This summer, we enrolled our toddler to Pre-school summer classes to prepare him for Nursery and admittedly, we failed.

Wes is already three and a half years old and may already be accepted as Nursery in school.  I remember my older son Dandre, who started summer play school just right about Wes' age now.  We got him into the right school and it worked perfectly well for him.  We did the same for the little one expecting to have the same readiness and excitement for school as his kuya did.

WRONG.

I realized this when after a few days in summer school, he was already making up reasons not to go and  if he agrees to go to school, he's using all his delaying tactics.

But, he seemed to be having fun and cooperative with his summer class teacher in these photos, look oh:
He's quite impressive in Picture Recognition activities because we read a lot of books at home and he's just naturally curious about a lot of things.  He asks a lot of WHATs and WHYs and we answer him with much glee and excitement of his desire to learn.
Wes recognizes opposites too like the concept of long and short, big and small, smooth and rough, tall and short and even happy or sad.
He loves COLORS!  He loves drawing and coloring at home so he actually got excited at first when his crayons were brought out....
Until... the instructor started controlling his small hand to answer a number of activity sheets which I think Wes has no understanding of yet.
I think he wasn't enjoying here anymore.  Look at the smirk on his face.  The whole time I was just observing and letting the instructor do her job.  I just let Wes be.  I didn't tell him what to or what not to do.
He goes to school all dressed-up, carries his little McQueen school back pack and snack box filled with his favorite chocolate drink and cookie.  He was excited during his first three days.

As he went along, we observed that when he enters the classroom he heads straight to table activities and paper work.  I could imagine his heart screaming this, "Can I play first?!!!!"  In my older son's pre-school, play and socialization were priorities than academics.  But play wasn't part of his daily school experience.

According to psychoanalyst Gail Saltz, MD, an associate professor of psychiatry at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell School of Medicine in New York City,

"Preschool is really for socialization, to introduce the idea that learning can be fun, and to teach kids how to share, compromise, and get along as a group." 

As expected, on his seventh and eighth day, he started crying whenever we mention that it's time to go to school!  He would hurriedly go back to the room, pretend to sleep and refuse to take a bath or dress up.  He now dislikes the idea of school.  Honestly, I feel bad because I failed somewhere.

We were supposed to enroll him this school year as Nursery, but because of this, we are skipping this year and we decided to just allow him to play more, explore more, and have more fun at home.

Lessons Learned (Which I Want To Share To All Of You Moms of Incoming Pre-Schoolers):
RESEARCH.
It's important to make time out of your very busy schedule to research on schools offering programs that encourage the child to learn through play and socialization.  It's important as well to ensure that the curriculum the school offers is right for the age of the child.  We did our research and asked around.  The school where we enrolled him this summer was the most recommended.  Apparently, how they do it wasn't fit to what our child needs.

SIT-IN
Yes, we've done our research and according to it, this school offers this and that.  Although I personally came to the school to check its facilities, I failed at checking how they facilitate their methods of teaching during an actual class.  I paid right away (at least half of the summer class' fee) because I got excited for my son being in school already.  EEEP, too much excitement didn't work for us.

DON'T FORCE THE IDEA.
We want our son to be in school at the right age, not too early and not too late.  But if like what happened to us, our son doesn't want to go to school anymore, then we're giving him a break.  Consider all pros and cons, talk to your partner/husband/wife about it, decide and never force the idea of school to your child.  It may be counter-productive and may develop unlikeness to school in your child.  There's still Kinder and Preparatory anyway.

SPEND (MORE) TIME.
Now that we've decided not to put him to formal schooling this year, it's important for us to spend more time with him and find a way to home school him more.  This also means, spending time to research what lessons should we be teaching him as well.  Although we already taught him and he's knowledgeable about the alphabet, numbers, colors, shapes, opposites and he likes drawing and coloring.  I will make sure to instill in him that learning is fun and that it doesn't have to be too serious at all. Not this time.  After all, it's true that the best teachers for the child are his parents!

I'm a second time mom, and indeed, parenting and motherhood is a totally different experience altogether for every child.  It's like I'm starting all over again.  Hits and misses are part of it.  But I'm happy to be taking this journey the second time around (and third hopefully next year!!!).  I wouldn't have it any other way!  Happy parenting loves!

Wacky Family Practicality shot after our filling Cafe 'd Asie lunch buffet

REVIEW:
Our family had a pleasurable dining experience at the restaurant.  Its ambiance may look intimidating at first because of its elegant interiors, but it warms you up after a few minutes.  It can accommodate up to 180 dining guests at one time.

Photo from The Bellevue Manila Hotel's website

Photo from The Bellevue Manila Hotel's website

Cleanliness is out of the question.  Their staff are all efficient, courteous and friendly.  Food selection is aplenty kaya hindi bitin!  From appetizers, main dishes, desserts and beverages, they have a lot to offer.  Cafe 'd Asie is definitely worth your visit!  When you dine in Cafe d'Asie Restaurant,  you know that you'll absolutely get value for your money as you indulge in nothing but the best buffet selection in this part of the Town!

Operating Hours:
Open Daily
6:00am to 10:30am Breakfast
11:30am to 2:30pm Lunch
6:00pm to 10:30pm Dinner

Located at the second floor of main wing of The Bellevue Manila Hotel.  For reservations, please call (632) 7718181 local 8020 or email dine@thebellevue.com.  You may also visit their website for more details.

Recommended for you:

• The Bellevue Manila Hotel Experience
• Corniche Buffet at Manila Diamond Hotel
• F1 Hotel Breakfast Buffet/Hotel Staycation
• Circles Event Cafe Buffet at Makati Shangri-La Hotel
• Buffet 101 Review
• HEAT Restaurant Buffet at EDSA Shangri-La Hotel
• Vikings MOA Buffet Experience
• VIkings MOA Birthday Buffet
• Puso Restaurant Breakfast Buffet at Quest Hotel Cebu

Our summer this year is full-packed with swimming activities, sports activities, arts and crafts at home and a few hotel staycations.  I'm happy that my children are busy with those activities and we tell them that we are blessed we get to experience them.  Going to resorts or staying in hotels are some of the activities we call totally fun as a family.  Last month, we were invited by my very sweet and thoughtful friend and Queen of the South, JANE GO of Sugar Go Spice to a 3D/2N hotel staycation at the only 5-star hotel in the South, The Bellevue Manila.

In her words, "Can't wait to show you my part of town, Louise!"  I knew at instant we'll be very good friends!  I always tell her how thoughtful, sweet and kind she is that's why her readers truly adore her!  She's so real and very down-to-earth too!  Macky and I both looooove her! :)

My eldest son has always been a basketball fanatic.  I saw his love for basketball when he was as young as two years old.  He would shoot a ball to any hoop or ring he could see.  His most favorite hoop that time was the improvised one I made out of my loving arms.  Because each time he scores, the hoop transforms into a BIG HUG from mommy.

I supported him with his early love for basketball by enrolling him to MILO B.E.S.T. Center back in 2011.  He was still tiny that time and it was so much fun to watch him dribble and play basketball with kids of his age.  I continued exposing him to the sport by supporting him in his desire to be part of their school's basketball team.  I was the proudest mom when he, without telling me one afternoon that it was a try-out game, got in the team!
Nothing makes a child happier than knowing that his parents fully support him in his interests!  It boosts their self-esteem and their confidence as well.

That's why this summer, we decided to let him continue training in MILO B.E.S.T Center in Xavier School, to further his basketball drills and skills.  Thanks to MILO of course for making this happen!
Xavier School is not new to me because this was where we enrolled him the first time.  As usual, they had an orderly registration (where you fill-out a form and pay your clinic fee) and T-shirt distribution.  As expected too, their second batch of basketball clinic applicants was full.
The schedule of their training in MILO B.E.S.T Center is every Wednesday and Saturday from 1:00 to 4:00 PM.  I appreciate that there are days in between for my son to rest and be involved in some other activities this summer.  I also think that the three-hour training is perfect for them to learn about ball handling, dribbling, and other basketball scientific lessons.

The first thing the coaches did was to group the kids by level and by age.  This will allow the kids to play ball fairly with the same age-group range and level of knowledge in the sport.
Don't all the kids look like they're very disciplined?  Now, they're ready to start stretching and do some serious basketball drills! :)
After their stretching and other forms of floor exercises, the kids were further categorized into smaller groups, specifically considering their age groups.  Dandre was grouped with Level 1, ages 9 to 10 years old.  I think the reason behind this is to ensure that the children keep up with the intensity of the training accurately given and tailor-fit to the physical strengths of their particular age group.
 The coach assigned to them talked to them about basic rules in their small group.  He tells them how important discipline is not only in basketball but in real life as well.
The kids were also arranged by height and further dissected into three smaller groups for their running, ball handling and dribbling exercises.
 Let the running exercises BEGIN! :)
I observed, that they take discipline here very seriously.  One cannot take breaks unless he is given permission to.  They are expected to follow all instructions correctly and quickly, otherwise, the kids would do a number of push-ups.  When playing basketball, shorts should be above the knee and their shoelaces tied tightly.  I'm happy that they instill this to the kids, that basketball is not only about playing with a ball and shooting it, but it takes a lot of patience, hardwork and discipline to be exceptional at it.

After Dandre's first day in MILO B.E.S.T Center in Xavier School, he was thrilled to inform me that he was appointed as their group's team captain!  Of course, that made me very proud and beaming with joy inside!  I am happy for him because he feels proud of himself too.  He was made to demonstrate in front of the group the ball handling and dribbling skills he already know and was being taught by their coach that time.
He's now on his fourth day of training and like his first MILO B.E.S.T Center experience, I am satisfied at how the basketball clinic has been helping him fine-tune his skills in the sport.  Compared to his school varsity practices which train them as a team, MILO B.E.S.T trains its basketball students' individual  skills in a scientific approach.  Plus they also instill character-building values which will make the young ones champions both in and out of the court.  You can see the training's results as days go by.  Both my son and I are happy with how he has improved some more.

If your child is inclined into basketball, you may want to try enrolling him to MILO B.E.S.T.  They have a year-round basketball clinics offered to both boys and girls every Saturday and Sunday from July to December.  For more details, please call (02) 353-6288, (02) 966-6333, and (0917) 589-9880.  You may also check their website: http://ww1.nestle.com.ph/milo/best/index.html, like them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter.

Even if I am a full-time working mom, I find time to bond with my kids when I get home on weekdays or every weekends through simple activities such as playing with them, talking to my tween about how his day went, tickling their tummies, bathing the little one, singing songs, dancing or doing arts and crafts.

I used to think that parent-child bonding would entail expenses because we had to go out to malls, museums or parks just to achieve that quality time with the kids.  But as I mature as a parent, hindi naman pala kailangang gumastos nang malaki just to bond with them.  We could do simple activities together at home and precious bonding time is already created.

Last week, I got Breeze Philippines' #SigeSabado Box and I was super thrilled at how huge the box is!  I thought to myself, my kids' faces will surely lit up once they see this!
The little one got very curious about the Harlequin Mask that when he saw the box filled with arts and crafts materials, he picked up the blank mask and put it on right away.
The kids were at awe just looking at the box with different interesting craft materials.  I guess because I have boys, who are more into rough play and pretend play, this Sige Sabado Box really got them puzzled!

Since the little one was attracted most to the mask, we decided to do the Harlequin Mask Decorating Activity.  The Breeze #SigeSabado Playbox has a detailed activity instruction which could be followed in a BREEZE! :)

Let me take you through the easy peasy Harlequin Mask Decorating Activity we did last Saturday.  First, prepare all the materials.  For this activity, we will need the following:
   - Blank Mask
   - Felt Paper
   - Glue
   - Lace or Ribbon or Glitters
   - A pair of Scissors
   - Old Newspaper
Here are the steps to creating the unique Harlequin Mask:
1. Spread out the old newspaper on the table where you are comfortable to work on.

2. You may cut the felt paper to be glued snugly onto the mask.  But you may also cut smaller pieces to decorate the mask.  We chose to cut diamond-shaped pieces of the felt paper to make a pattern on the mask.

3. Glue the felt paper pieces on to the mask.
If your son is too young to hold the scissors, that's the time where Mommy or Daddy's help is needed!  I did the irregular-shaped-diamonds which my son glued on to the mask.
Here's my older son gluing the pieces of felt paper on the Harlequin Mask to create his unique masterpiece for his brother! :)
4. To add some embellishments on the mask, you may cut pieces of laces/ribbons and glue it on to the mask.  You may also glue some swirl patterns on the white spaces of the mask and sprinkle it with glitter.  After the glue had dried up, shake off the excess glitters.

5. Cut holes on the two ends of the mask.  Insert the lace to both holes to secure the mask on the head of your child when he wears it.

6.  NOW, you have your very own unique decorated Harlequin Mask which you and your kids could use on Halloween or anytime you want to pretend play! :)

Here's our finished product: TADAH!
Now, if I could just tell you how excited my toddler got upon seeing the decorated mask, you would probable cover your ears for he was screaming out of glee!  I told him to take a photo with the mask, but he opted to put the mask on instead! :)