of Bela. She was excited, as she has long been telling us how much she misses her classmates. I brought her to school, as I want to see who her new teacher is and who are her classmates.

There were only 2 sections when they were still in Jr. Prep and now there are 4 sections for Sr. Prep so the 2 JR. Prep sections were spread out among the 4 sections. And so Bela end up with only 4 of her former classmates. I was glad too that the daughter of two of my co-parent from last year is in Bela’s class too.

Parents were still allowed to go inside the school on the first week. I was looking through the window of Bela’s classroom and looks like she is comfortable and at ease to be back to school again. Although she told me that she cried for a short time on the first day when we were asked to get out of the room. I hope that she will have as much fun as she have when she was still in Jr. Prep.

A Boo- Boo

It was a very busy Wednesday for me at work as it is just a short day as we were dismissed early. I did a last minute check of my email and to my hurry, I accidentally deleted the email from Bela’s school regarding their enrolment. I asked a co-parent and she confirmed that it is regarding the online enrolment form that we signed up for.

I really need to get that email as I need to enrol Bela the soonest possible time as I want to accomplish this before we leave for our vacation. Good thing I was able to contact their IT section through the help of my co-mommy, Melay, and they promise to resend to me the email when they go back to work on Tuesday.

At least after enrolment, all that is left for me to take care of includes:

• shopping for school supplies for Bela
• labelling the notebooks and books of Bela which I can easily do since we have one of those reliable epson printers at home that I can use to print labels for Bela’s notebooks and other school supplies
• have her measurements taken for her school uniform

June will be a busy month for us as it is the time for our move to the new house, and Cobi’s first birthday party. So I really wanted to accomplish as much as I can now so Bela will be ready for school opening come June no matter how hectic our schedule is for June.

Moving to Sr. Prep

In just two weeks, school will be finish for Bela. I can’t believe that she is already finished with Kinder and she is already an incoming Prep student as school opens this school year.

I am so proud of Bela and I am so thankful for her teachers who helped her get through her first step in big school. That is why I am looking for a small gift that I can give her teachers as a sign of my gratitude for all the help that they give to Bela to make her stay in Kinder a very enjoyable one.

Sowhen I saw Personal Creations custom mugs, I knew that this will be the perfect gift that I am looking for. I can customize the mugs with the pictures of the past activities of the school with Bela and her teachers and I can even add text like the name of each of her teacher.

When we were deciding if Bela is ready for big school already, there are a lot of things going through my head. As a mom, I feel so scared for Bela as I know that big school is a big adjustment. But all my fears are gone now and I am thankful for all her teachers who truly helped her adjust to the big school setup.

SSC's Prep Week

Last February 21 – 24, SSC celebrated Prep Week so I always take a half-day leave to attend to all the activities where parents are invited to join.

February 22, they invited guest speakers who are authors of famous children’s book to have a talk on how to make a good book. After the talk, there was an autograph signing and then we were asked to create a book with our kids. Bela and I paired up with Melay and Thea and we adopted two kids, Yvonne and Candace, who have no guardian / parent during the activity to join us. Good thing Melay is so good in drawing so she was the one who drew on all pages of the book for us. But Bela was so disappointed as I was not able to help her draw her pet hermit crab, which is one of the characters of our story. LOL.

February 23, was a strenuous activity as they prepared games and each parent and kid needs to join. Bela and I participated in the puzzle game and unfortunately, our team did not win but we still get consolation prizes of course.

February 24, the last day of the Prep Week, was a talent showcase as selected students and parents performed for all the visitors. Bela dance the ballet and she was all smiles all throughout the performance as I know that she is just so proud since this is the first time that her classmates was able to watch her dance.

I haven’t uploaded pictures yet but I will post it here as soon as I get the chance to sort it out.

How to Help Your Kid Adjust to School

Going to big school, or elementary school, is a major change for children. It often requires big adjustments on the part of both parents and child as it may often require dealing with a new environment – school, location, teachers and even classmates. Change is always inevitable so all we parents have to do is help our children adjust to the changes.

Children would need to have a smooth transition and parents can guide them through it.
1. You can begin by letting your child see and explore his new school before school starts. It would be better if he meets the key people in school too – the principal, the school doctor or school nurse and his class teacher/adviser.
2. Facilitate an avenue for your child to bond with other children. It may mean inviting kids for a play date or inviting fellow Moms for an ice cream after school.
3. Establish a goodbye routine and help make it easier. Your child, in the first few weeks of school, might get teary-eyed, anxious or even cry. Reassure her that you will be waiting for her at the end of the day and that he will be fine. If it is still happening after a few months, it might be better to ask for help and see if a teacher can help.
4. Try and make sure you arrive a few minutes early to pick your child from school. It will give him the reassurance that you are there, waiting for him.
5. Make it a habit to create a routine of early bedtimes and peaceful, unhurried mornings in your household. Kids who are well rested will have few tantrums and a calm morning routine will take the pressure off and keep anxieties at bay.

Anxiety is normal during the first few weeks. It can even affect the way your child thinks and feels, without them knowing they are suffering from it. Stomach aches, headaches, fatigue, aggressiveness, sadness and silence are general manifestations of anxiety. You can help them overcome it but talking with your child how he feels. It is easier said and done but encourage your child to talk about what happens in school, you can start by sharing your own experiences. Do not downplay his fears but reassure them that things will get better.

However, stay alert for any signs why your child is anxious and worried about school. Normally, kids adjust to school in a few weeks. But when their unhappiness is drawn out, it might indicate a more serious issue. He might be being bullied, has a hard time understanding lessons, cannot see or hear clearly, has a hard time making friends and feeling left out. Start by asking questions about how his day went and when it doesn’t draw him out, you can share your own positive school stories (“I cried for a week when Grandma left me at school during First Grade I had to go to the bathroom so many times! That’s when I met my best friend who was also crying, and things got better! I loved First Grade!).
If you still have a nagging fear or suspicion you cannot erase, it is time to call the teacher and relay your feelings.

As parents, we cannot keep changes from happening to our children’s lives. It is a constant thing people need to deal with all the time. We just need to make things easier for our children by providing a calm and reassuring presence and an easier transition for them.

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Norton antivirus coupon discount and godaddy promotion code are some of the topics that AbieL, a free lance blogger and writer, writes about for Business Opportunities Expo and You Love Coupons.

The Monkey Tail

Last Friday, I fetched Bela from school and the moment she saw me, she was shouting, “Mom, mom I have an assignment and I need a monkey tail. And so I was intrigued that I immediately looked at her notebook to check.

Here is the reminder that her teacher posted in her notebook;

1. October 4- Monday “Earth Day” Celebration Prep Schedule 7:30-11:00am. Come in your brown shirt, maong pants and white rubber shoes. Make a “monkey tail” as part of our costume.
2. Bring the following on October 4:
a. small picnic matå
b. healthy snacks like fruits, vegetables and sandwiches. All food and drinks must be places in a container.
c. Extra shirt and small towel

So this is what she’s telling me. She’s very excited because as you all know, B loves animals so much and she’s happy that she’s going to pretend to be one on Monday.
I think that they will have a small program and picnic so I know that Bela will surely have a blast.