Congratulations to Bryan Genotiva

Congratulations to my brother

Bryan Genotiva

Bachelor of Science in Nursing

GRADUATE!!!

It took me more than a month for this upload. Too late.. But oh well, better late than never. I was busy with other things.

And on the 2nd time, I was not able to attend the graduation ceremony because I was 3 months pregnant and there were a lot of people in the venue. 

He is my brother. Among the three of us, I must say that my brother is the most intelligent. He displayed that higher form of intellect when he was in grade school and I was already in College. He could write poems (which he would let me read every time he finished making something) I never wrote when I was in grade school. He wrote wonderful stories which I haven't got to read. He reminds me a lot of the great Jose Rizal (our national hero in the Philippines). He is a poet.

And I thought poetry would end in grade school. Oh well, he brought that in high school and he was even an Editor-in-Chief in their school paper. He was one of the best debaters during their time.

I wasn't surprise that he graduated College being active in debate team. They had lost some games but they won many times more than they lose for the College of Nursing or Division 5.

One thing I really I felt weird about him is that everyday that he grows older, he gets even conceited.. Bwahahaha.. But ... nevertheless, we love him and we are so proud of him for making it through College.

 During their pinning and ringhop ceremony; with our Mom.

Me, my brother and my mom

Our mom who worked so hard for us three to graduate in College.

 After graduation, we decided to go to the cemetery

to visit our Father and Grandfather who are now with the Lord.

Although Bryan won't speak much, I know he also dedicated

this special event of his life to them.

Our photos..

Me, my sister and my brother

Congrats Bryan!

Our future RN and Physician.

Finger Puppet Making (Summer Fun)

This week was the start of summer so the kids had their activities fixed. I enrolled them with Jollibee's 2 hour Activity. That activity was called "Finger Puppet Making". This was a way to reduce boredom.

They were really unsure of what's going to happen for this day. Puppet making is a form of art. This is a good way to enhance the coloring skills and imagination of the kids. That's 100% creativity.

Plus they would also learn how to mingle with other people and make new friends.

 Thanks for the visit Jollibee!

And they got certificates as well. That's another souvenir of the fun they had.

My son's 2 years old. He's not allowed to join yet but we was so eager to use coloring materials and he really disturbed his Aunts: Anica and Alexa because he wanted to be with them and join in whatever made them busy. This was not his finished product but he was really amazed that he had a chance of having one. Thanks for the crew of Jollibee, Robinsons, General Santos City for this experience. They have such amazing staff, very nice, friendly and accommodating.

Hoping to have fun in the next summer days to come!

Video Killed Authentic Learning

In a fast paced world, children are more inclined to sit down and watch shows which will enhance their learning in areas like counting numbers, familiarizing the alphabet, colors, shapes and a lot more. It may sound good, well… Think again. Parents sometimes just made their kids --- video addicts, unknowingly.

Nothing beats painting with your own hand. Do not use any gadget and you will be surprised how one child could create a wonderful abstract.

                A four year old child who knows how to operate the computer, ipod, ipad or laptop is quite amazing. A three year old child who draws using his / her notepad is brilliant. A two year old child who knows how to use laptop and chooses his/ her own show is quite impressive. The younger the children slanted in technology, the more fascinated people are. Have you tried giving these children pen and paper handy? Have you tried letting these kids master the “scribbling progress” of their childhood? Have you tried to let them create drawing with different colors and let them appreciate their own work? Then again the answer is NO. That’s how videos kill authentic learning.

Kurt's abstract painting. I hope he gets better when is already 3 years old.

                Just because adults these days, parents to be exact or guardians wanted to make things easy for their kids, doesn’t mean they have to forget what authentic learning process is.

Kurt with his Uncle. His Uncle is playing the guitar while he learns how to do the beat box.

                Authentic learning is real life learning. There is nothing more extraordinary than learning how to mix the primary colors to produce secondary colors. Touching and feeling the sand when at the beach or just by the garden doing gardening teaches a child the difference between smooth and rough objects. It even teaches the child with what type of soils are there like sandy, loam and clay. They would even familiarize the insects like worms, small spiders and bugs around the house or in the garden if they would try to put down the gadgets and face what really exists before them. Kids would even memorize the difference between a shrub plant, trees and vines. In the internet, they would know that there are flowers with lovely smell and some were made into perfumes or colognes but have they really tried smelling one? They should try it.

Nothing beats authentic learning especially when the child gets involve and touches the soil and stones.

Pre-school Lesson: Soft and Hard, Smooth and Rough, Dirty and Clean

I get stinky. I get dirty. But see??? I learned!

Besides, what's the use of anti bacterial soap if you're not going to use it after the play.

                There should be a mix lesson of technology and authentic learning. One should not supersede the other for it will only create chaos in the young’s mind.

                Here are some benefits of authentic learning:

1.       Makes children more creative.

2.       Makes children do critical thinking.

3.       Makes children’s senses be more keen like smelling – the difference of the scent of rose from that of a sampaguita or ilang ilang flowers.

4.       Makes children familiarize simple topics like rough and smooth, small and big, dry and wet, soft and hard and a lot more.

5.       Makes children experience the relevance of their existence to that of nature.

6.       Makes children be one with nature by simple gardening task – which eventually instill in their minds the great need of saving the plants.

7.       Lets children define life as simple happiness without valuing for money or gadgets alone.

8.       Provides opportunity to reflect.

9.       Provides opportunity for them to create something without computers like wooden car toys, a mini house toy and a lot more.

10.   Makes them mingle with real people of their age, not just mingle with social networking sites.

11.   Makes them appreciate and value the creations of the Lord.

Have fun mommies! I hope you enjoy!

First Trimester of Pregnancy

Glimpse on our second baby. The baby is now 10 weeks and 1 day.

Going through a lot of physical changes during the first trimester of pregnancy can be more than just dramatic. It could also be traumatic or emotional stress for some women. NV or Nausea and vomiting on pregnancy vary from one woman to the other. This is also commonly known as morning sickness. So, what are the causes of these?

First, we have the change in hormones. In my research, I have found out that there is a change in hCG or Human Chronic Gonadotropin. It arises during pregnancy. It is responsible for nausea and vomiting.

Second, we also have estrogen change. It also arises during pregnancy and another hormone which doctors suspect to be another reason for nausea and vomiting.

Third, we have change of sensitivity level. By sensitivity level, this means very sensitive in all five (5) senses especially hearing, smelling and tasting. That’s the reason why other pregnant women like me, tend to hate noise because even how far our gate is from our bedroom, I can still hear who are coming in and out. Plus I could smell the foulest odour around me and even vomits and have allergies on the most wonderful scents which I usually love when I wasn’t pregnant. The sense of taste is probably the worst sense I have had during the entire pregnancy period (as it varies from one female to the other). Everything I eat makes me vomit and every foul smelling viand would make me feel dizzy and weak to my bones.

During my first pregnancy with my son Kurt, I never had much trouble with eating. I, in fact, eat tons of food and gained much weight. I reached 1 sack of rice when I was about to deliver Kurt. But on my second pregnancy, the first two months of the first trimester were hell for me. I could barely eat. Everything just made me felt to nauseated and I got dizzy all the time. I tried to help myself with some soup (not too intense flavour) but it really didn’t help. I tried to calm down my stomach by drinking only warm and hot water. I cursed soda and coffee (too bad because I really love coffee and I am a coffeeholic until second pregnancy took place).

Aside from the senses, I had trouble sleeping. It felt as though, it’s warm and humid although our AC’s on. I never wanted to see people whose existence easily irritates me. I never wanted lame reasons for lame reasons. I want reasonable and justifiable answers when I ask questions which I only did during my teaching career but its back because of pregnancy.

Patience is another issue. Oh men! I never used be patient but I tried to develop it somehow when I was raising Kurt but this time, I am only patient with kids and not with adults.

These changes are really hard to bear. It is even unbearable for others who cannot understand and who haven’t gone into pregnancy.

What do you need?

You need more patience. It’ll be over when the first trimester is over. Baby’s brain in developing so be very careful.

You need to be strong and courageous so you would overcome this kind of endeavour only given to those worthy being moms.

You need a family and husband who will be there for you no matter what and no matter how hard it will be for the next months to come. Seriously, this is hard to find. I’m too lucky to have one good husband who understands this development.

If your vomiting and nausea gets worse, go to your OB immediately.

That’s it for now, I hope you learned something from my experience.

Self Discipline Starts with Small Responsibilities

Toys. Toy cars. Robots. Toy Planes.

All kids love playing with their toys, at least I think all of them. But after they play can lead into such big chaotic state and can be pretty irritating for moms who are always on the go or always in a hurry. Believe it or not, there is no other way to make this simpler than to start giving them with small responsibilities. Easy duties at an early age will discipline them and before you knew it, you are training them how to deal with their mess when they grow up!

After scattering all the toys all over the whole area, children just hate keeping their toys. And some moms tolerate them by not correcting them or by simply calling all the nannies to take care of the kids’ unwanted job. That is a big NO, NO for me. What I had been inculcating with son is this “It’s your mess. You made it. You clean it.”

The more parents or grandmothers distribute this workload to nannies or house helpers, the more they teach children how to be extremely LAZY. They always go like “Oh don’t worry sweetheart, yaya will clean it up for you because we’re paying them for that.” (Believe me because it happened to me and we got nannies when we were younger. It didn’t help me become responsible. It helped me how to sit on the couch and look at the helpers clean my mess for me which I believe isn’t good.)

Here’s a short step on how to make them reliable:

1.       Start giving sweet and yet effective orders to your little ones before they open toy boxes. “If you will play, you have to promise that you will keep your toys when you are done.”

2.       Let them enjoy playing until they had enough. When it’s already time for them to take nap or to keep all the toys in the boxes, you have to remind them of the promise they gave. “Baby, you promised me earlier that you will keep your toys after playing. Now, show me you can do that.”

In my son’s case, I don’t give his milk if he can’t clean up his mess or I don’t give the things he want after playing if he can’t fix everything. This is what we call conditional strategy when teaching kids in school. I don’t really go for cute puppy eyes. It doesn’t work for me because I’m a strict mom. Plus it’s more like BEEN THERE, DONE THAT, NOT BUYING IT!

3.       When they’re done fixing everything, compliment them all the time! Do not forget to tell them how nice or good they are for keeping their toys back in place. Once you tell them nice words, they will be encouraged to clean up again after playing because they love seeing moms or dads happy with what they are doing.

4.       Once you have started, do not miss a day not reminding them. And one day will come, you never have to tell them over and over again because they will fix it without you ordering them in an instant.

Well, self discipline starts with small responsibilities at an early age.

Have fun mommies!!!

Why Do Bedtime Stories?

Thanks to Ninang Frend (my cousin Carol Deonoso) for the books you sent for Kurt.

Children now days are fond with computer games and chatting over social network. They have less contact with their kind; humans that is. They have less social interaction via real communication; verbal communication, facing each other not using any phones, mobile access or gadgets and computers.

This is somewhat scary but it is even scarier between parents and children. I am a mom of a two-year-old child. Two-year-old children are in still in the process of learning and they have sponge mind. They absorb whatever they hear or see in their environment. Whether be it good or bad, if parents will not be there to guide to these little kids, they will go astray. I work online and I go to school in the evening. But that doesn’t mean I should and I never have time for my boy.

I always see to it that I will read a story, bedtime story for my son before he sleeps at night and that he prays as well.

Benefits of bedtime stories:

1.       Strong Connection – We are not talking about mobile internet connection here. Instead, we are absolutely discussing about the strong connection between parents (mom or dad) and children. One or two hours a day won’t hurt your time. It will make your children feel loved and being cared for.

2.       On Hand Knowledge Distribution – Bedtime stories will make you an instant teacher and parent at the same time whether you like or you will like it even more. Your child will ask several questions especially if you have the right bedtime stories for them which give moral lessons. You may ask several questions to follow up if they are catching up with the story or not. At this point, you are imparting knowledge to them. Mind you, they will always remember what you are saying.

3.       Vocabulary – Their mental lexicon will be honed. The unusual words they will hear for the first time will give them additional vocabulary. And do not forget about the pictures on the books because photographs and simple drawings depict a lot of words.

4.       Memorization – Constant reading and practice would make your kids remember everything. Not all children have the same pattern in learning but there are some who could learn best if they are given pictures.

5.       Skills Sharpened – Whether you like it or you like it more, you will definitely sharpen your children’s skills or intelligence and that I believe is important as well because they will learn a lot of things in their younger years with you and not with someone else. Although, it is also a good way for them to learn something different from other people but it is best if we, parents, teach the basics.
6.  Limitless Imagination - This is the start when the child uses his / her imagination. One good way for a child to play with his / her imagination and who knows, that child might be a good artist someday or storyteller or even a book writer.

On the advent of today’s fast-pace lifestyle, parents should always spare even just a little time for their kids. After all, why do parents have to work? Correct, it’s for our little angels of course. A bond between a parent and a child is such a beautiful thing. It will last as long parents will exert effort to make their children feel cared. It might be hard for our little ones to comprehend why we have to go and work. But they will surely cherish the very short moment of storytelling before they close their eyes at night.

My baby boy..

Have fun watching the video below!

Kurt at 2 years and 6 months reading his bedtime story.
Thanks Tita Gigi (sister-in-law) for the book.

Love from,

Jonee and Kurt

My 27th

Do you lie about your age? Well, I don't. I just celebrated my 27th birthday last September 3. The people around me gave me two separate surprise birthday parties. One of which, I didn't get the chance to see the surprise because I was not able to go to the venue.  The other one was in our house.

How did I celebrate my birthday?

I started celebrating my birthday by talking to the one I love -- my husband who's thousand miles away from home. This wasn't how I exactly planned my birthday to be. I was planning of us (my husband and I) to go somewhere. However due to unwanted inevitable events which happened, he had to stay in Afghanistan for work. And as for me, I had to stay home.

If I were to answer this question: Where would you like to celebrate your birthday? My answer would be either HOME or ANYWHERE MY HUSBAND AND SON WOULD BE -- because my husband and our son is my home. I am more than happy being with them or extremely joyful if I have them with me during my natal day.

Earlier that day, I simply went to the church and prayed to thank God for all the blessings He gave me and for the additional life or year in my life.

The white candles represented the people I love and who love me back. These candles were dedicated to those who have helped me through the years, to those who never left me when I became too hard to handle and to those who continuously supported me in whatever endeavor I am facing in my life. I also prayed for these people to be blessed in every way possible. "Sana pagpalain ang mga taong tunay na nagmamahal sa akin."

This may sound awkward for some, but I also prayed for those people who caused me harm and gave me severe emotional pain for this year. Forgiving is really good however, forgiveness doesn't come along easily. I could not say much about this part but all I could say for now is .... You may probably be forgiven but NOT FORGOTTEN. "Sa mga taong kunwari kunwariang nag-aalala saken.. Inyong paka tandaan.. Ang nag babait-baitan ay pupunta sa langit - langitan".

After my visit to the church. I really took the opportunity to finally visit two of the men I really love and cherish the most.

I visited my grandfather and my father at the cemetery. It really amazes me still to find serenity in this area. I really appreciated how solemn the place was during my visit. This was always and is always the place I go to every time I am in pain or when I'm happy or whenever I drew out out-bursting emotions because I had always trust these people to keep my secrets.

At this point, I felt like I had a family picture taken with them (my father and my grandfather). I just miss them so much. Things have literally changed. "Kasabay ng pagbabago ng mga infrastraktura ng Heneral Santos ay ang pagbabago ng mga taong nasa paligid ko. Maging ako man ay nagbago. Subalit ang aking lolo at ama ay batang bata pa rin sa aking alaala at walang nagbago."

When I got home finally after a long day with a lot of travels, I saw messages on my phones and facebook. I saw this photo. My friends in school decided to give me a surprise. I really appreciated how they planned everything with a little conspiracy with my husband but too bad it didn't work because I was not able to go to school that day. Nevertheless, I would like to thank everyone who really prepared this for me. I knew so well that you guys really did this because you truly care for me and somehow appreciated my existence in your life. Thank you ARISTOTLE 2013- 2014 for the present! (Roevi, Fevie, Chariz, Fremie, Rj, Meo, Roger, Joel, Jian, Naomi, Jenny and everyone who was there. I apologize I really do not memorize who were there because I wasn't there.)

This part of my life is the JOY OF GIVING area. The next photos below are photos of books and dictionaries which I have decided to give to selected students of some rural areas in Mindanao, Philippines. This point is not about bragging or lifting my self. This point is about ENCOURAGING others to give or impart what little you have to others who are in need. You may never know who would be happy with what little you can give or HOW MANY COULD BE HAPPY with what you could offer.

Our country, the Philippines is very well - known for corrupt public officials in the government and a lot of corrupt people feeding on the taxes of the many. Probably that's one of the reasons why books intended and budget allocated  for the poor areas of Mindanao did not in fact, reach the needy. This is one way of showing them that, if THEY the RICH could not do anything for their countrymen, why NOT -- WE, US, the LESS FORTUNATE SHOW THEM HOW HELPING OTHERS SHOULD BE DONE!

If you really want to help others, there are so many ways with a very minimal means, you can if YOU ONLY WANTED TO and if YOU HAVE THE WILL.

These are my two friends Teacher Jessa and Teacher Leah who helped me fulfill my dream of helping the kids in the rural areas. Thank you girls!

Lastly, I spent the end of the day with my family who also gave me another surprise party! Thank you everyone!!!

Thanks everyone! God bless you all! I had fun with my 27th.