I’ve unlocked another fatherhood badge: Playing video games with my five-year-old T. For all the worries that I have about the learning gains that T may be missing out on while in lockdown, I have full confidence that he is excelling in digital literacy skills. Last weekend, T pulled up a chair and plopped itContinue reading “Bonding Over Video Games With My Son”
Category Archives: Parenting
Saying Thanks For Things I’m Grateful For
T’s teacher gave a wonderful assignment that asked T to watch a video explaining what gratitude is and to create a thank you card for something he was grateful for. The hubby and T worked together to create a simple card (pictured below) and T said he was thankful for the playground, even though itContinue reading “Saying Thanks For Things I’m Grateful For”
Lessons I Learned About Parenting from Ma
They say that children are always watching and learning from their parents. One memory I have of Ma that has made a lasting impression is from when I was a teenager and Ma came home and told us she was unemployed. For context, my parents lived in the Philippines where I was born and spentContinue reading “Lessons I Learned About Parenting from Ma”
To Our Son’s Birth Mom on Mother’s Day – Thank You
Every Mothers Day, T’s teachers create crafts with the kids to take home to their moms. As T has two dads, the hubby and I alternate giving the craft to our moms every year. We know about T’s birth mother and it is a story we are prepared to share with T when he asksContinue reading “To Our Son’s Birth Mom on Mother’s Day – Thank You”
“Papa, you’re my hero.” – Heartfilling Moments In Isolation
I feel worn down from this self isolation marathon and on some days, it is hard to remember the many positives. What I find so difficult is this unsustainable balance to work and take care and school our T. Two very different full time jobs compressed into time allowed for one. The level of anxiety,Continue reading ““Papa, you’re my hero.” – Heartfilling Moments In Isolation”
The Magical 5th Cow
I don’t think I would’ve been a good math teacher. Third try at a simple addition question: Me: “How many cows are in this box?” T: “2” Me: “And in this box?” T: “2” Me: “How many cows are there together?” T: “5.” Me: “Where is that 5th cow?! Show me!” On a chippier note,Continue reading “The Magical 5th Cow”
Self Care in a Pandemic for the Special Needs Parents
The one thing I often half joke about is that T can have a full blown meltdown without consequences, while us adults have to be more dignified about our emotions. Well, midway through this week, I had a grown up meltdown. My bottled up stress of the pressure to keep up T’s schooling, my work,Continue reading “Self Care in a Pandemic for the Special Needs Parents”
Sharing A Little Love, Hope and Cheer on Our Windows
We started drawing art on our windows to share cheer and positive energy with our neighbours. We used washable markers that we ordered from Amazon and got the idea from a neighbour down the street. Our time and energy is admittedly all focused on T and our work, so we don’t get to focus moreContinue reading “Sharing A Little Love, Hope and Cheer on Our Windows”
Homemade Bird Feeders to Help Our Backyard Friends
We’ve reached the point in the pandemic where we’re now coating pine cones in peanut butter. Jokes aside, these home-made bird feeders were a nifty craft idea suggested by T’s teacher and he worked on it with the hubby last night while I got some personal rest time for myself. During last night’s walk, weContinue reading “Homemade Bird Feeders to Help Our Backyard Friends”
Homeschooling in Quarantine – Finding Our Groove a Month Later
In my prayers the last year, I often asked for T to get the one-on-one school supports he needs to thrive. God, I should’ve been clearer the one-on-one support wasn’t meant to be the hubby and I in a pandemic. Devil is in the details! We‘re now five weeks in and things are mostly wellContinue reading “Homeschooling in Quarantine – Finding Our Groove a Month Later”
Discussing Feelings and Building Empathy
“You can only understand people if you feel them in yourself.” – John Steinbeck For all the anxiety and exhaustion our little T often causes us, one consistent strength we can always count on is his caring nature. Last summer, during an after dinner outing to the playground, an older boy, who must’ve been nineContinue reading “Discussing Feelings and Building Empathy”
Easter and the Resiliency of Nature
“The oak fought the wind and was broken, the willow bent when it must and survived.” – Robert Jordan It has been a long week. But we get a reprieve from the insanity of simultaneously working and parenting from home with this four-day Easter long weekend. The big change this week was T’s teachers areContinue reading “Easter and the Resiliency of Nature”
Focusing on Wellbeing and Family Time During Self Isolation
“In times of test, family is best.” – Burmese Proverb Three weeks & several meltdowns later, we’re finding our groove with this stay/work/school at home 24/7 without killing each other thing. We’re accepting things are not business as usual & letting go of the pressure to keep things as such. As scary & uncertain asContinue reading “Focusing on Wellbeing and Family Time During Self Isolation”
“Go for it. Step on all the puddles!”
“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.” – Heraclitus It’s been two weeks since we’ve started our self isolation, when everything came to a standstill. I am thankful my family is safe and healthy and that we’ve only been lightly inconvenienced.Continue reading ““Go for it. Step on all the puddles!””
Our Fixer Upper Renovation – One Year Later
“There’s no place like home.” – Dorothy, The Wizard of Oz A year ago this week, our family made the leap and moved into our house. The hubby and I had previously lived in a small townhouse for over 10 years. T spent three wonderful years in that condo with us, but it was evidentContinue reading “Our Fixer Upper Renovation – One Year Later”
Supporting My Little One During These Challenging Times
“Even a happy life has a sad day. We fail to provide a context which says it’s okay to cry, it’s okay to be sad.” – Marianne Williamson Against the backdrop of a beautiful warm Spring afternoon, our little T finally broke down in tears for the first time since our self isolation started. TheContinue reading “Supporting My Little One During These Challenging Times”
COVID-19: Our Little One and His Wonderful Bubble of Oblivion
“It’s calm under the waves, in the blue of my oblivion.” – Fiona Apple When I was a boy growing up in the Philippines, I remember schools being closed because of typhoons. I would then spend the day or days playing, not a care or worry in the world. I thought about this as IContinue reading “COVID-19: Our Little One and His Wonderful Bubble of Oblivion”
My 5 Year Old‘s Surprising Connection to the Real Life Dennis the Menace
“Mischief just seems to follow wherever Dennis appears, but it is the product of good intentions, misdirected helpfulness, good-hearted generosity…” – Hank Ketcham Sixty nine years ago today, Dennis the Menace made his comic book debut and soon became a worldwide success. At its peak, the comic strip ran in over 1,000 newspapers, 50 countriesContinue reading “My 5 Year Old‘s Surprising Connection to the Real Life Dennis the Menace”
Evening Walks with My Little One Are the Best Part of My Day
“Freedom: To walk free and own no superior.” – Walt Whitman Spring is not officially here till next weekend but you can feel it in the air. We just had our first warm sunny weekend. Families and kids came out of winter hibernation to play in our park. My evening walks with T, which weContinue reading “Evening Walks with My Little One Are the Best Part of My Day”
Celebrating 17 Years with the Hubby
“It’s been a while.” – Britney Spears, Break the Ice Anniversaries are important to me. I celebrate these milestones to remind us where we’ve come from and of the journey still ahead. March 8 is the day that the hubby and I started dating 17 years ago. It was around 3 in the morning, inContinue reading “Celebrating 17 Years with the Hubby”
My Life With T 