Here’s a list of things that made my day today: (in order of “happening”)
1. Alyanna told me she looked for me the moment she woke up because I’m “special” to her.
2. I was reminded again of how much God loves us and how merciful He is as I read my Bible.
3. Mika kept asking me to hug her.
4. Alyanna asked me to increase our homeschool time. To be more specific, she said, “Mom, how come our study time is so short na here at home? I want you to give me more work to do for school.” (In short, nagpaka-nerd siya! hehehe)
5. Dennis volunteered to do his sermon preparation where I would be staying while waiting for the kids because he didn’t want me to drive in the rain. (This one really got me so kilig earlier! heehee!)
6. I spent the afternoon reading a good book while Dennis was in front of me the whole time finishing all three of his preachings for the week. (In case you didn’t know, my number one love language is time)
7. I had really yummy chocolate-filled coffee buns—two— with good coffee. (I think this made my day until I realized the calorie content, but oh well… )
8. We went on a family date night.
9. I enjoyed a very tasty and nutty pesto pasta with really soft, buttery, and garlicky bread….oh, with barbecue sauce smothered all over fried chicken.
10. I finally bought something I’ve been praying for, for three years already!
As I finish typing this list, I could actually imagine you yawning and asking, “Is that it?” or “Where’s the ‘happening’ you mentioned earlier??”. It’s okay, I won’t take it against you.
….Come to think of it, today has been one of the “relatively-steady-and-relaxed” days for me. I chose not to think about (or do) any housework or ministry-related duties that had to be done— which I know would never get done anyway.
But you know what? Even if this was any other day that was full of events and work and stuff— I probably would still be listing down the same things here. :)
Thank you Lord for allowing us to enjoy the wonderful blessing of family. Thank you for the gift of marriage. Thank you for the joy of being with our children. Thank you for allowing us to enjoy ever day with you. Thank you that things don’t have to be grand in order for us to enjoy them. Thank you. Thank you.
What about you?
What made your day today?
Have you expressed your gratitude, yet?
PS: I told you I really didn’t think of anything work-related today….not even anything blog-related (well, except for now)— I didn’t even bother taking any pictures!
I seldom see Dennis over-react to something. He’s not like me who SOMETIMES just wants to exaggerate every emotion and reaction. Hehe…. God, in His sovereignty, knew that he had to create a Dennis who is stable in his emotions, to give to a Thammie who is….well, a woman.
What I witnessed earlier, however, was something quite out of the ordinary. Upon waking up, Mika rushed over to us to tell us about something very exciting. One could tell how excited she was to share what she had to share from her smile, her eyes, her tone of voice….well, just about everything. I guessed that the reason for the excitement was because she was about to tell us about her summer class. I was right— it was about that….somewhat.
I initially thought that Mika was excited simply because it’s the first time that we enrolled the kids to any summer class (That’s right. After six years of Alyanna’s existence, she finally knows what it’s like to have summer classes!). But more than the activities, Mika went on to tell us about something else:
Mika: “Mom! A guy in my class told me, ‘Oh, you’re sooo tyoot (cute)! I want to kiss you!” …And then he tissed (kissed) me! And then we all started laughing. My other classmates also started laughing because he tissed me and said that I was tyoot! But it’s otay (okay) because he just tissed me on the cheets (cheeks) lang! ”
Me: *semi-shocked but trying to contain myself* “Uh-huh. I see…..okay…go tell dad about it….”
I then motioned for Dennis to listen and PAY ATTENTION. He was playing NBA at the time that Mika told me about it (FYI: NBA = physically present but mentally absent unless otherwise requested to be present mentally as well).
Mika: “Dad! A guy in my class told me, ‘Oh, you’re sooo tyoot (cute)! I want to kiss you!” …And then he tissed (kissed) me! And then we all started laughing. My other classmates also started laughing because he kissed me and said that I was tyoot! But it’s otay (okay) because he just tissed me on the cheets (cheeks) lang!” *excitement still showing*
Daddy: *drops the iPad and turns to Mika….then points his finger to emphasize the importance of what he was about to say* “What?!?! Okay, the next time a guy does that to you, you tell me right away okay? I’m going to fight the guy and get mad at him!”
Innocent little four-year old Mika: *gulp* …and I assume there was a thought bubble that said “Uh, did I say something wrong???”
After a few seconds, she said “O–kay…”, but she still had that “gulp”-y expression on her face.
Mighty emotionally-stable mom to the rescue!!!
Me: “Oh, Mika. *big smile* How nice noh? They think you’re so cute, maybe because you are so kind to them, huh? *big smile*….But the next time someone tells you that they want to kiss you, just tell them right away that you can only kiss mom and dad okay?” *big smile*
Dennis: *starting to get my drift….now trying to sound calm* “Yes, and remember the ONLY boy who can kiss you until you have a husband is daddy. NOBODY ELSE. Okay????”
Mika: *back to her excited self* “Or maybe I can just tell them only the cheets is allowed??”
Dennis: “NO!Not even the cheeks. Only daddy. No boy is allowed to kiss you!”
….Okay…. Dennis, you still have about ten years (I hope) to work on your “my-daughter-just-said-the-word-boy!” responses.
Good thing you have a very calm and stable wife, eh? hehehe ;D
One thing that I love about homeschooling is that we are not bound by time nor space when it comes to doing our schoolwork. We have the liberty to bring our children with us whenever we choose to.
I attended our Biblical Counseling Seminar, but I was already out the whole day and so we didn’t get to study yet.
Thank God for “portable” schooling! hehe
I could listen and take notes while Alyanna did some drills…
And when it was time for group discussion/workshop, I also went back and did our own version of discussing…about our lesson.
Er….Uhm…In case you noticed and were wondering why Alyanna’s holding an Ipad instead of her book…. ah…well, the pictures were taken when I was already checking her work. But, promise— We were studying! And I gave her legit work…really. Promise!!! hehehe O:)
Yesterday, I shared with you some of my notes from a seminar I attended (Raising Money Smart Kids). Today I would like to share one more thing that encouraged me as I sat through the seminar. More than the practical tips and financial advice I got, what I actually appreciated more was the fact that the whole family was involved in the event. As you sit there and listen, you would know what their family stood for. Of course, saving and making money grow were obvious interests that ran from the parents to the children, but more than financial values, you could tell that the Faustos stood for family— that family was a priority. I appreciated the fact that they not only brought their children with them to listen, and perhaps offer moral support, but all three children were actually present to also contribute their ideas on the topic.
Their eldest son, Martin.
Their second son, Enrique.
The youngest Fausto– Anton.
(I just edited and added this. Thank you Rose, for sending me a photo!:))
Eep! I can’t believe I wasn’t able to take a picture of their youngest son! ….But this is a cute picture of the couple, don’t you think?
I seldom see this nowadays, and so it quite refreshing and encouraging. I wish to see more parents and children involved in each other’s lives (in a positive way)— even beyond their teenage years. I hope to see more of the next generation rise up as a response to the mentoring and discipleship that occur in their homes. I am believing for more children who will grow up to embrace the values that their parents would teach them.
Of course, I also pray for the parents, that we will be the first ones who will lovingly guide and shepherd our children’s hearts. I pray that we will not need to shove our values down their throats, but that as we live our lives with integrity, they would want to embrace our faith and values as well. I pray that the things we love and believe in, would be a family affair— in agreement with our spouse, and owned by our children.
We attended a seminar last weekend on Raising Money Smart Kids by Rose Fres Fausto, author of Raising Pinoy Boys. Coming from a family who didn’t talk much about money matters, this was very helpful.
Here are some of my notes:
1. KNOW YOUR OWN MONEY VALUES. Your values serve as the foundation for all your decisions. If what you do with your money do not agree with your core values, there will still be no joy there.
2. HAVE CONSISTENT MONEY VALUES WITH YOUR SPOUSE. You cannot teach anything if you are not united.
3. START YOUR CHILDREN’S FINANCIAL LITERACY JOURNEY. The best time to start is as soon as they are born. The second best time to start is now.
4. TEACH THEM THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NEEDS AND WANTS. Live within your means.
5. TRAIN YOURSELF TO BE SAVERS. Pay yourself first.
6. GO BEYOND SAVING. INVEST FOR GROWTH. Teach children that you don’t just save so you have something to spend. We don’t want them to think that as soon as they have the money they can just spend any way they want. Try at the very start to expose them to things where they could earn money.
7. MAKE SAVING AND INVESTING REGULAR AND AUTOMATIC. Our objective is to accumulate real wealth, and real walth doesn’t happen overnight. It is a fruit of regular, consistent, small steps. We want saving to become second-nature for our kids in terms of handling money. The idea is to make it automatic so much so that it becomes harder not to save.
8. USE EVERYDAY THINGS AS TEACHABLE MOMENTS.
9. TEACH THEM THE VALUE OF HARDWORK AND PATIENCE.
10. TEACH THEM HOW TO MAKE THEIR BALANCE SHEET (Statement of Asset, Liabilities, Net Worth).
Some extra notes:
• Work on a healthy self esteem in our children. Then the peer pressure to have the latest or nicest things will not matter that much.
• Show them that money is a tool for helping others.
• Do not overgive to your children.
What I love about attending seminars that have anything to do with teaching our kids is that it forces me to assess my character and habits first. I cannot give what I do not have; I cannot teach what I do not know; I cannot impart what I am not. I thank God for giving me tools that sharpen me and my character, helping me to be more effective in training my children.
Thank you and congratulations to Rose and her boys on a successful seminar!
Here’s a video which I’m sure will be helpful for you and your family at this day and age.If you have household help, I suggest you include them and educate them as well.
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