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The latest issue of Mommy Pages is out!

This issue talks about education, and I took the opportunity in my editor’s note to thank one of my son’s teachers, Mr. Enrico Quodala who was a big influence when my son was in Grade 4.

Mr. Quodala, standing on extreme right

Knowing his teacher knew who he was amidst the 40 other boys in his class, believed in him and gave him the motivation to strive for higher goals made my son glow with self-confidence. Even if my husband and I were giving our own motivational talks to our son since he was born:), this positive influence from someone else was something he needed and he thrived in. This amazing teacher was truly a blessing to us and our child, and he will continue to be a gift to all the kids who are and will be in his care. (Thanks, Mr. Q!)”

Also in this issue of Mommy Pages, Teacher Tina Zamora, directress and owner of Nest School (also check out her blog www.whatisaprogressiveschool.com) give parents tips on choosing the right preschool for your child.
Four schools are featured in MP TOP PICKS- Raya School, Everest School, Multiiple Intelligence International School, and Waldorf School. Finally, moms can also check out the popular Mommy Pages preschool directory for some of the best preschools in Metro Manila. (This directory is also available here.)

To get a copy of the latest issue of Mommy Pages, you may request for a copy here – send us your mailing address and we’ll mail you a free copy via our courier partner, LBC. You may also get a copy at the upcoming Mommy Mundo Clearance Clearout Sale on Friday to Sunday at Fun Ranch in Pasig.

Last month, we randomly drew a name from our Mommy Pages mailing list and this person was destined to win our wonderful prize courtesy of Clever Cats.  The prize is a fully furnished wooden dollhouse made by award-winning American toy brand, Melissa & Doug.  

The winner is a young mom, whose 6 year old daughter, Gwyneth was more than happy to be  the direct beneficiary of the Mommy Pages-Clever Cats contest.  See Gwyneth’s  happy smile when she received her prize…

Gwyneth, daughter of Mommy Pages mailing list member, Suzanne, wins our Mommy Pages-Clever Cats promo this October

Incidentally, the prize came just in time for Gwyneth’s 6th birthday this month! Thank you Suzanne, for joining the contest and thank you to all those who joined!  Watch out for the next Mommy Pages promo to be launched within the month!

Mommy Pages thanks Clever Cats for being our promo partner from August to October 2009!  Visit the Clever Cats showroom and see their selections of educational toys that grow with your child, toys that are worth passing on even to your children’s children.  Clever Cats’ contact numbers are 09175102967 or 09226419188. Clever Cats is located at 1269 Batangas st. cor Guatemala st. Bgy San Isidro Makati. (see map below)

I personally love sitting on the floor with my kids, on the bare wood, with a mat or blanket. When the boys were younger we would roll balls to each other, build towers with blocks, make imaginary roads with toy cars.  Now with my daughter, we’d color, do crafts, read books and play with her dolls. Seeing and being with them at their level (and having all the space with no edges for our stuff to fall off from) truly magnifies my time with my kids into an ultimate bonding experience.  After one of our fun bonding moments, Z made this for me with rolled up pieces of paper…:-)

From here, a new event idea was born as we want to have this same experience with other moms, even those who are still in their expectant stages.  MOMS ON THE FLOOR happens on August 8, Saturday, 1-4pm at the Sapphire Room of Crowne Plaza Hotel in Ortigas Center.  It is open to expectant parents and moms and dads of babies between 0-1 year old.  

Participation is free of charge but pre-registration is required.  Call now to reserve a slot at 7138144. 

I’m so excited to “get on the floor” with all of you!:-)

We are so looking forward to this weekend’s EXPO MOM! Not only will it be a wonderful gathering of mommy friends, it will also be an opportunity to meet new people, to enjoy the activities planned for us, and check out the Expo Mom bazaar and exhibit.  PLUS!  our latest issue of MOMMY PAGES will be available when the Expo opens on Saturday, May 10 at 10am.  

We will be distributing Mommy Pages issue 13 at the entrance of Expo Mom, when mommies come in to register for the event.  So hope you can come early to Expo Mom as this will be given out until copies last!:-)

Some items on my bucket list: 1.) Go Hand gliding in Brazil. 2) Go parasailing in Boracay.  3) Ride in a hot air balloon. Imagine my excitement when I heard you can actually book yourself a space in the basket of one the hot air balloons at the upcoming Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta!

This event, now on its 14th year, is one of those events that families truly look forward to.  My kids and I went to two years ago and it ranks as one of the favorite trips we’ve ever taken.

We booked ourselves a room at Holiday Inn Clark which, incidentally, is a kid-friendly hotel, with its Day Care/ Play room for kids, shaded playgrounds, and fun activities which my boys enjoyed like the bike park, basketball court and billiards table. At the Hot Air balloon fiesta, my kids stood in awe at the beautiful hot air balloons, in different colors and designs.  Our favorite was the “coolest” balloon, a bright yellow one with a face and cool shades.

It was also an impressive sight seeing hundreds of kites in the air at one time. My kids got so challenged and spent hours running around trying to get their own kites up. At the end of the day, all the balloons assembled together and did a music and lights show for everyone in the fiesta to enjoy.

So hope to see you and your families at the 14th Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, happening this February 12 to 15, 2009, ! I’ll be waiving at you from my wicker basket high above the ground!

For more information on the 14th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, log on to www.philballoonfest.net.

As advocates for mompreneurship, we are proud partners of the 2nd Annual Women Entrepreneur’s Conference this Feb 7, Saturday at AIM.  For more info call 9863580 or log on to www.newomen.net.

For most of us busy mommies, we rely on yayas to help us take care of our babies and kids.  I believe having a good and trustworthy yaya is a combination of blessing, luck and training. So since we have no control over the first two, better exert effort and time in training them well so they can be real extensions of our mommy hearts and hands for the benefit of our children.

Maricel Laxa-Pangilinan and her sisters-in-law Felichi Buizon and Dr. Donna Simpao have long advocated the importance of educating our yayas through their workshops and their new project, their yaya handbook. Maricel’s The Parenting Company invites you to the launching of

the I LOVE YOU, YAYA HANDBOOK

A yaya training manual by Maricel Laxa Pangilinan, Felichi Buizon and Dr. Donna Simpao

The “I love you, Yaya Handbook” is a two-part guide containing informative articles on hiring, training, and nurturing caregivers as well as practical guidelines on first aid for children, common illnesses, developmental milestones and even fighting stress. What’s more, it comes with an audio CD containing the lectures in the handbook so yayas can listen to the trainers themselves! It’s like listening to the actual “I Love You, Yaya!” seminar in your own home. 

At the launch, learn from the authors themselves through our FREE YAYA SEMINAR! Get tips, useful information and sensible advice! You can also have your handbook personally signed!

The Launch is on February 8, 2009, Sunday 3:00 – 5:00 p.m at Fully Booked – High Street Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Speakers are Maricel Laxa Pangilinan and Felichi Buizon. A second session will be held on March 29, 2009, Sunday 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. Powerbooks – Megamall Ortigas Center, Pasig City. Speakers are Maricel Laxa Pangilinan and Dr. Donna Simpao.

Getting our kids into art is a great way to encourage creativity, allow them to use their imagination while also learning actual art techniques.  For younger children, it is also a fun way that helps develop their fine motor skills and make them used to getting their hands dirty (literally).  Through the years,  I’ve discovered that not all art programs are alike, so it is also good to study what’s out there before signing up the kids specially this summer.

There are programs like Kids at Art which has been running for 16 years already and is very good in teaching kids different art techniques. Every session is dedicated to a different art form. One day, the kids will paint, then do clay sculptures the next, then paper mosaics on the third day.  The instructors are capable teachers who have good rapport with the kids as they are usually young students or graduates of the UP College of Fine Arts.  The program ends with an exhibit of the children’s work in a mall venue, which is always a nice experience for the kids (and a memorable one for the parents ).

Another program which is quite remarkable is offered by My Masterpiece, a school founded and run by Anna Escay-Cortez and her musician husband, Rayyn.  Theirs is a multi-arts program– art, music, performing arts and mac multimedia classes– all rolled into one term, so the kids get a well-rounded dose of arts in one enrollment. Anna says “ours is an after-school program that is run like a school,” so their programs actually follow a curriculum which is consistently taught through the different arts and throughout the term.  They run the school all throughout the year, not only during summer, and even have special schedules for children who study in the international schools.  This summer, the curriculum will be about the Renaissance period so this will be a wonderful opportunity for kids to learn the muti-arts while learning more about Da Vinci, Shakespeare and Galileo and other highlights of the period.

As a mom, it’s just great to have various options for our children. Whether you want straightforward art lessons for your kids to just keep them busy for summer, or if you prefer an enhanced program where they can learn not only about the multi-arts but also history, the world and more, know what’s out there and then decide which would best be a fit for your kids.

For more info on Kids at Art, log on to www.kidsatart.net.  My Masterpiece is now accepting enrollees for Summer.  Summer Workshop starts after Holy Week (April 15 – May 30, 2009).  Avail of early bird discounts: less 10% until Jan 30.  For reservations, call or text Teacher Anna, at 0915-4327439, or email mymasterpiece@mac.com.  Multi-Arts Classes are now held in Valle Verde, Pasig.    

CATHY SENGCO, mom of two, is our lucky winner of the Mommy Pages Maclaren Promo!  Cathy, who has a 3 year old daughter and a 3 month old baby was randomly chosen from the hundreds of emails we received from eager mommies, daddies, even titas who wanted to win the Maclaren Techno Classic Stroller.  Congratulations Cathy! Thanks to everyone who joined our very first Mommy Pages promo.  Watch out for our next promo to be launched in January!