Kwentong TROPAng Ina: Narinig ko sa UP (Overheard at UP)

Hi, Kalamay!

While doing my daily dose of facebook.com browsing today, I chanced upon my highschool classmate posting some musings about Narinig ko sa UP (Overheard at UP). 

Curious and wanting to know what the hype was about, I clicked the link and followed the group. Alas! I found myself laughing alone, reminiscing my good old college days, my "Dear-Lord-sana-pumasa-ako-sa-Math 11" prayers, and everything else about UP. 

Overheard at UP Cover Photo

According to the facebook page, this "Group was created by Christian D. Rillera circa 2010". This page is a collection of "overheard" stories from UP from hilarious UPCAT scenarios to professor phobias, SPARKS (love stories) and a whole lot more that would make UP students, alumni and everyone else laugh and reminisce. Becoming a member has responsibilities, too. see: Alituntunin.

Have a great day! Weekends a day away!

Love,

TROPAng Ina

First Resorts World Experience

Happy Tropang INA Moment: Athena Learns ABC!

Hello guys!

Today, May 30, 2013 is yet another Nanay (Mother) milestone for me. Athena is now able to identify letters from A-Z! There are still a few occasional misses, but still...Yey!

Sorry if I am making a big deal out of this... this is the reason why:

Athena doesn't speak like those kids of her age. She just learned talking perhaps a few months after she turned 2 years old. She was not even able to call us, tell us her needs and couldn't follow ANYTHING that we teach her. Frustrating, yes. But this did not affect our love for our child in any way. A few months back, I found myself crying to my mom because my "mommy instincts" told me that something could be wrong with my kid. I kept on ignoring that feeling. We have a few cases of developmental delays in the family, which made my fears grow stronger. I researched for these delays and therapies, and checked some mommy blogs for possible interventions. I even got in touch with one of my college classmates who is now a therapist (I took up BA Behavioral Sciences, but did not get a chance to practice Clinical Psychology) to see if she could recommend a developmental psychologist who could assess my child's case. I scheduled the assessment.

A few days after, I noticed a sudden development in terms of Athena's learning and speaking. She started to call Mic "Tatay", and myself "Nanay". She was also able to call "Merm" (my mom), "Bujoy" (my sister) and "Doy" (my brother)... even "Nanang" (my MIL) and "Tatang" (my FIL). If she wants milk, she says "Dede, Plis"...and the list goes on. This made us want to push more in helping one another in teaching Athena. We allot 30 minutes to a few hours (as long as we could tell she's interested) in teaching or constant exposure to learning materials. Body parts, colors, numbers, letters. Every. Single. Day. The tablet which I won from Sta. Lucia East Grandmall Cinema raffle was also a great help. I have installed an app which had pictures and voice prompts, which Athena just navigated and followed (she knows how to tinker on the tablet on her own). With these improvements, we decided to put the assessment on hold... the psychologist's asking price is P3,500 per session. According to the mommy blogs that I have read, it would probably take 2 sessions before the diagnosis could be made. This means P7,000.. a bit pricey.

With our joined efforts, educational toys, Barney and Little Einstein DVD episodes, tablet apps and posted charts, Athena can now tell the following:

1. Alphabet Identification - we still to work on the ABC song and reciting the letter chronologically
2. Numbers - 1 to 13
3. Colors
4. Shapes
5. Body parts
6. reading the words ANT, BEE and COW (more on my next post) ^_^


Thank you for sharing my happy (and proud!) Nanay moment. I promise to share my "Nanay Preschool" teaching journey... with my Little Athena as the student. 

Till next time!

Love,

Tropang INA

Athena's Nautical 3rd Birthday

Hello guys!

Celebrating our daughter's birthday DIY-style has been a memorable and fun-filled day for us. We were fortunate enough to have people closest to our hearts to celebrate with. Here are some snapshots of our little girl's special day: