Message in Music

Today was a thrilling day for me.  On the way back from Calapan, Joshua was sat on Steve's knee and spent most of the journey singing songs he knew.  Some of them were the songs he has learned in his Sunday School class and some were nursery rhymes and some were from Christian albums we have.

Later in the day, Rose was walking around singing, "you've got to get God's love and give it away" and "Lord, you love me and you're never going to go away". 

It thrilled me because I see values and beliefs of our faith beginning to absorbed by our children. In fact, the other day Rose asked why Jesus died on the cross and while I am not convinced I gave her the best or simplest explanation it excited me that she is beginning to think through things she is hearing.

Now, I know there are those who would say she, and our other children are being indoctrinated but we all indoctrinate our children - whether it is with Christianity or whatever else we choose.  Besides, isn't that what the word means - putting doctrine in?  I make no apology for indoctrinating our children with the words and values of Jesus Christ and the Bible - I can think of no greater influences I want on their lives and thinking.

Joshua's 4th Birthday

You know, when Rose was born, people told me "Enjoy it while they are small, it goes so quickly", and I smiled and nodded, thinking 'yeah, right'.  And, of course, I now realise that phrase is so true.  My son is already 4 years old!!  I remember when he was born like it was yesterday - and I hope I always will - and the intervening 4 years have gone quickly.

Steve delayed going in to work and we opened presents in the morning as it was a busy day (preschool in the morning, party in afternoon).

Joshua chose to have a party on the playground (his choices were: swimming pool or playground as he was inviting 7 boys and I did not fancy having them all in the house!).  Of course, it was not just 7 boys, anyway, because - other than his sisters - there were siblings of the boys as it's difficult at this age to not include them.  And, actually I think that helped make the party as they all enjoyed it and participated.  Steve organised a photo scavenger hunt which they all enjoyed - tearing around all over the playground looking for letters. We then played duck, duck, goose and had the traditional (and very British) Pass the Parcel before we ate.

We had hot dogs for tea, which was easy to make with little bowls of extras but I think most of the kids were eager to skip to the cake!  Josh had chosen a construction site cake (we have a book of birthday cakes that the kids regularly peruse) which was easy to make.

One of the other boys blew out the candles before Josh - because he just wanted some cake!  So we relit the candles (I only had 4 matches which was risky and almost backfired on me!) and Josh attempted to blow them out but he wasn't really blowing properly so after numerous tries, some of us helped him.

He was tired but I think he had a great day.

Click here for more photos

Manic Monday

Today was a lot busier than it normally is.  I was helping in Kinder, usually go shopping on Monday mornings and had Bible Study.  I knew it was going to be tight but I thought I could do it.  Then a friend texted to ask if I could have her kids between 12 and 1 while her helper had lunch as she was at LTO (driving license renewal, which can take forever).  That was fine, but I knew that probably the shopping was out as I would not have enough time.  Especially as Steve and I were going out to do Birthday present shopping at 4:30.

We had rearranged our Bible Study because Crystal has had her baby recently by C-Section so we couldn't meet last Friday and we have two weeks of no school on Fridays coming up and won't be able to meet then either.  So, I went to Kindergarten for my half hour between 8:oo and 8:30, came home, got Joshua and Naomi ready to go and left for Bible Study about 9. Traffic was very good - only took us 10 minutes.  Sometimes it can take 45 minutes!!  Crystal and Mel have family visiting so it was fairly busy at Crystal's house and there were introductions flying around.  So we probably didn't start till 10 so I mentally crossed off shopping for sure as I wanted to feel free to be involved in the Bible Study without worrying about the time.  It was really good because we had extra adults around so we left the children (7 between us) downstairs with them and went upstairs to study.  I think it was the least interrupted group we have had!!  We finished about 11:30.

I had another text saying I didn't need to look after my friend's children so we quick grabbed lunch (Josh was having a major paddy because he hadn't eaten anything all morning since breakfast - because it was new people and he was so involved in his play he never asked for a snack) and headed off to shopping.

Josh likes to ride in the seat of the trolley (they are different here - just the bog standard one seat and much smaller) and Naomi likes to walk.  Well, I have finally got her trained to walk most of the time beside me. For a while I had to put her in the trolley as punishment because she would run off all round the shop and sometimes we couldn't find her for ages (our supermarket is as big as Tescos) and this would get Josh upset.  Now, we have to pause every so often for her to rejoin us but she's usually close by!

Today, when we got to the spice section she grabbed two bottles and would not put them down. She ended up carrying them round with us round most of the shop. Except when we reached the sweet aisle and then I looked round and she had a bucket of marshmallows in one hand and was just grabbing a string of gumballs in the other.  I said, "Naomi we are not having those. Put them back".  So she dropped the gumballs there, in the middle of the aisle, walked up to the place she had got the marshmallows, put them back and then picked up her tow bottles of spice she had left  on the shelf above!

I think an assistant finally took them off her (or more likely she dropped them when she starting speaking to her) when I had rounded a corner because I heard then talking to her and then she came flying round to find us minus the bottles.  So then she decided to pick up two bottles of flavouring instead!  But this time I convinced her to leave them where they were.

The rest of that shopping trip was uneventful but when Steve and I went out we had a classic cultural experience. We went into Planet Toys - looking mainly for toys for Joshua's birthday.  I asked an assistant about basketball hoops and he led me to the "best" one (which it was).  However, when he realised we had not finished he said, "what is your child, ma'am?  Boy or girl? How old?"  Then he and 4 of his colleagues trailed us around the shop bringing toys: "here, ma'am. What about this, ma'am?  This is only.....". It was fairly wearing, to say the least. Steve said, "don't ever talk to an assistant again".

Satisfying Saturday

Today was such a good day.  It started with Steve being manipulated about 7 a.m. so it was a pretty early start but we had to be up at school for 8:30 anyway because Rose is joining the Saturday morning football league that some of our parents organise and run.  It was on the Elementary playground this week as the "big boys" (High school teams) were playing games on the big field.  When we got there it was chaotic with kids everywhere - all over the playground, all over the field, all over the apparatus.  I was wondering if it was going to work.  But then order was imposed and suddenly there didn't seem to be so many kids!!  Steve is coaching Rose's team.  They are mostly beginners.  They played 2 or 3 games (I was mostly preoccupied with Joshua and Naomi on the playground) and Rose finished hot,sweaty and very happy.

After dropping everyone home I got a reprieve for a couple of hours and went with a friend to Taytay (the fabric market, got some cool panels)  then on to Starbucks in the Taytay mall.  We bought one of their Mozzerella, Tomato and Basil bagels which were good.  It was kind of funny as we both bought one but pronounced it in our own ways.  Amazingly, the staff understood me - possibly because I was pointing to it at the same time!

I came home, Steve ran up to school, I got the kids ready to swim and we drove up to meet him there.  The pool was a great temperature (it has been a little cold for my taste lately), the sun was out and it was a great couple of hours.  We knew it was time to leave when Rose started to get upset over everything - she was pretty tired after such a full-on day.

We got home, made popcorn and watched Ratatouille (Steve slept through the first half).

After dinner, we watched the rest and then it was bedtime for the kids.

It was a really good day but I think having the break made it much more fun for me.  Even though it was a relatively short time, it got me away from my "full-time work" and when I returned, I enjoyed my kids. 

Getting to the other side

Today Josh insisted on wearing pyjama trousers under his regular trousers and a white t-shirt under his red sleeveless one. Fashionable but hot I would think!!

On Wednesdays Rose does not have classes so we went out to the mall (Sta Lucia) as I had promised her we would buy a Zagu (a kind of slushy drink my kids love) as I did not shop at my usual supermarket (Cherry's) this week where I always buy Josh and Naomi a Zagu and one for Rose - which I keep in the freezer till she gets home from school.  I was sure they would have a stall at Sta Lucia - which actually we did not find.  And I did not want to venture into the old side as I had Naomi in the pushchair (the only way to control her when we got out, and she hates it) and there are mainly stairs that side, and not many escalators.

Anway, we had lots of fun because we ventured up to the very top floor - which is the cinemas and a fun-fair section.  There was a bouncy castle inflatable with an obstacle course and slide which I have not seen there before (I don't go up there much) and it was 50 pesos for 20 minutes play so all three went on and enjoyed that. We also bought candy floss (12 pesos, imagine what it would be at a British fairground?) to share.  Naomi was not sure about putting the blue stuff in her mouth, which was amusing.  After doing bits of shopping I succumbed to McDonalds - that's the frustrating thing about malls opening late here (10 a.m.) - it's lunch time while we're out. We eat lunch about 11:30 at home.  And the kids get cranky if I go much past that.  

Rose chose to sit where everyone walks past which I explained was not a good choice as we get stared at.  Sure enough, we were in the middle of eating and chatting when this older lady came in and started talking to Rose, telling her she liked her and how smart she was (not sure how she could tell that after looking at her) and stroking her hair. Then she started on Josh - I thought she was going to rub all his hair off.  Bless them, the kids just carried on as if nothing was happening, although Rose stopped looking at her. Neither of them would talk to her as they didn't know her but it didn't deter her. She told me where she was from and that her kids were grown and it was good to see children with their mum.  Eventually she left and we were all relieved.

After that we went to Starbucks (I had a free voucher burning a hole in my pocket) and I asked Rose to push the pram while Naomi and Josh walked beside me as we crossed the road to get back to the car. I deliberately did not cross till there was a genuine space but as we got almost to the other side of the very wide road a motorcyclist nearly hit Josh because in true Filipino fashion he made no attempt to stop (or even slow down) for people on a zebra crossing, but carried on motoring even though we were on the crossing before he had even come onto our road. This despite the fact there were 3 children on the crossing. Can you tell I was narked?

But such is the culture we live in.

Dedication of Cadd Theatre

(More photos at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=162963&l=b35be&id=789895076)
This was a big week for Faith Academy. It was the dedication of the new auditorium - the Cadd Theatre. It started with the actual dedication service - which I did not attend as it was quite packed and it was Wednesday, Rose's day home and I did not fancy taking three small children to a two hour dedication service. By all accounts, it was well done - but I think I made the right call - at least two school children from Elementary fell asleep during the affair! Following that was 2 days of a Middle School/High School concert in the theatre and dinner theatre afterwards. On Sunday, there was a final celebration service with singing and an address from Paul Tan-Chi.

It is a gorgeous building and amazing facility. God provided the funding through a Korean Church group in the US who wanted to bless the school for its efforts to extend its educational provision to greater numbers of Koreans. They are the same group who paid for the swimming pool and I think they are considering the next project!!

It means we will have graduation on campus from now on which can only be good!

The acoustics are amazing, everything about it blows me away but the funny thing is that for our kids the theatre will always have been part of their school and not this amazing thing we have all watched being built from scratch and anticipating from before the funding was ever confirmed. Same with the swimming pool - our kids have no appreciation for what it was like here without that great facility. We use it so often now, yet a couple of years ago it didn't even exist!

I'm sure there is a spiritual lesson in there!

However, the most amazing thing about it all is that Rose won the first prize for Kindergarten for the art contest that was arranged for the dedication. The judges assured Steve it was not fixed as her name was not on the picture when they chose it!! I have to be honest, I never thought a child of ours would win an art competition as it's one area neither of us has any talent in!

It is difficult to get fresh milk here although we do have someone who brings some to school every Tuesday and Friday and we are good customers of them but the rest of our milk is UHT long life boxed stuff (which ironically is called "Fresh Milk" because it is not powdered!). This makes me laugh as when my mum drank UHT I hated it but now I have grown accustomed to it.  Anyway, all to say that we had to throw 3 litres away this week as it fell under the China melamine scare.  It took a while for me to get rid of it as it felt like throwing away money and I kept hoping they (the people in the know, I guess) would decide this brand of milk was OK after all.  But I decided better to be safe than sorry so it went.  Lea, our helper, often updates me on what the Filipino news has listed as "potentially dangerous" and now we cannot buy stikos (my kids love these chocolate and wafer sticks), or Cloud 9 (a local chocolate bar - although I finished the box first!). They have even disappeared from the shelves of our supermarket.

I think what annoys me most about all this is that when you examine the products the Filipino company's name and address is emblazoned in big type on the box but then in small letters is "product of P.R.C.".  Which is pretty sneaky as it doesn't even spell out China!  It annoys me because a country that has millions of poor people who would benefit from a job has copied the West and farmed (sorry, outsourced) its production to another country so that, presumably, they can make more profit.  And, yet, I find it strange that Chinese workers must accept lower wages than Filipinos because they earn ridiculously low wages as it is.  Maybe it's a lower level of regulations and incentives to invest?  Either way, I think the West and its precedents have a lot to answer for. Not least, when the bottom falls out of it all. 

Lea tells me that the shoe manufacturers just down the road in Marikina (famous for its shoes) have announced they will have to suspend business because the Chinese imports are cheaper (and, frankly, less well made). How crazy is that? Countries refusing to protect their own businesses - as we in the UK know to our cost.