Remembering Marvin

He would have turned 31 years old yesterday. If only there were no evil criminals in the world, he would most probably be a doctor by now. If only things happened differently, my brother, Marvin, would still be alive today, but he isn't. 

While Marvin's birthday was May 30, his death anniversary is on June 5. I can take hours just typing everything I recall about that day he passed away eleven years ago. But doing all that will just bring back all the pain especially since his case never got resolved and the criminal may still be walking free. Although I have already accepted his death and have offered his case to God, trusting that even if justice wasn't given here on earth that maybe Marvin will be granted that in heaven, there is still a part of me that feels helpless and useless and scared. Helpless and useless because I couldn't do anything to help his case. Scared because what happened to him was something you never think will happen to you. His death was proof of how evil some people can be. At the same time though, I guess it also taught me a lesson - that life is short. It is because of that realization that I live the way I live right now, always with a conscious effort to enjoy each and every day because we really never know if this will be our last day in this world.

I miss you still, Marvin, and I always will. I know that you're in a better place, happy and looking down on us. Someday I know I'll see you again. I hope you know you're always remembered. 

Mommy & Me Monday: At The McDonald's Kiddie Crew Grand Graduation

Earlier, I blogged about the McDonald's Kiddie Crew Grand Graduation Bash that we attended last Saturday. If you want to read the details of our fun, fun, fun experience there, click here.

For Mommy and Me Monday though, I want to share one of the photos we took during the event. Here I am with my three Z's (Zoe, Ziya and Ziggy). I have only a handful of photos of myself with all of my three kids together and so I made sure to take one during the event.

I take a look at this and I think, "My gosh I have three kids!". Sometimes I still can't believe it!

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Hosted by Krystyn at Really, Are You Serious?

McDonald's Kiddie Crew Grand Graduation Bash!

We've been waiting for this event for over a month. Zoe and Ziya finished their McDonald's Kiddie Crew Workshop during the first week of April and since then we've been anticipating when the Grand Graduation Bash will be. It was finally held last Saturday at the World Trade Center and I must say I am really, really glad we came. It was a really fun event for the kids. They had a lot of booths of games and other activities for the kids. After that, there was a cool program for the actual graduation rites. They even gave free food for the Kiddie Crew members. 

Here are our photos taken during the event. Below, Ziya and Zoe made their mark on the wall.

There were a couple of model "statues" during the event. Here are some of them.

Below, the girls were decorating their magic hats.

Here's a photo of me and Ziggy. Of course, baby Ziggy had to come along and have fun too!

There was also a science area wherein there were a lot of illusions and stuff. Here's just one of them.

During the program, there were also some mimes who brought in props that were reflectorized (if there is even such a word!). So, it looked like some kind of a "light"show. It was actually super cool. Here are just a couple of photos of that but trust me it looked way better in person.

Below are photos of the McDonald's characters during the actual "graduation ceromony".

It was a super fun event. It's just too bad that with all the people who attended there wasn't really enough time to go around and explore all the booths. The important thing, though, was that the kids really had a great time. Maybe we'll do this again next summer!

Linking this with Kids In Doodles, which I'm joining for the first time:

 

Project Yearbook: Week 12

This post is six days delayed (no thanks to my DSL connection problems). Luckily our DSL already got fixed today and so I am now able to post Ziggy's Week 12 photos.

Ziggy's pretty much the same physically speaking during Week 12. He is noticeably heavier and even Daddy Kai already gets tired easily when carrying Ziggy. That's why I put him on our Saya baby carrier as much as possible whenever we go out. Ziggy has become a lot more talkative. Maybe it's because we talk to him a lot and he really responds with his cute little coos, ahhs and gurgles. It's really adorable! I also noticed that he laughs and squeals a lot whenever he wakes up in the middle of the night. He only used to do that when he wakes up in the morning. Also, he's been peeing a lot lately and even wet the bed a few times. His diaper, which is only a size Small, is well, too small for him now and so we're switching to Medium already.

Here are Ziggy's Week 12 photos.

On Day 78, Ziggy struck a pose with his sisters. These girls are so in love with their baby brother. They immediately go to him first thing when they wake up in the morning. 

On Day 79, I took a photo of Ziggy sitting on his high chair. He's not eating yet but he will be soon! He loves sitting on the chair! We place him there so that he can be with us when we're having our meals. We figure it's already practice for when he starts eating.

For Day 80 and 81, you'll see he's wearing the same outfit. That's because I took the Day 80 photo at night when Ziggy was sleeping. Then I took another photo of him the next morning when he woke up.

For Day 82, I wanted to take a photo of Ziggy with his favorite ball. It was a gift given by my friend, Darla, as a baptism gift. Ziggy doesn't know how to play with it yet but he loves it whenever we shake the ball and it makes sounds.

During Day 83, Daddy Kai wanted to give Ziggy tummy time on his own tummy! Here they are having a conversation. So cute!

Finally for Day 84 is another tummy time photo. We're giving him a lot of tummy time because his pediatrician said this should be one of his main activities this month. Unfortunately on Day 84, Ziggy was just not in the mood.

Ziggy's on his 12th week and actually celebrated his 3rd month birthday today. Will post his birthday photo soon!

Amusing Myself During A Traffic Jam

If you live in a country like the Philippines, especially here in the heart of Metro Manila, traffic jams are, I'm sorry to say, something you'd have to learn to live with. It can get so bad that going from one city to the next can take hours on a really bad day, when normally you can get there in just a few minutes. Having lived here all my life I've learned how to live with it by just trying to amuse myself while I'm stuck in the car.

One of the things I like to do when I'm stuck in a traffic jam is to look at all the surrounding vehicles and search for bumper stickers. I think a lot of Filipinos love them! You'd be surprised at the variety you'll find. The more popular ones are bumper stickers of schools or universities, or other communities people belong to. Also, since Filipinos love to laugh,  you can also see a lot of really funny cars with funny bumper stickers. However, one kind I'm thinking of putting on our car is a custom bumper sticker of a stick family similar to that from WiddlyTinks.com, like the one you'll see at the left sidebar of this blog. I've seen a lot of those on cars recently and I think they're really cute. 

What kind of bumper sticker to do you have on your car?

Weekend Blog Follower Caravan #13 - Facebook Edition

Once again, I'm joining the Weekend Blog Follower Caravan. I am so happy that this week is like your Facebook Fan Page edition!

To all new and old visitors of my blog, who haven't LIKED my Facebook Fan Page, you are invited to do so. I would truly appreciate it! Just a reminder, though. You have to like using your personal profile and not your fan page profile, or else it doesn't count. 

Just click here to like ROLLER COASTER RIDE's FACEBOOK FAN PAGE. Thank you so much!

Seriously?! Thursday

I just found out about Seriously?! Thursday over at From Mrs. To Mama and thought it looked fun. And so I'm joining this for the first time today.

Seriously .... our DSL connection has not been working again since last weekend and because I couldn't stay offline for too long I had no choice but to buy a prepaid internet card. I haven't used one of those in years and my gosh, the connection is SOOOO SLOOOOW! Plus, I get suddenly disconnected every now and then and so going online has been a pain this whole week. Because of the slow connection, I couldn't post anything with photos. Even the button for Seriously?! Thursday is not showing up. Grrr! Hope we get our DSL connection back soon.

Seriously .... our toilet got clogged yesterday. Talk about disgusting. Of course, I didn't want to do anything about it. Since it happened when my hubby was at work (he works nights), I had to wait until he came home to ask him to fix it. But we had to leave to do the groceries as soon as he got home and so the toilet only got unclogged just a few hours ago. Ewww!

Seriously ... a typhoon was supposed to hit the country yesterday and we have been hearing about it since early this week. This resulted to a mad dash to the grocery store last Tuesday to stock up on canned goods and the cancellation of our swimming trip at the Manila Ocean Park scheduled today. As it turns out, the typhoon only hit some parts of the country, very far from our place. Of course, I'm happy about us not experiencing the typhoon but my poor kids got so disappointed they didn't get to go swimming today.

Seriously ... Oprah's talk show is officially over. There goes my dream of being part of her audience. I really love her and it just sucks that her shows on OWN are not going to be shown here (at least not to my knowledge).

Seriously ... Scotty won American Idol! When James got booted out, I really wasn't looking forward to the finale that much anymore. Although I do like Scotty too and I understand why he got those votes, I was really rooting for either Casey or James to win.

Seriously ... I am loving the movies being shown on Star Movies this week. They've shown The Last Song and now they're showing Letters to Juliet. I love them! I know, I'm a sucker for love stories.

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Should We Homeschool?

This has been something I've been thinking about for several years now. However, I've really only given it very serious thought this past year. I'm thinking if I should start homeschooling my daughters, Zoe and Ziya.

The school year is fast approaching. School actually starts in about two weeks already but my daughters haven't been enrolled yet. With the rising cost of education, homeschooling is really an option that I need to consider. Aside from the tuition fees, the books and school supplies, uniforms and school bus fees already amount to thousands. Bear in mind that I have two daughters so that's double the cost. Also, since their present school is not exactly nearby, the cost of their private school bus is also astounding, the reason of the bus owner being the rising cost of fuel. Add to that the fact that my daughters will have to wake up at 4:30 am so that they can be ready by the time the bus arrives at 5:30 am. As if that's not enough to tire them out, they'll get home around 5:30 p.m. already, just in time for dinner. After dinner, they only have about an hour for homework before they have to go to bed. As a mother, it breaks my heart to see them so tired all the time.

Saying all that makes me think that homeschooling is definitely the better option. The fees are not as high. I will be given all the lesson plans and the books to be used for the entire school year. We can choose when and how long we will study per day. We can go on field trips to make more learning fun. The kids also have the option to join more extra curricular activities that they will enjoy. However, that also means I will really have to be committed to it. The thing is, I'm a very impatient person. I don't know whether I have what it takes to teach children. I can probably handle teaching the lessons but I tend to get frustrated easily whenever things don't go right. This also means I will have to stay at home for as long as my kids are homeschooling. I was actually planning on going back to the workforce already. I can't do that anymore if we choose to homeschool.

At this point, I really don't know what to do yet. The kids have expressed their interest in homeschooling. Ziya's happy that there will no longer be rowdy boys bugging her in the classroom. Zoe finds homeschooling interesting. The girls are used to spending most of their time together anyway. They're also excited about going on more field trips. I'm just not sure they truly understand what's it like to be homeschooled. 

I hope I'll get to decide soon. Time is running out. If there are any of you out there who are into homeschooling your children, I will appreciate any input from you. Thanks!

When It Rains It Pours

It's still officially summer over on our side of the globe, but another typhoon is about to hit the country in a day or two. The rains have already started. It rained really hard last night though it only lasted less than an hour. Now, it's raining hard again and the rain hasn't stopped pouring for an hour already. I'm afraid it's only going to get worse.

I worry a lot during times like these. I think about my mom and siblings who do not exactly live near us. The area near their house is prone to flooding and that's why I am always concerned whenever it rains like this. I also worry about Kai, who works at night. Tonight, he left for work just when the rain started. I worry for his safety on the road. So many road accidents occur whenever it rains. He has to worry about flooding too. I'm just glad that by now he has already arrived safely at the office. I pray that he gets home safely tomorrow morning too.

Since we live on the third floor, I don't really worry about floods. What I worry about is power outages. Sometimes that happens when it rains so hard. When there's no power, we obviously can't cook, which is why we went to the grocery store earlier today to stock up on canned goods. However, power outages will be even more inconvenient now because we have a baby. Now, I have to worry about how to sterilize Ziggy's bottles. I've been able to sterilize them all now. Let's just hope that if the power goes out tomorrow I'll be done sterilizing then too.

I also worry about other people, those I don't know. In this country, when it rains hard, it's really extremely difficult for a lot of people because of the floods and landslides. I pray that this typhoon will not hit us as hard and that it will go away quickly. I pray that no one will lose their lives or get seriously hurt because of this. I guess, when Mother Nature hits us like this, praying is the only thing we can do.

Crazy Over Purple Saturdays: Remembering My Baby Bump

It's my first time to join Crazy Over Purple Saturdays hosted by Life and Then Some. I am already loving this meme because purple happens to be my favorite color. Isn't in obvious enough in my blog?

Anyway, for this week I'm sharing one of my baby bump photos taken last August when I was just three months pregnant with Ziggy. In the photo I was wearing my favorite purple top, which is actually not maternity wear but was roomy enough for me to wear until the third trimester of my pregnancy. Looking at this photo makes me reminisce about my latest pregnancy journey. It was one amazing ride, but I'm happier now that Ziggy is already here.

For more purple fun, click the button below:

Mom-Me Time # 1: Mommy's Day Out

Since I gave birth to Ziggy almost three months ago, I haven't had a day out all to myself. Aside from being busy taking care of my newborn, most of my time was also spent doing the chores. Although my great hubby helps out whenever he's home from work, I still carry the brunt of the chores. Add that to the fact that it's my two daughters' summer vacation so I also need to make sure they keep themselves occupied. With all the things going on around here, I find it amazing I can still find some time to blog. I guess, blogging is also mommy time but for this entry I'd like to share my day out alone, which happened a few days ago.

I was really starting to go crazy here. As a working mom, I wasn't at all this physically, mentally and emotionally tired. Being a stay-at-home mom now is no joke! It came to the point when I couldn't stop complaining already and getting really frustrated and irritated. So, when the opportunity came for me to spend a day away from the hubby, the kids and the chores, I gladly took it! I went out last Wednesday mainly because I was invited to attend Intel Philippines' Mother's Day Tribute to Visually Smart Moms. It was the first event I was invited to as mom blogger and so I was so excited to join. Though the event was short, it was a nice experience to have for I met some of the mom bloggers I have been following for months now. 

After the event, I went to Glorietta to meet up with one of my closest friends, Darla. Darla and I have been friends since high school. Back when I was still living in Makati, we have been known to meet up at least once a week for coffee, lunch or dinner just to catch up with each other. But since we moved here to our house, I got pregnant, and we lost our helper and so it became really hard to schedule time with Darla. So, I was really, really glad that after the event we were able to meet up and have coffee at Starbucks. Our meet up only lasted for an hour because I had to be home in time for dinner but I truly enjoyed it. I hope that we'll be able to meet up more after this, if not every week then at least once every two weeks.

If you think about it, my day out wasn't all that spectacular. But for someone who hasn't had a day out alone for MONTHS, that was really a big deal.

How did you spend your Mom-Me Time?

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So Excited About My Book Review

Finally it has arrived! I have waited 3 months for it to arrive and I was actually beginning to think that it never will. So I'm so happy to announce after all this time that my first book from Booksneeze has finally arrived. Soon, I will be able to make my first book review for Booksneeze already!

What's the title of the book, you ask? Well, let us keep that a secret for now. All I want to say at this moment is that it is something that every mom (or dad) should read. Yup, yup, yup! It is a parenting book. So, if you're interested keep coming back to this blog every now and then and see if my review is already up. For now, I can't wait to read it first!

Having Fun With Lego!

Kai, the kids and I were at the mall again to look for a playmat for Ziggy. So, we went to a well-known department store at the mall where I knew all the nice toys are. We did find a possible playmat for Ziggy but we found something else that my daughters really had fun with LEGOS! 

As a little girl, I used to play with Legos a lot. But the Legos right now are really just crazy! There are so many different kinds to choose from. At the department store, they even had this big container of Legos that kids can play with. Zoe and Ziya have never played with Legos before so Kai and I showed them how. 

Here's Ziya with her building, which she built on her own.

Below is Zoe with the barn that Kai helped her create.

Now, here's the house that Ziya and I built together. Of course, it's pink, Ziya's favorite color.

Lastly, here's the building I made. I had a really fun time playing with them. Legos make me reminisce about my childhood when I played with these with my brothers and sister.

I wanted to stay for a bit longer and so did Kai and the kids but baby Ziggy was already starting to get cranky. I guess, there's always next time. But now the kids want Legos for Christmas. Santa better be prepared! 

Intel's Mother's Day Tribute To Visually Smart Moms

Yesterday, I was invited to attend Intel's Mother's Day Tribute To Visually Smart Moms, held at the Top Shelf at Fully Booked, Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. It was a workshop for moms in traditional and new media. The event was specifically geared toward mom bloggers like myself. This is the first event I have been to as a mom blogger and so I was really looking forward to it. 

One of the guests speakers was techie mommy Jaye Bautista, who talked about the importance of technology and how moms can make the most use of it in their daily lives, especially in raising their kids. This topic is really interesting since I have been looking for ways to use technology in order to earn a living while staying at home with my kids. That is one of the main reasons why I blog. 

Another guest speaker, Ciel Uy, Administrator of First Academy of Computer Arts, which is the first and only computer training institution that offers arts programs to kids such as Digital Arts, Web Design and 3D Animation. This got me very excited because my daughters just love art. They love to draw and color and create things but they have yet to do these things using a PC. I have been limiting their PC use because being only 9 and 8 years old, they are only allowed to play safe computer games and I don't want them to get addicted to it. These workshops will definitely help them not only to improve their computer skills but also enhance their creativity.

The last speaker was Randy Kanapi, Marketing Manager of Intel Philippines. Mr. Kanapi basically gave us a review regarding PC basics. He also introduced us to the 2nd Generation Intel Core processor family. The new Intel i3, i5 and i7 chips are said to be "visibly smart" as it combines visual and 3D graphics technology with performance-leading microprocessors. Users can definitely expect a dramatic improvement in their PC experience. For something so small, it's really amazing how much these processors can do! Also, for someone who's in front of the PC for long periods of time (yeah, blogging can be very time-consuming) having Intel in my PC makes me enjoy blogging, uploading photos on Facebook, chatting, watching videos on YouTube all at the same time! Yes, these processors, like most moms, are multi-taskers. Isn't that just great?