We read and hear everywhere about how great moms are in taking care of their children, but very few acknowledge that dads are awesome too.

I could go on and on about how great dads can be, but here’s the first thing I want to share.

Gregg Mueller of One Dad’s Life came up with these 10 ways dads are like rock stars.

Daddies out there, read on and see how much of a “rock star” you are.

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In the early days of this site, I posted something about discussing “the birds and the bees” with your kids.

Though the video included was rather on the humorous side, I expressed how the husband and I plan to handle “the talk” when time comes that our kids ask the questions.

Of course, when it comes to raising kids, you can never be prepared enough. That’s why I’m so glad I found this guide to talking to kids about sex from Parenting.com.

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For most Western countries, September marks the start of another schoolyear. (School starts in June here in the Philppines.)

And to most parents, this is one of the times that they dread most. Dragging a kid fresh from summer break to school can be very challenging. I know, because I made sure I gave my mom a hard time during the first few weeks of school.

Fortunately for me, I won’t have to face that challenge until a few more years. And lucky me, I found these helpfil tips from Laura McClure.

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I received an email way back when I was ridiculously preoccupied with my nearing childbirth and growing toddler. It was about Vitamin C, one of the most popular nutrients, yet also taken for granted by many.

I do believe that Vitamin C is one of the most important nutrients that people, most especially infants and children, need. There are diseases that you can avoid by getting vaccines. For those ailments and medical conditions that do not have vaccines, the general solution is getting enough vitamin C.

Click on the image to read more about how Vitamin C may slow down skin wrinkling.

Here’s the article that will enlighten us about this vitamin.

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Many Filipino children suffer from Vitamin C insufficiency, more vulnerable to increasing incidence of diseases without vaccination

Only 59% of Filipino children consume vegetables, while only 31% consume fruits daily, according to the current statistics of the Sixth National Nutrition Survey. With the rising food prices, this consumption may further go down. And because essential nutrients tend to escape during food preparation, children may be getting even less Vitamin C. The recent survey of the energy and nutrient intake of Filipino children noted that their actual Vitamin C intake is only at 74.8% of the recommended daily intake.

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I discovered FaceYourManga.com through a friend. Because of my slight fascination over almost anything Japanese, I tried making a Manga version of my whole family.

And as I’ve said in my updated “About” page…

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Every parent goes through the challenge of teaching their child to eat healthily. Kids can be the most frustrating picky eaters, and many parents sometimes resort to deception to make the kids eat whatever “healthy” food is served on the table.

Here’s something I got from an old issue of Reader’s Digest (March 2008).

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Not the blog, but the author.

Today is my birthday.

As always, I have 2 options. One, feel depressed because at my age, I’m still going through financial and emotional issues. Two, feel grateful for the things I’ve been blessed with, so far.

I choose the latter.

So at 28, what do I have to be thankful for?

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(This doubles as my Father’s Day post, although I said more about Issen than about the husband. WIll do a separate post for the husband.)

I was browsing through my files here at the office and what did I find in my personal folder?

Videos of Issen when he was younger.

Here’s one. Take note of how tiny he looked (compared to his gigantic size now) and how high-pitched his voice was.

More videos here.

Watching these videos, I can’t help it but realize how much he has grown. He looked so tiny in the videos compared to how big he is now.

Then I realize that in a few months’ time, it’s Kobe that I’ll be watching running around the office and reading books with Daddy, with Kuya Issen fooling around them and distracting his little brother, I’m sure.

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Kobe’s fairy godmother, Spamderella, wrote something in her blog about “singleness and coupledom”. I find it very interesting that I can’t resist answering her post.

Yes, I agree that being single is fun. You have all the freedom you could ever wish for. You can do whatever you want with your hard-earned money. Decision-making isn’t that tough, as there are less risks - no one else but you suffers the consequences of you actions, no kids or better half to think about.

On being married and having kids, here are my thoughts:

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“Hindi ko na nga alam kung san ko kukunin ang pambili ng pagkain namin kinabukasan eh.”

In English, “I don’t even know where I’d get the money to buy our food for the next day.”

The Filipino translation has a much deeper impact that its English counterpart.

Anyway, a lot of Filipinos use that sentence when describing hard times, money-wise. I thought they were just exaggerating. I have to learn the hard way that situations like that do happen.

You live by the day, not really knowing if you’ll have money to feed yourself the next day.

I admit, I have finance management problems, but the situation is in a kinda worse case now because of my maternity leave. For two months, we have to live off the husband’s income. Nothing from my side. I wonder when paid maternity leaves will become a law.

In that two months of one-income living that just passed, we have drained what little savings that we have. Of course we don’t have much savings, I suck at budgeting our income.

Hopefully, things get better now that I’m back to work. Seriously, I need to get better at managing our finances, or I might be forced to make the kids help bring in additional moolah by entering show business even before they turn 3 years old.

Heeeey…

Nah, Philippine show business isn’t ready for them yet.

Credit goes to Sodahead and Cashflow for the images.