3/1/04: The girls have been off school since Wednesday. So here's a recap of the past 6 days. Everything but Sunday actually. Sunday gets its own post.
Wednesday 2/26 was declared a government holiday as the 18th Anniversary of the EDSA revolution when Marcos was kicked out of his role as political leader. Since riots and rallies were expected, we stuck close to home but didn't want to stay home (btw, we saw none of the above). Why? There had been a scheduled power outage for most of the day so we planned around it by going to the monthly bazaar, heading to Glorietta and then to church. Only thing was, no one told us that with the holiday they wouldn't be working either so the power never went out.
Ash Wednesday Mass was good for all of us. I have really tried to focus on Lent this year and I believe it's having a positive effect on me and the kids. I hope I can keep it up throughout the season. My goal is to read ahead the Gospels and prepare a simple thought-provoking project that relates. On Ash Wednesday we brainstormed positive family activities for the season, like adding Grace before meals and reinstituting bedtime prayers. There's a sheet up where we can tally how often we adhere to our goal. Since this past Sunday's Gospel was the 40 days and temptation in the desert, I decided that we'd focus on the good things we do, so we made the "40 things we do that God loves" list. I'd considered having the kids draw their own vision of the devil, or have them think of great temptations we face, but that's not the direction I want to go this year. We've discussed the purpose of fasting and abstaining and Rebecca has voiced her disapproval of abstaining. Why is it that a child who's never once asked if there was meat in dinner, now insists that she's miserable on Fridays? Next week is the Transfiguration (a Luminous Mystery) and I have to admit that I'm stumped on how to bring it to their level. Ideas?
Thursday Ian went back to work, so the kids and I picked up our passports from SGSO, mailed some items from the FPO, then descended on Laura's place so I could see her scrapbooks. I've decided this will be my next project. On Tuesday Laura, the boys and I went to Robinson's Gallery as there is a single scrabook store located there. There used to be a kiosk of the same store in Glorietta, but it's gone now. I was able to flip through her books (while the kids munched on homemade cookies and watched Anastasia) and make some decisions on book style and method. Simple is best, IMO, all I need are books that can grow with me and I can keep stocked. I think I've found it at http://www.storephotos.com . Told you I was going for simple.
Friday was a quiet day, I don't even remember what we did. Saturday the car was dropped at our local shop. The a/c hasn't been up to speed which is no surprise for something that's been used every day for the past year. An oil change and clean air filter were due as well. I give great kudos to the Shell management and mechanics at the corner of McKinley and EDSA. They've always been quick and gone to great lengths to meet our needs. I know lots of people use the transportation folks at Seafront but that's not convenient for us. If you're in the Makati/Fort Bonafacio global city area and need a good mechanic, just ask.
We went to Powerplant for a while then back home before picking up the car and taking the boys to a playground pal's birthday party. You know, it's really something when the first thing the hostess says is "I'm sorry, I can't remember your name." The party was just the right speed for 2 and 3 year olds though, with a slide into a ball pit, rocking horse, playhouse and a mini moonbounce as entertainment. From there Ian and I texted each other (don't roll your eyes at me!) as he had taken the girls to Greenbelt for a treat and a game of chess, then over to Hobbes (a "toy"/game store). He showed the girls the lightsabers too, you know the movie versions with the autographs. We decided to meet up at the Greenbelt fountain and go for dinner, but plans didn't work out so well. I was too tired to behave well, Jonathon wouldn't stay out of the fountain and Katherine decided to be mopey. Home we went and the kids zonked out without dinner, stories or anything. It would be that way Sunday and Monday too. Please tell me they aren't all getting sick again!
I'm going to skip Sunday because we went to a beach resort and it needs it's own post.
Today was an errand day. Back to the garage to pick up Ian's van key (oops... I drove the van home and had my own set). Over to Glorietta to look for that scrapbooking kiosk that no long exists and stop in at the bookstore. Bad bad bad! I did have a purpose, I was looking for a medical encyclopedia of some sort, but none were to be had. I guess I'll be looking around half.com for something that fits the bill. I can't believe I left my Parasitology book in storage or *gasp* I didn't donate it to the library back home did I? No, I couldn't have done that even in my worst "must dump everything" sweep. Could I? We left the store without any reference books, but with a stack of new books for Katherine and a great score of new dry erase books for Nicholas. Those are the best things for kids learning to write their letters. We swung by the indoor playground after indulging in fruit smoothies, then played in a toy store with the Thomas train table. Doesn't it sound like a a perfect day for kids? We also stopped at the grocery store and the housekeeper later cut up a pineapple and mangoes for our snacks this week. Sometimes, everything just seems right.
This afternoon Katherine came down with a headache and a couple tylenol didn't help. She was lethargic with little appetite, feeling cold all day and the first one fast asleep this evening before I even ascended the stairs. Sometimes, something just isn't right. Hopefully she just needs some extra sleep and it's a growth spurt.
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