A New Year Cut-Outs Party!

My son and his Cut-out friends. They kept him busy while we were cooking the chicken.

We cut out the characters from the Cereal Boxes and voila! something new to play and tinker with!

Sampelut for 2009!

Babycow waking up to Sampelut. Here's a platter full of the coconut balls for the Sampelut. In Kapampangan, we call it Sampelut, in Tagalog its called Ginataan or Ginataang Bilog-bilog. I guess a rough translation would be Coconut Balls in Coco Milk.


Its a sweet merienda with boiled bananas na saba, kamote, sago, coconut balls in gata (coconut milk) and sugar. A special holiday treat for my boy for the New Year, I guess the balls or bilog-bilog are enough to give us good luck for the coming year!

Letter for my Babycow

Dear CowCow,

I know you can't read yet and I can't wait for the day when you finally can! There are so many things I would like to tell you when you grow up. Its not that I can't wait, but your Mom forgets a lot of things, maybe my thoughts can be useful to you in time and certainly, things do get lost in the moment. I don't want to lose these thoughts now, they feel very important to me now that I can't sleep.

If only I knew then what I know now - is a phrase that comes to mind. Growing up, things were sometimes difficult. I wish my future self would come visit me and tell me things were going to be okay. I needed a hug or some sense of comfort. I wish I had an older sibling to tell me things or give me a heads up. Well, like you I'm the oldest of the bunch. So I had to feel my way through and it was always rough on me.

A simple math exam was grueling, homework was torture and certain events felt like doomsday. I often took things to heart. I realized now I was overly sensitive as a child, but there was no one to tell me or console me that things were going to be okay. That I needed to chill, relax a bit. That I should not worry much because days, months, years later. It doesn't even matter. These activities or things we fill our younger years shouldn't pre-occupy us so much. Someone should have told me to look at the big picture.

Your grandparents instead of comforting me, even pushed the ball further and the pressure was often intense at school and at home. The corporal punishment was also severe, there was a certain code of behavior that one was to live up to. They come from an old era and their methods were rooted on old school discipline. The kind I don't want you to go through, you are a child of the future now. Your generation is far removed from mine and your grandparents. I love your grandparents very much, but I feel I know better as a mom what kind of life you deserve to live. I will raise you differently, I have nothing but all the love in the world for you. I want you to have a happy childhood with enough time for play or things that interest you. I am not afraid to hug you. I hope you too will grow up not afraid to hug me back, no matter at what age.

Your grandparents were very hardworking, thus they were very high-strung, I think they've pass on all these anxieties on me. This is something I think should end with me, the buck for anxious living should end on my watch. I want you to be happy. Life is short, look at the bigger picture.

Always do what is right honey. Do not compromise what you love doing, what you feel passionate for. There are things far important than money, there's health and personal fulfillment. Love and being loved back =)

Do not marry young (I didn't BTW). But I want you spend your young adult life living and fulfilling your dreams. The right time for family can come in later when you feel you are mature and responsible enough to be as good as your Tatay as a dad.

I think this is turning into a sermon now. This is my attempt at giving you life lessons.

If you have any problem, take it easy, look at your situation objectively, remove yourself from it and observe the problem from a distance. Remember, the bigger picture.

How will this affect my life as a whole? Would this problem matter days or months later? Most likely it won't, so don't fret.

Life is short. Enjoy every bit of it. I don't mean for you to be careless or impulsive. I want you to live a life not based on anxiety, but based on your passion for your craft or job and on the love from the people around you.

God Bless you my Cowcow!

I love you so much!

Love,
Mommycow

Sasha vs. Suri

My niece Sasha the 3 year-old fashionista with her mommy. Sasha can take on Suri Cruise any day! But my sis is no Katie =p

CowCow's Crayons

The first box of Crayons were sold in 1903 and came in eight colors - brown, black, red, blue, purple, orange, yellow, and green. Crayons are made from paraffin wax and pigments. Its a wonderful art tool for little fingers still trying to master the basic grasp.

Today, I bought my son his first big crayons.

Wonderful Wooden Preschool Toys!

I guess my new year year's resolution is to stop buying random toys for my Cowcow (that's Enzo's sweet nickname).

I'm targeting more of these wonderful tactile wooden toys and wooden puzzle pieces.

Reminds me of my early childhood at a Montessori school in Pampanga where we would spend all day putting together maps or animal parts. Besides the educational factor, I think its better than plastic.



I think what's really good about it is the "repeat play" factor. He likes to give the puzzle pieces a go before going to sleep or when he wakes up in the morning. It's like his Starwars toys, which he plays with often. I can't say much for the rest of his toys, most of it are piled up in storage until he decides to create a mess with them.

I was able to get the wooden toys on sale for P100 at Abenson's at Waltermart. They were a bit dusty, but otherwise in good condition and I'm all for bargains.

There's also a toy store in Cash & Carry Buendia that carries wooden toys. Its at the 2nd floor, the shop is called MindWerks. They have wooden ABC blocks and fraction pieces. Its the kind of toys you would find in Daycare nowadays.


More fascinating are the multiply shops carrying these export line of wooden toys. I'm saving up for these, my son really enjoys taking them apart and putting them back together. It has lessened his time being glue to the TV. These toys have really taught him to be more patient and focused. He even gives me quick demos on how to put the puzzles together.

A list of Multiply stores selling the Best Preschool Wooden Toys:

Not Your Ordinary Store
The local seller does bazaars. She sells wooden toys and soft educational toys as well.
http://noturordinarystore.multiply.com/ 


Alanna's Collection 
Alanna has an extensive list of preschool and nursery wood toys worth checking out. I'm very much interested in her alphabet wooden stamp sets.
http://alannascollection.multiply.com 

The Learning Junction
This Multiply toy store has a varied selection of arts & crafts toys and educational wooden toys for kids in the preschool and nursery levels. They have a Phonics Picture Cards, Toys for Fine Motor Development, Manipulatives and Active Play sets such as tube tunnels, parachute and Swirling Streamers.
http://learningjunction.multiply.com 


Montessori 123
Though based in HongKong, looking at the photos simply brings back Montessori memories. These are the exact toys we used to tinker with as kids.


SimplyInspiring's Wooden Toystore
They have a good line of educational toys for toddlers and preschoolers. I personally like their wooden ABCs and ABC Snake in a Box puzzle.




PisoTumpok's Wooden Toy Shop
My Ultimate fave has to be PisoTumpok's Wooden toy line which is very unique. If I had a baby girl, I would get these for her in a heartbeat. Well, maybe its partly the little girl in me calling for a little wooden tea set.

BabyCow Quote for the Day

"Mommy are you drunk?"

I was taken aback by his question. He was busy playing with his blocks.

"No, mommy's not drunk. Why would you say that?"

"Drunk like wizard, mommy."

I turned around knowing this had something to do with the TV. Blades of Glory was on.

"See mommy, drunk like Chaz Mmy-chaels michaels."

Will Ferrell was puking his guts out in his grublets costume. I think I stood there shock for a moment, not because of the movie, but because he said such a long name. He was able to enunciate it clearly and use such an adult word as "drunk" to describe maybe to him a "dizzy" person. I sat next to him gigling at the thought soon he wold be able to say more complex words.

Fire in the Makati Sky

August 08, 2008

I don 't mean to count, but it is Day 2 and it is indeed difficult being away from you.

I would say we had a typical day at home, but to pick on the details I guess would make it sound special for tatay.

Cow was having his merienda of stik-o and ice tea when he saw the smoke across the sky.

"Mommy is that a fire?"

"yes baby"

so we watched it for awhile, there wasn't any flames just smoke, but it was huge from our balcony. I hope no one was hurt.

♥ MommyCow loves BabyCow ♥

I'm transferring my Multiply Mommycow blog here in blogger. I guess I will post snippets from my old blog.

This blog is all about me and my son, we lovingly refer to one another as Cows. Well, I had a lotta milk when I was nursing him and he was really a big, fat baby before he stretched out.

Milk Me!