Scary monsters, freaky ghosts, creepy goblins… For the longest time, Halloween has been associated with gory inanimate beings and frightening stories that leave many paranoid people (like me) crouching frighteningly under the covers, and wishing for the sun to shine. As a child, I also fell victim to many sleepless November 1 nights- thanks to the chilling movies and TV specials that are in-demand during these times. However in Brightwoods School, children strangely anticipate Halloween. They enjoy making scary art works and eagerly talk about the costumes they will be wearing on our Costume Parade. Yes, it is indeed one of the most awaited programs in our school! The highlights of the parade include: the parade of costumes, the trick-or-treat, and of course, the awarding of the best costume award!
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It is amazing to see schools who truly nurture the child’s holistic being… From the onset of my daughter’s career as a student, I have been guilty of pushing her beyond the limits of her academic potentialities… I have been fixated on the idea that she can do so much more.  Though a consistent bronze medalist, she was not the studious type. She loves socializing and procastinating.  She is a PSP and an internet addict.  She’d fall asleep after a minute of browsing a book in bed…   Yep, that is my pauline.  She would effortlessly choose an ‘old school’ brick game over a classic children’s book.  That is actually how special she is.  Regardless, she still brings home the ‘bacon’ even with inconsistent study habits…

However, last September 5, 2008, I discovered how wonderful and talented she really was… Indeed, her portrayal of Jadis, the White Witch of the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was breathtaking!  She received several accolades for her performance and if there was an award-giving ceremony for that play, she’d probably earn the Best Actress Award…  That night, I was the proudest mommy on earth… There were countless times that I almost cried with pride… I finally realized that my daughter’s potentials go beyond academic achievements… I saw how hard she worked for this part.  She rigidly practice, she worked hard memorizing her lines… She was just so motivated to do her best! And, true enough, she did! Hopefully, I will be able to upload the video in the coming days…

pauline as Jadis- the evil but gorgeous witch!

Thanks to my friends for helping me fix her up! Thanks Joy for the make-up, Sheila for her crown, Cielo and Lani for her hair, Sharon’s for her gown, and Patty for walking with her across the busy street of Angeles just to bring her to the venue! Thanks guys!

As you guys probably figured, my little Amber is experiencing the ‘bowlegged’ walk stage… According to experts, children who have just started walking go through the same thing. Anyway, I found this very informative website about bowlegged walking among babies…

http://www.babybowlegged.net/. Somehow, I found the answers to my questions on this site! Thanks much!

Question No. 1 - - IS MY BABY NORMAL? Children normally go through a period of being bowlegged, and it usually starts from birth to 18 months.  For most, bowlegs straighten out with no treatment. However, we should be alarmed if the following are observed:

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Let’s change channel..

It is really a challenge to juggle work and motherhood… to add to that, being a wife, a sister, a daughter… For this blog, let me talk about my second child- Amber.  From the onset, you’d see the difference between Amber and her big sister, my eldest- Pauline.  Amber moves around a lot. In Filipino, we refer to this as ‘malikot’.  She is really super hyper that some people would say that she seems to act like a boy.  Right about now, she has mastered the art of walking, even though, she still does this in a funny way.  When we first noticed how odd the way she walks, I immediately searched the net to find out why… or if it is normal.  When she walks, it seems like their is this huge rock between her legs.  Now, when I say legs, I mean really fat legs.  The size of her legs seems to aggravate the situation… seemingly making the distance between her two legs farther apart than they actually are. Now here is what www.parents.com say about walking skills:

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