Monday, September 21, 2009

Extra Cash for Homeschooling.

Whoever said that homeschooling is cheaper is wrong. It is actually more expensive but I always believe that "one cannot put a price on good education" and "an expensive school does not guarantee high-quality education".

As we homeschool, we buy materials for my daughter so we really need extra cash ALWAYS. I only work online so I am thankful for opportunities such as LinkFromBlog. They are giving more and more blogging opportunities each day putting more $$$ on my account. I can't thank them enough.

With LinkFromBlog I could get more materials and supplies for our homeschooling journey. More and more bloggers are logging in to LinkFromBlog, you know why? They have a $4 signing bonus that you can get and the payout threshold is very, very, low! Just $50!

So enroll your blogs now in LinkFromBlog and start earning!

Paid reviews

Advertise with my Blog

Friday, September 18, 2009

Kumon Free Trial

We availed Kumon's two-week Free Trial just so I would know if the common system will work for Yona.

Today was her first day in what she calls 'school'. Her session started at exactly 1PM. Parents were not allowed inside the center's classrooms so I made her dad wait for her as I have things to do before her session ends.

At the end of the session she was given worksheets for her Kumon Home activities. Sets of 10 worksheets will be done on a daily basis until her next Kumon Session which is on Sunday.

My daughter started with Level 7A (introduction to reading) and the worksheets all seem too easy for her but we'll see.

Nevertheless, she enjoyed her first day and she's excited to do her worksheets.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

I'm back!


Dear it's been soooo long.

The last entry I posted was on April 2009 and 2009 is about to end ;-)

Fast forward to September 2009...

The little princess already turned 4 and yes, she's still homeschooled but we did not enrol her in a program yet, maybe next year. We are still undecided if we shall continue homeschooling her or enroll her in a school.

I'll be updating this blog from now on so expect more blogs from the homeschooling mom.

***

We availed Kumon's Free Trial and Yona will start her 4-part Trial Reading class this Friday. Let's see if the Kumon System will work on her.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

College Fears? Naah...

I am a homeschooling mom so when the college plans are being talked about by my peers all their glares will suddenly focus on me, it's as if I am making a huge mistake in homeschooling my little girl. But I am not at all worried because I know that she'll do well in grade school, middle school, high school and in the university. Right now I can see that she is focused on cooking, art and fashion design so I will not be surprised if she'll took interior design or culinary arts in college. I will not be a hindrance to her dreams and if she plans to take up plans in the field of medicine like I did, then that's fine also.

Taking up courses in this field needs to be thought up really, really hard as we will be spending much of money to finish the course therein. I won't really mind if she chose to enroll as a Medical Assistant if she can't make it as a doctor. There are good Medical Assistant Schools out there who can be a great help if she wishes to fulfill this dream. Aside from this, they also have a blog for especially for St. Augustin School of Medical Assistants which is very, very cool by the way.

But whatever it is that she wanted I know that she'll do good with it because I'll be with her all the way.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

And so the -ING Phase starts...

Yona: Can I use my purple scissors Mommy?

Yona: Mommy...
Me: Hmmmm
Marcelle: Be careful ha?
Yona: Yes Daddy, I'll BECAREFULING...

---------------------------

CRASH!
Yona: What's that? Don't drop things mommy...
Me: I did not drop it!
Yona: You throw it?
Me: No, it was an accident
Yona: Haya ka...Daddy said no throwing and BROKENING of things!

:)

Monday, March 30, 2009

Clean Up! Clean Up!

I finally had the time and patience to sort Yona's things (and mine).
Total eyesore na kasi =)

Earlier today I started removing the not so good toys from the ones worth keeping and I could not imagine how we have accumulated much toys from fastfoods (Jollibee and McDo)! Ang dami talaga! What I did was kinalat ko muna lahat and started sorting from there and she started "Hey, there's my ________", "There's my _________!". Hmp. Nagliligpit nga eh.



I already kept her baby toys (Alphabet Pal, Rattles, Mobile, Large Puzzles, etc) as she will no longer use it, maybe for the next baby? hehe I separated the toys, books and other materials that we will be using for her classes for easy access.

Sorted Blocks

Her toy rack is finally empty!

Yoe feels better now though I could she still could not drink her milk.

And finally, natanggal ko na rin ang Christmas Tree hahahaha, it's been there for ages! Hello summer na hahaha

I am giving myself until 3PM to sort all of these, hay sana kayanin ko to.



Sunday, March 22, 2009

Yona Talks :)

She loves putting -ED on her verbs these days :)

While playing online games:
Yona: Where did it goED, mommy?!?!
Me: It's just "Where did it go?" sweetie
Yona: awwww, okay!

Inutusan ko:
Yona: What did you said?!? (she pronounced it as SEYD)
Me: What did you say nga lang...
Yona: Okay, okay...

the following day, inutusan ko ulit:
Yona: What did you say, mommiED!?!?!?!

Kaloka!

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Preschool Homeschool 101: March (Nutrition Theme March 16 - 22, 2009)

ALPHABET LESSONS:
A APPLE (FRUIT)
B BROCOLLI (VEGETABLE)
C CHICKEN (POULTRY)
D DUCK (POULTRY)
E EGG (POULTRY)
F FISH (SEAFOOD)
G GOOSE (POULTRY)
H HEN (POULTRY)
I ICE CREAM (DAIRY, MILK BASED DESSERT)
J
K
L
M
N NUTS (BEANS)
O
P PINEAPPLE (FRUIT)
Q
R
S SUNFLOWER (SEEDS & OIL)
T TURKEY (POULTRY)
U
V VEGETABLES
W WATERMELON (FRUIT)
X
Y
Z

COMMUNITY HELPERS AND CAREERS:
BAKER - B IS FOR BAKER
WHAT DOES A BAKER DO?
WHAT ARE HIS RESPONSIBILITIES?
WHAT IS HE WEARING?
WHAT'S THE COLOR OF HIS UNIFORM?
WHO ELSE KNOW HOW TO BAKE?

FARMER - F IS FOR FARMER
WHAT DOES A FARMER DO?


FISHERMAN
- F IS FOR FISHERMAN
WHAT DOES A FISHERMAN DO?

NURSE - N IS FOR NURSE

SONGS:
BAHAY KUBO (FILIPINO)
Bahay kubo, kahit munti
Ang halaman doon ay sari-sari
Singkamas at talong
Sigarilyas at mani
Sitaw, bataw, patani
Kundol, patola, upo't kalabasa
Labanos, mustasa
Sibuyas, kamatis
Bawang at luya
Sa paligid nito puno ng linga.

PARTY ON MY TUMMY (YO GABBA GABBA)
so yummy so yummy
there's a party in my tummy
so yummy so yummy.



Tuesday, March 10, 2009

3.5 Today

Yoe turned 3.5 today so when my mom paid a visit this afternoon she bombarded me with "She should be in school na this June" and "Ay nakakatuwa naman tingnan kung naka-uniform na si Yoe" comments again. Ohhh pleeeease....

I told her that I am not putting Yoe in school and reminded her that "hello, Yona's homeschooled na..." but all I got was a stare. Hmp. It was like telling me silently that I cannot do it and she doesn't trust me again - at least that's how I read it. I grew up believing that my mom doesn't approve ANY of my decisions. But perhaps the only type of education she has in mind was the traditional one hence the stare. Whatever.

Deep inside me I know that the little girl is doing good, and as a mom who wants to get the better of education, I know that putting her in a homeschool program which I believe is the best (I so love and believe in you BTF!) is the most advisable option there is. For a mom like me who raises and eyebrow in the education system and the politics in schools, homeschooling na! But the question is, can we afford it? I don't know but this is what I want for my child so Dada must do something or else...

Ok.

I was given a leaflet this afternoon with the basic computation of expenses for pre-school:

basic tuition fee P20,000
books P5,000
PE uniform P650
miscellaneous P1,500
-------------------------------
P27,150


PLUS: Entrance fee for first time students: P1,350 (what is this for?)

How about the expenses for the uniform? baon? service? extracurricular activities?

...and will I be getting my money's worth?
P30K is such a big amount for us, so sana ma-gain ng anak ko yung dapat niyang makuha.

I only want the best education for my child kahit di naman siya gifted at di kami mayaman but she is my child and I pity her that because we are underprivileged, she doesn't get to do ballet, figure skating, etc. So I want to "make bawi" by providing her the best education & teachers but the problem is, I already met the best (and nicest!) teachers in the planet so I am having a darn hard time looking for better ones (or at least man lang matapatan ang galing nila...)


I am just a mom with an average mind but fully believes that the world could offer so much opportunities for her child. So my question now is whether I take the risk of putting her in a nearby school and just supply her with the "add-ons" (ano to software? hahaha) or continue homeschooling her.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

"A Poem for Yoe"

I love spending relaxing time with you,
all my problems gone in a minute or two.
with that smile and your little cheer,
mommy's issues faced without fear.

reading a book with you by my side,
watching you sleep morning or night.
hug you, kiss you and tuck you to bed,
lots and lots of love we have shared!

eating your favorite meal all day
I want to tell them, if I may?
just plain rice from sun up to sun down
because veggies and pork make you frown!

oh my little girl, you bring so much glee
to mommy & daddy, to everyone, you see!
we love you with all our heart, & with that smile & when you talk,
I'm glad that this is just a start!

"A Poem for Yoe"
by: Mommy Iris, March 4, 2009 11:15pm
photo credits: dada marcelle, posted by tito badz

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Saying No

Yona's showing a strong desire for independence by saying "No!" to everything. This can be very, very irritating especially when with a lot of people and she shows them her annoying behaviour, aaaahhhh, nakakainis talaga because she's not like that at home.

She does this if she's with people she seldom see. From a bubbly tot she suddenly becomes shy and clingy - the "stay with me here mommy" type.

She says no to everything she's asked to do, so this morning we had this conversation:

Mommy: Parati ka na lang "No!" I will impose a "No saying of No!" rule here at HOME.
Yona: here? at home?
Mommy: Yes
Yona: WHERE can I shout the "No!"?






Sunday, February 8, 2009

Yona's Blades of Glory Addiction

Yona's so into figure skating these days, she has not tried doing it though but she watches every movie with figure skating that I downloaded: Ice Princess, Cutting Edge, etc but one particular movie really got her interest, Blades of Glory. She watches it twice a day and in two weeks she already know the lines in the movie. The movie is really not for kids as it has foul words and sexy content so what I do is watch with her and skip these parts. She sings "I don't want to miss a thing" and "lady humps" pa nga!
Then this afternoon, she was humming "I don't want to miss a thing" again. So we joined with her completely finishing her lines when all of the sudden she shouted:

"Mommy, Katie is not whore!"

Marcelle and I were so shocked! Dada recovered from the shock first and asked "What's that again, sweetie?" then she said "Chazz Michael Michaels said Katie is not a whore!"

She got this line from the movie itself.

m.y. G.o.d.

I didn't know how to react. I thought na edit ko na lahat.

but when she was asked what that line is, she shrugged and said "I don't know..."

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Extracurricular Activity: Music & Movement Playdate

January 31, 2009
Kidsahoy Playshop
Quezon City

It was a very fun experience for my little Toepei as she got to spend 2 hours with her friends, old and new ;-) Of course there's Caine and Jea as always, her buddies in most of her Kidsahoy Activities. It was the first time that she attended Teacher Thea's class so she was hesitant at first but joined in eventually.Yona in pink leggings with Caine, wearing a chinese attire

There were lot of activities like instruments playing, a little story telling, puppet demo, etc. It was really a fun filled day and Yona's looking forward to her next playdate - which is tomorrow!Yona in Kidsahoy's Troll Bridge with Caine Sy and Nathalie Gener

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

like mother, like daughter

I am a person who loves studying people. I enjoy watching people talk, dance, move and read their minds through their actions. Hubby gets easily pissed off when I stop talking because he knows that I am reading his mind which is really, really weird and trying to decipher what a certain person thinks without natural ESP can be very, very stressful. It makes my headache.

But maybe this was the reason why I took up Psychology back in college. Sadly I wasn't able to finish it, not because I didn't want to but because of unavoidable circumstances. Good thing I found psychology colleges online. I'm checking out each site because all of them teach a person several ways at looking at issues, understanding human behavior and solving problems. Given this I have to consider if their curriculum matches my interests, their facilities - if updated, their location as I have to visit them from time to time, the number of enrollees and the tuition of course. Aside from these I also have to check if they belong to the top psychology colleges because most employers now choose applicants based on their schools and not on their skills - very weird.

I also saw this ability with my little girl - she loves people, and loves being with them but she takes note of that person's actions and asks her series of why's later. I have to develop her gift correctly now that she's being homeschooled so in time that she's ready to step in these psychology colleges, I know that she's well geared.

BuyBlogReviews.com

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Extracurricular Activity: Music & Movement Playdate

Playdate is an essential part of childhood but unlike before I could no longer let my kid play with just anyone in the neighborhood for safety and security reasons. So what we moms do is organize playdates for us to meet and at the same time for the kids to play. This is normally scheduled twice a month to make way for other important activities din :)

Like me my little girl has online BFFs too whom she meets daily online, but gets to play with every other week. I believe that my daughter learns a lot from these activities as most kids her age learn through play. So come January 31st, we are enrolling her in Kidsahoy's Music & Movement Playdate where she would get to be with her old Kidsahoy friends and learn from Teacher Thea as well.

Quoting Teacher Thea, " The music programs I designed integrates creative music experiences with those at school and at home, thus providing a safe and encouraging musical environment that will support your child's mental, physical, emotional and social development."

This is one good experience for Little Yona so I am not letting this opportunity pass :) Aside from this, she's also enrolled in Kidsahoy's Hula Class, a dance class that I truly enjoy hahahaha

Tiny bubbles, in Hawaii...

Monday, January 19, 2009

Homeschool Fieldtrip: Palipalaruan

Location: Palipalaruan, Museong Pambata
Address: Roxas Blvd. cor South Drive. Ermita, Manila

All Roxas Blvd. passers must have seen the transition of this old war helicopter into something worth visiting - a wonderful work of art of a Filipino and an Australian volunteer - a symbol of peace. You'll notice hang drawings from the kids in Mindanao - the kids of war. It made me sad knowing that they're drawings reflect the trauma they developed during the war which made me into realizing how lucky Yona is for living in a peaceful world.














The helicopter’s interiors was developed into a peace shrine to incorporate peace postcards, prayer text, objects, and other contributions from local and overseas individuals, friends, and supporters of Museo Pambata. Printed stories of child evacuees will also be added to this peace shrine, which to Reamillo signifies the lifting and connecting of communities across the globe.

Aside from this, your kid will also love the additional functions of the helicopter, slides! My daughter loved it so dearly.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Tired but Happy :)

I just have to blog about this.

Hula Dance Class Day

I started the day very early (6am) as I still have to prepare Yona's things, press our clothes and fix breakfast before she gets up. Yona woke up 30 minutes later, buti na lang everything was prepared na before she woke up or else she'll bombard me with "I don't want to use that shirt" or "Can I bring this instead?" litanya. She's so noisy even in the morning. Sobra.

Yona and I left Bacoor around 830am, rode a van to MRT Taft - she was so sleepy wawa naman. Walked a mile from Savers to MRT station - gracious it felt like a mile because we had to go up the pink foot bridge instead of crossing taft na lang! at karga ko kaya si Yona? hello... you just can't make her walk. She said she was tired and she'll die if I let her walk. Hay naku...

The Hula Class went well - at least for me and the rest of our classmates. Yona still won't dance. At ayoko ng pilitin. I told her that we went there to dance so we SHOULD dance and that she was so UNFAIR for keeping me from dancing - sabi niya I was unfair because I was forcing her to dance when all she wanted to do was paint...grrr...ok fine. I really hate arguing with her kasi talagang napipikon niya ako.

Dada fetched us and we ate lunch in Gateway. I was eating my chicken when I remembered to buy curtain fabrics in Divisoria - so sinama namin si Yona! hahaha

I knew that she was so curious what the place I call "Muddy Mud Mud" looks like so now I satisfied her curiosity by letting her experience Divisoria on a Saturday!