The Little Lamb Yearbook is out!!!

The Little Lamb Yearbook is finally out!!! It features the Little Lambs class of Toddlers Unlimited for the School Year 2008-2009. The Little Lambs class is composed of (seated in the first row) Lucas, Elle and Max; (seated on the second row) cyro, lili and finn. Completing the group are Teacher Lei (right) and Teacher Liza (left).

Elle Marie started going to Toddlers Unlimited in July. We got to know Toddlers because of Jina, Lili's mom. We met her in Gymboree where Elle and Lili are classmates in Gym Class Level 4 (Elle is now doing Music Class). We talked about toddler schools and she mentioned about Toddlers Unlimited so, Noy and I went to check and ended up enrolling Elle Marie.
Elle enjoys going to school! I never had to convince her to get up around 7:30 in the morning so that we'll make it to her 8:30 class. I guess she enjoys playing with her classmates. At home, she would call out her classmate's names one by one! We are happy that Elle enjoys going to school. Seeing Elle socialize with her classmates make all the sacrifices worth it...

Little Lambs in Gymboree

Now that school is out and summer is in we have decided to spend the whole April in Iloilo City with my parents. It is actually hitting five birds with just one stone. First bird, it has been a long standing request from my parents and now we are giving them ample time to be with Elle Marie. Second bird, it is my father's 55th birthday on April 6 and he wants the family to be complete on that date. Third bird, I am in dire need of a good yaya! hence, we are taking this opportunity to interview a couple of applicants in Iloilo and bring with us back to Manila. Fourth bird, Noy is leaving for San Francisco on the third week of April, I need help with Elle. Fifth bird, I deserve a good rest from Elle. Don't get me wrong, I love taking good care of my daughter but with all the cooking, house cleaning, laundry and parties to attend with Elle?! I need a break!Just like Elle Marie, her friends Lili and Max are also leaving for the summer. Lili is going to Thailand with her Mom to visit her grand parents. While, Max is going to Singapore (also to visit his grandparents). Since, everybody is leaving we decided to do a "sending off" playdate for the kids in Gymboree. We also invited their classmates Cyro, Lucas and Finn.Unfortunately, Max got sick this morning and was not able to join us. Cyro and Lucas came with their yayas. We fetched Cyro from their place and as soon as he entered the car, he screamed "Hello Elle Marie" but Elle was too sleepy to reply (she was not feeling well) Cyro added "Elle Marie's car"! Haha I am so amazed with Cyro's energy and vocabulary. I wish for the day to come that I hear Elle also talk the same way.

The kids had a great time. Even my sleepy Elle Marie was not able to resist jumping off the romps with her friends. I know that they will miss each other this summer. I can't wait for May so that we can have a playdate again with Elle's friends.

Finally, Toddlers Unlimited Moving Up Day...

It is every parent's dream to see her daughter graduate. I remember the day when I completed my undergraduate degree from De La Salle University. My parents stood very proud of me as I went up the stage and get my diploma. It inspired me so much that I took up and completed my masters in economics (on my own). Just imagine how my parents become prouder of me when I completed it.
Although having a masters degree has its own merits, i will not force elle to get one. I just want her to choose the right course, complete it and make use of it. She can be a lawyer, an economist or an accountant if she wishes. I just want her armed with a diploma as she continue to face life's challenges.So, what is this blog all about? It is about Elle's first step in accomplishing my dream for her. (i still have nursery, prep, elementary, high school and college!!!) It is about Elle's moving up day. It is about Elle moving up to junior nursery next school year...Finally, not working full time for almost nine months have paved way. All the patience and understanding translated to improved vocabularies, positive perspective of life and simple smile. I am so proud of my daughter as she went up the stage with her classmates and dance to the tune of "Hot Potato". I am so proud of her as she join her friends and eat lunch. I am so proud of her as she sings her alphabet song, count one to ten and identify the colors of things I show her. I am so proud of her smile every time I ask her if she wants to watch Barney or eat ice cream.

Congratulations My Elle Marie! Mama and Papa are so proud of you!

A weekend of parties Part III: Another splash to remember

Last Sunday, Elle Marie's Ate Cacy turned 7 while her Kuya Earl turned 5! This time instead of the usual party in either Mcdonalds or Burger King, they had it in a private swimming area in Quirino, Quezon City. The party was a very intimate one. They only invited a couple of really close friends and the rest are families.

Elle enjoyed playing in the pool with the other kids. She especially liked the yellow "salbabida" made available in the pool. (this time it was not a giveaway hehe) But, one thing I noticed, she is afraid of the sound of the splash! So every time someone jumps on the she would make an ugly afraid face and attempts to bite me!

Happy Birthday Kuya Earl! and Ate Cacy!

A weekend of parties Part II: Elle Rocks!!!

It was a night of music, fashion, dancing and drinking. Elle Marie sported a black tops with silver studded print saying "firefly", silver balloon skirt especially made by Mama, black and white stripe socks, and a yellow apple necklace that Elle hand picked from Landmark. Elle Rocks! She danced, watched the cat walks and played with her black balloons the whole night!Ate Coco turned seven and she celebrated it with a bang by having an "A list" party at the Party Venue in Tomas Morato. Everybody came in their best "get ups" representing their music. There were girls in "Hannah Montana" look, girls in hip hop look, and MEAN girls! Yes, I promised myself that I will groom Elle to grow up a fashionista but never a mean girl. I want her to develop her own style, something that will represent the real Elle... I want her to grow up a good citizen of this world respecting everybody whether they are rich or poor, good-looking or aesthetically challenged, black or white.

Happy birthday Ate Coco!

A weekend of parties Part I: A splash to remember...

it was tyler and lucas manuel's birthday bash last march 21, 2009 at the salcedo swimming pool, the regency. lucas is elle marie's classmate in toddler's unlimited. they usually see each other after class in salcedo park. tyler is lucas' older brother who also studies in toddler's unlimited.the salcedo swimming pool in the regency was great. it has a kiddie pool and a shower area just perfect for toddlers! everybody was either swimming or playing with water gun. on top of the tables were chocolates, coloring sheets, crayons, aquariums with fighter fish. these kept the kids busy while eating. elle enjoyed the yellow 'salbabida" that was made available in the pool. good thing, lucas gave it away as "giveaway" so elle got to take it home with her.

but i think, elle especially enjoyed playing with her classmates lucas and cyro. now that summer is just a few days away, i know for sure that elle marie will miss them.

Toddlers Unlimited Narrative Report

Today, we had our Parent-Teacher Conference with Teacher Lisa and Teacher Lei. We are quite happy with Elle's progress. Although she is not as "talkative" as we want her to be, her improvement is impressive. It's good to hear her talk about colors, alphabets, numbers and just anything under the sun.

In this blog, I would like to showcase the narrative report that Teacher Lisa prepared for Elle Marie. It specifically talks about how Elle is inside the Yellow Room. I am so proud of my daughter.

---------------------------

Toddlers Unlimited Narrative Report on Elle Marie
by: Teacher Lisa Bernardo
March 16, 2009


Elle Marie always seems soft-spoken, reserved and shy. She quietly enters the room with her mon right behind her. As soon as she sees her friends and Teachers in the room, she immediately takes off her shoes and joins them to see what they are up to. Elle Marie did not have a hard time adjusting to her new environment and surroundings. She was happy to be in school right from the start. Nowadays, not only does she say goodbye to her mom by the door but she also makes sure to close the door once she is in the room. This independent little girl can move around the room on her own and keep herself busy with all the materials as well.

Elle Marie usually starts her day at the Manipulatives Area. She enjoys working with some of the animal puzzles we have. Although she chooses the puzzle herself, she still needs some encouragement from her Teachers to put back the puzzle pieces where it belongs. With a little support, she is able to follow and put them in its proper place. Another favorite here is the shape sorter, She dumps out all the wooden blocks from its basket and then gets the box where we can put the wooden shapes through the holes. She also enjos the inch cubes. She lines them up on the table until she has used up everything there is from the basket. After spending some time here. Elle moves on to the Blocks Area. Here she plays with the duplo blocks building towers, making houses for the animals with the magnetic blocks and making tracks for the train set we have. Other times she will use the vanity set we have and pretend to put on some make up in front of the mirror. Whatever it is, Elle Marie is busy as a bee during Free Play Time.

When Circle Time is called, Elle needs to be reminded to pack away the toys she has played with. Once she sees her friends going towards the mat, she happily joins them and finds her place, which is usually right in front of Teacher, so she can easily and excitedly grab a paddle while we sing our routine songs. In the beginning, Elle would just sit and watch her friends and Teacher as they sing the songs and fingerplays. Now, Elle joins in by following the actions! Although, she is till quiet, there are times when she will say a word or two, esecially when we make animal sounds when we sing our 'Hello" song. She also gets very excited when her friends are beside her. She sometimesgets distracted but with a little reminder from her Teachers, she goes back to her place.

During Art Time, Elle Marie will try any of the materials presented to her. Painting, pasting, scribbling and stamping are just some of the things she enjoys. She is willing to try them but is a little hesitant when things get messy. When Teacher tell her that it is okay to get messy because she will wash hands after, she is fine. And when she has decided she is done, she waits for Teacher to take her to the bathroom to wash hands.

Everyone's favorite time of the day is Romp Time! Elle Marie is all over the place. She runs around the area, goes in and out of the house, up and down the jungle gym and into the play garden. But her most favorite thing to do here is play "Ring Around the Rosie". She happily holds hands with her friends and Teachers while together they jump up and down and giggle with delight.

It truly has been a pleasure learning and growing with Elle Marie this year. She has developed friendships in the Yellow Room. This caring little girl is sensitive enough to her classmates' feelings. Whenever she sees somebody crying, she quietly approaches them to give them a pat in the back as if to say everything is going to be okay. She is always looked for by her classmates and as soon as she enters the room every morning, she is greeted by all her friends. We wish her all the best and look forward to another year of learning and laugher.

A drama princess was born...

And the Best Drama Princess award goes to...

Elle Marie Oplas for her role in the movie, "Mama, Please Help Me". This movie is about a poor baby girl who has been neglected by her mom. One day, she fell from the bed and hurt her knee. Her mom felt so bad for not taking good care of her as she supposed to. In the end, the mom asked for forgiveness from Elle Marie and promised to try be a best mom to her.

Here are some scenes from that movie:
This is the scene where Elle Marie fell from the bed. She cried "Mama, Please help me...". But her mom was too busy with her chores that she did not hear Elle Marie's cry for help.
Elle Marie tried to stand up but couldn't because she hurt her knee... She cried again "Mama, Please help me..." This time, her mom heard her and ran as fast as she can to help her.
Elle Marie's mom told her to rest her knee for a few minutes and got something for her to eat. What Elle Marie did not know was that her mom was actually crying when she went downstairs. She was blaming herself for Elle Marie's fall...After getting food for Elle Marie, her mom went upstairs and hugged Elle Marie. She asked forgiveness for not taking good care of her as she should. Elle Marie understood her mom. She knows that accidents happen for a reason and the reason is for her mom to realize that she should put greater priority on Elle above everything. They hugged each other and promised to be good with each other.

The End

------------------

I am not surprised that my daughter knows how to act. I was once tagged as Ms. PETA in High School because I can pretend that I was crying and it comes with tears. During the first few months of our marriage, Noy told me that he could not figure whether I am acting or not because both seem too real. Elle Marie is drama princess because i am the queen... hehe

This evening, Elle almost fooled me when she pretended to fall from out bed. Of course, I panicked, picked her up and massaged her knees. When it happened the second time and the third and the nth time... I got exhausted playing her game.

Funny though how she does the slow motion of the fall... It was like watching an action movie, (the matrix) and they have slow motions of the fall. I was amazed by how she cried "Mama, please help me". It seemed to real especially that it came with tears! Yes, Elle Marie almost fooled me but i am not surprised...

Thoughts on friendship and following Mama...

It is day three of Noy's absence. Once again, Elle and I went on an "All Oplas girls day out" in Glorietta. This time we decided to try out the playground in the center of Glorietta with Max. Elle is so familiar with this playground because we used to go there before. That was before I discovered the Lego Area in Rustans.

Elle Marie loves playing with Max. In fact, she almost cried when Max said "bye bye". So we went with Max to his car and pick up his older brother Shawn from his school. I like that idea that Elle Marie is developing healthy attachment with her friends. For me, it is a sign that she knows how to cherish friendship. If there is one thing I would want to instill in her mind, it is the importance of having friends. No amount of financial blessing can surpass the richness of having true friends. Noy and I are blessed with so many true friends. Friends who are there for us through rich and poor; through laughters and tears. I also want Elle to have hers as early as now.

I also like the idea that Elle and I were given an opportunity to bond together. These past few days that Noy was away, Elle and I got to know each other a little too well. I love the way Elle smiles everytime I allow her to ride the carousel in Timezone. She would give me her biggest smile and would sing "Thank You, thank you". I love it when Elle and I would make deals like i allow her to drink fake coke (coke zero with water) as long as she finish her food (it always work for me); she walks and carry her bags and i allow her to watch Barney when we get home; she drinks her medicine and I let her ride the carousel (we have a lot of deals if i list it all, i won't have enough space)... i love it when Elle hugs me in public and would really squeeze me so hard with matching sound effect. it makes me feel so loved (i kindda like public display of affections but not too sensual please). I guess this "girl bonding activities" have enabled us to have a win-win relationship. I get what I want and she gets what she wants in a nice way. No shouting, no spanking, no hypertension.

However, today something unusual happened while Elle and I were shopping inside Healthy Options in Greenbelt 5. At first Elle Marie was cooperative, I let her choose her baon (juice and cookies). I also let her push our cart instead of riding on it. Soon she got hyperactive. I think she was too excited for our TimeZone visit. (I promised her over lunch that I will bring her there if she finish her lunch) She played with the bottled baby foods in one shelf when she dropped one. Good thing she was wearing her crocs the broken glasses were not able to penetrate her soles. She just froze and looked at me. I immediately distanced her from the broken glasses, hugged her and asked why she did not follow mama's instructions. She could not look at me. I know that she was sorry for what she did. She hugged me. Then I told her that we have to reschedule our TimeZone visit. She did not argue and was nice on the way home.

It pains me to reschedule something that I promised to Elle. But, as I explained to her we have to so that she will remember what happens if she doesn't follow mama's instruction.


P.S.Attached photo was taken March 9 outside TGIF-Glorietta. Another All oplas bonding time for me and Elle.

We miss you Papa

A letter to Noy from the two ladies who misses him so much. He is in New York for a conference and to visit a couple of friends. It is day three today but he is deeply missed already. Nothing is compared to having the Knight of Shining Armor of the Oplas residence around...


Dearest Papa,

Mama and I misses you very much! Mama could not have her beauty sleep at night because you are not there to give me my milk. We could not go anywhere we wish because you are not there to drive us around. We miss your smile! We miss your snore! We miss your sermons!

Take care of yourself and behave there ok?! Don't worry Mama and I are having the greatest girl bonding activities of our lives while you are not around hehehe

We love you

elle marie

Island Cove Playdate

Today, the gang went to Island Cove Hotel and Leisure Park in Bacoor, Cavite. It is a nice place to rest and play with friends. They have a kiddie pool where the kids can ran and play; a zoo complete with the basic animals that kids would want to see; a "fishing village" where they can catch fish if they like, eat and just relax. We availed their "day tour" package worth P600 where you can swim in the pool, enter the zoo, ride the horse for 30 minutes, free souvenir photo, lunch coupon worth P200. Good deal right?
The idea of going to Island Cove actually came up after our Fontana, Clark trip with Irene, Sean and Stan. We were thinking of a good place to bring our kids for the summer when I remembered Island Cove. Island Cove is very familiar to me. Noy and I had our "official honeymoon" there courtesy of Ms. Norlinda Buhay who used to be the general manager of Island Cove and an officer of Cavite Chamber. She gave us an all expense paid overnight accommodation in the hotel inside Island Cove, free entrance to the pool area and zoo plus P1000 worth of lunch.

After doing some research on Island Cove's latest packages, I immediately sent the package proposal to Irene. I also sent the proposal to Sharon and Jina because I know that they are also looking for a not-too-long drive, good place to go to with the kids. It happened so fast. I sent the files to them Wednesday, we met in Toddlers Thursday and Jina said Peter wanted to go because he is sick of all the malls they go to during weekend. Sharon also said they are joining. Hence, we decided to go today! This is the part i love about our group. No need for long preparations, no "arte', no drama, no antayan. As long as the basic requirements are there , go!

So off we went to Island Cove... Nicholas decided to join us today. Its good because the kids miss him already. He came in with his mom. A really cool mom! She drives her very big and long van like a pro. She just strapped Nicholas on the car seat at the back of the van and drive. We even saw her talking on the phone while driving! Really cool! How I wish I have her confidence and coolness!

The kids love the pool. They ran and ran and ran!!! When we transferred to the fishing village for lunch, the kids still ran and ran and ran inside our big nipa hut! It is good that they are playing with each other now. It shows that they have progressed from parallel play. It is so funny, Elle ran after Shawn while Lili and Nicholas tags along!

I love doing play dates. We get to know more of the Szabo, Lo and Nicholas' family. and more importantly, the kids get to interact with each. I can see it in my daughter's eyes that she loves playing with Shawn, Lili, Max, and Nicholas. I am happy that the kids are enjoying their play dates. I am happy that Elle has friends already.