One time in our online and editing class, our instructor asked us to name some areas or ways where and when we can use editing. I didn't share my answer at that time, maybe because I was busy contemplating on how I can use editing into my parenting skills. Images started to flood my mind- situations when my little angels were subjected to my disciplining or to my sweet doses of reminders and helpful instructions. So now, here are the ways on how editing can be used into my parenting skills:
1. When giving instructions to my kids, I make it very simple and clear.
Children have a very short attention span (and sometimes, adults too!) so if there's anything that I need to come across, I make sure that my instructions are given in bits and pieces, and not in big chunks. Children are more prone to follow if simple and step-by-step instructions are given. As a parent, my supervision and guidance are things that I offer all the time. This reminds me that just like editing big chunks of written material, it's also good to be concise and straght to the point.
2. I am a parent, so I should act like one.
Being a parent doesn't have to be a serious and awfully boring job; In fact, being one is a whole lot of fun! To be a parent is a 24-hour job just because everything that you do is for your kids' welfare and that you always have to be there when they need you. To be a parent is a full-time position and there is no resignation allowed. In raising kids, parenting is something that I do all the time. I look after my kids' best interests by being concerned with their physical, mental, social, emotional, and spiritual health. If there are occasions that I need to discipline my kids especially when they needed to go to bed early for school, I have to let the 'parent' in me control the situation by reminding them not to eat too much before bedtime so they'll be able to sleep more easily. Just like in any editorial work, the editor has to wear his hat when editing and feedback is given so as to improve the writer's job.
3. "I walk the talk" & "I talk the walk" as a parent.
Kids are keen observers- frankly, you cannot fool them. Once they hear you say something and you don't do what you've just told them, they would be quick to point out your mistake. Being a parent is surely not an easy job; as a parent, I am definitely not immuned from committing mistakes. Most of these are unintentional but a great deal of effort is done on my part to "mean what I say," and "say what I mean." You will gain their trust more easily if you are sincere in every word you say and do. Tough job, isn't it? Once you know how to go about it, it will be much easier to 'edit out' anything that doesn't belong in the picture.
In general, different parents have different parenting styles; so far, these are the ways that work best for me. I do my editing as a parent on a constant basis trying to see, feel, and study the 'pages' where my kids are in.
As an adult, I experience stress on different levels. Be it a deadline to meet, juggling time among family, work, and school, or even upon hearing bad news from a loved one.
It didn’t take me a minute to realize that stress hits kids, too. As a parent, I would know when my own kids are caught in the gloom, and are in need of help. But do we have to wait until they are overly stressed? I guess not.
So here are my 5 stress management techniques for children-
1. Be positive—You would be surprised to find out that your attitude and way of thinking affects our children. When things don’t go our way (or even their own way), it’s highly possible that our kids get upset and feel stressed. If this happens, have a talk with them and explain. There is no fast rule on how to handle situations and what exactly to say but to be sincere to our children and explaining things at their level will somehow alleviate stress on their part.
2. Watch your kids’ shows with them—After a busy week of school, my kids surely need to unwind and have some form of relaxation. Watching their favourite shows as a family, bring up those sparkles in their eyes. Not only is this a good way to spend time with them (although I would suggest to find more productive activities other than watching television), but it only shows that we are interested in the things that they are interested in. So if your kid had a bad day in school, try to give him first a mug of hot chocolate with mini-marshmallows in it—that will surely brighten up their day. After that, go to the family room and watch their favourite shows.
3. Tune in to their mood—With my busy schedule in school, I always go home tired. But that is not an excuse for me not to ask my kids how they’re doing or what happened to them during the day. Ask questions like, “How’s school? Did you have fun?...”, or maybe you can ask them how things went in their class especially if you’re aware of their day-to-day activities. This will give you the opportunity to discuss things with your children and just be concerned of their feelings and thoughts. You would be surprised to know how easily kids can open up on a lot of things if you just take the time to slow down, pause , and get into their world.
4. Reward your kids—When my kids have been through a rough time, I make it a point that there are treats or sweets at home. Grab a candy or chocolate bar and give it to them, or better yet, hand them their favourite snacks—you would just see how that would lighten up their faces and feel relaxed.
5. Do some breathing exercises—Yes, breathing exercises can help relieve stress. As young as they are, you can teach a breathing exercise that will help them to relax. What I would do is tell my kids to breathe in deeply through their nostrils and then hold their breaths for 6 seconds, and then release it through their mouths. This breathing technique is very useful especially if your kids had gone through a tough day in school or if they’re having trouble finishing their homework.
So, there you go! My five techniques in children’s stress management. These techniques are not only limited to kids—you may also use any of them to help handle your own stress.
Today’s generation hardly listens to radio dramas anymore nor do a majority of children even know what a radio drama is. These past years, my children have grown to like listening to radio dramas particularly the Adventures in Odyssey.
Back in 2005, I listened to one of its episodes and began to discover how useful it can be in creating a positive influence to my children. For almost five years, listening to Adventures in Odyssey is a staple in my children’s entertainment.
Adventures in Odyssey provide character-building stories kids love. As an example, I listened to its Christmas 2009 episode entitled,“Snow Day”—an AIOradio drama episode written by John Fornof.
The story focuses on Alex’s mission to bring a cookie tin full of chocolate macadamia nut cookies to his grandmother—only to be stopped by another kid named Rodney along the way. In his quest to reach his grandmother’s house with some help from his friends Cal, Nathaniel and Mandy, Alex persevered and enjoyed the sweet smell of victory.
This radio drama’s creative team includes Rob Jorgensen as the sound designer who creatively captured ‘real’ sound effects. Jorgensen revealed in an interview that he spent one day just to make the sound of a sled going down the hill. Jorgensen went to Home Depot and bought a garbage can and went on top of the hill. He placed a recorder on his chest and held a microphone above and launched himself down the slope. In the end, he got the sound effect he wanted for the episode.
Writer John Fornof said that he also based the story from his real life experience when he was a kid. Living north of Pittsburgh, Fornof recalled the fun memories he had sledding down the snowy hill. He then took a moment in his life and puts it in the story creating a very visual show.
Listening to this radio drama/comedy stirred up my imagination. The story when listened to was as vivid as an open storybook, with scenes painted right before my eyes. The use of words especially in the narration, appealed to my senses—I can see, feel, taste and even smell the different aspects of the story as unfolded in the drama.
The use of background music was very vital in creating the right moods in the story. Not only did it advanced the timeline of the story, the music also created a sense of anticipation for the listeners whether an air of suspense or excitement is coming our way.
At the most part, I really like the sound effects. Some of the sound effects which I think were creatively executed were the sounds of paper bag being folded; snow being scraped from the ground; snowballs being thrown; the sound of ‘sniper snowballs’; running on snowy ground; and even the ‘slow motion’ sound effect done by lengthening the actors’ dialogues weaved with special sound effects (by the way, Jorgensen is a great fan of Chariots of Fire—this served as an inspiration for him to create the slow motion sound effect).
Overall, the sound style is very ‘cartoony’—there’s a lot of imagination involved and surely, the creative team amped up on the effects to show its fantastic side.
In as much as my kids enjoy listening to Adventures in Odyssey, I too, can say that this is wholesome family entertainment where discussions are encouraged after listening to every episode. Adventure in Odyssey is aired in Winnipeg through CHVN 95.1 FM on Saturday mornings from 8:00-9:00 a.m.
Radio dramas need not be a thing of the past—it still does have a place in the household. By listening to it, your mind creates vivid images that stir up your imagination and sense of creativity.
Way before I entered pre-school, I was already watching The Electric Company—a children’s educational program produced by Sesame Workshop. Its ‘video’ classroom was full of comedy sketches, music, animation and special effects. There were many things I learned for sure, and one of them is learning how to read.
I watched this show regularly as a kid and it helped me tremendously in my reading skills. This show may not be on the same level as Sesame Street (another fave of mine) since it didn’t use puppets in its show. But the creative concept behind The Electric Company was to make it fun, interactive and time-relevant; it’s witty and very hip, too—making reading a fun experience.
The actor Morgan Freeman who made movies such as Amistad, Bruce Almighty, Deep Impact, The Dark Knight and many others, was one of the ‘teachers’ in The Electric Company. It’s kind of neat to know that he was one of the guys in the show, doing everything he can to make things interesting for kids like me.
In January 19 of this year, The Electric Company premiered as a four episode mini-marathon on PBS. It then became a weekly series with an episode shown every Friday.
The new version has short animations, sketches and music videos, to those seen in the original version. The show incorporates a new concept, having a more urban feel to it as some songs are hip-hop and contemporary R&B-style. The new version also makes use of web elements and has a community outreach included in its program.
I believe young kids today will enjoy this show. Since it premiered on PBS this year, it has enjoyed a good and steady following—so for kids out there, tune in or visit their website at http://pbskids.org/electriccompany/
We live in a time where fast food is the norm. I can say that I do have my share of eating ‘Burger X’ and ‘Burger Y’ many times over. But from the time I became a mom and have young kids of my own, my common sense takes over and my constant search for healthier choices has always been my motivation.
For a mom like me, I make it a point that my kids eat healthy. I would be a hypocrite to say that I didn’t encounter any struggles when it comes to encouraging my kids to eat a balanced meal each time around especially when food choices are concerned.
I do have my share of failures and successes when it comes to teaching and reinforcing my kids to eat healthy foods. In the past ten years, I spent countless hours planning for our meals every week. That would also include what foods to take for both school and work. Although I already have prior knowledge on what constitutes a healthy meal and which foods are good, and which ones are bad, I still learn along the way and make it a habit to be alert and conscious of the different kinds of foods made available. You would be surprised to know that in as much as there are many cuisine types to choose from, there are also hundreds upon hundreds of foods sold' in supermarkets, fresh markets and delis.
As a mother living in a world filled with 'too many choices', I can’t help but see all these fast food chains sprawl all over the place. So, whose kid wouldn’t know what McDonald’s is? Or, how Pizza Hut looks like? My kids would know perfectly well what the golden arches are and which kid’s meal to order. What I am trying to say here is this—we can help kids eat healthy and make smart food choices.
Here are the different ways I use to help my kids to eat healthy. These are my tips which I believe will help you a lot!-
1. Avoid the fast food solution. Plan meals ahead of time—this will surely demand a fraction of your time but it’s worth it. I suggest that you make a weekly meal plan that will include breakfast, lunch and dinner. If you’re up to it, you can develop a monthly meal plan that will include all four weekly meal plans.
2. Follow Canada’s Food Guide—you will be able to make sure that you meet your children’s daily food requirement, to help keep them strong and healthy.
3. Be armed with tons of recipes—Not a good cook?...well, having stacks of recipes that you think your children will love, will save you the hassle of thinking what to prepare or cook next. Make sure that you use recipes that will be good for family meals.
4. Eat what you preach—nothing is more encouraging and inspiring to kids than to see YOU eat healthy foods every time! So make the extra effort to eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Not only will it entice them, but this will be good for you, too!
5. Plan for a pizza night—loosen up and treat yourself! If you have successfully implemented a healthy weekly meal plan, you CAN surely include a pizza night! Not only will this be a treat for your kids, but this will also allow you some time to be together as a family! So, choose a movie and reserve that weeknight or Saturday night on a round of pizza!
6. Avoid those sweets—Since Halloween’s over, I bet that your kids (or maybe kids you know), have bags of sweets with them! Don’t let kids eat their candies and chocolates as if those were ‘snacks’. Reserve those sweets as treats or rewards. Better pack your kids with cut fruits and vegetables—it is far healthier than the sugar-coated ones.
7. Be creative in your foodpreparations—kids just LOVE to see ‘happy faces’ and colours in their meals. If you are cooking pancakes, slice up some bananas (crosswise) and use it as ‘eyes’ on their pancakes and use bits of chocolate chips to form the ‘mouths’. If you are preparing some chicken noodle soup, it will be best to add some ‘colour’ into it by adding chopped carrots and bell pepper. On the side, you can add sliced boiled egg. You’re the cook so you can be creative when preparing their meals.
8. Reserve the juice for later—you would be surprised that most juices we buy in stores today have sugar added in them, even if the label says, ‘from concentrate’ or ‘100% juice’. During mealtimes, it will be best for kids to drink water instead. After they have finished their glass of water, that will be the time for them to drink some juice. This practice will ensure that your kids are well hydrated. Also, water will help them digest their food better. In fact, water has numerous benefits to the body, so better make a wise choice on what you put on the table.Oh, don't you forget! After kids are done with their juice, let them have a drink of water again to help wash down the sugars from their mouths. This will help keep cavities away.
So, there you go! If you have any suggestions on how we can help today’s kids eat healthy, just leave your comments on this blog and we’ll include them in a different post. By the way, here's anoter link which you might find very helpful- Seven Powerful Ways to Get Your Kids to Eat Healthy
Have you heard of Generation M? If you haven’t, it simply refers to today’s kids and teens who are the first totally ‘wired’ generation. They are the generation that is changing the world of marketing, technology, and communications as we knew it.
Look around and you will see kids and teens walking by with ear buds sticking to their ears; Or in the bus, pressing the keys of their mobile phones to send text messages; Or even see them sliding their fingers on the touch screens of their iPhones viewing on some cool pictures. These are just a few of those scenarios where you see kids and teens ‘connected’ to today’s technology.
Today’s kids are not just surrounded by today’s media and technology—they live and breathe it everyday.
Generation M is totally immersed in technology. An independent study from the Kaiser Family Foundation explored the daily media usage of over 2,000 children ages 8 to 18. The results show that children are engaged with media for an average of 6.5 hours a day. Because they multi-task, many are cramming 8.5 hours of media usage into those 6.5 hours.
Today’s kids and teens are not replacing “old” media; they are simply adding more media usage to their daily lives.Kevin Marks, software engineer and founding member of the Social Software Alliance, said it best: “My generation draws the Internet as a cloud that connect everyone; the younger generation experiences it as oxygen that supports their digital lives.”
It’s doubtful or even wishful thinking that media and technology will lessen as time passes by. I believe we will see the emergence of more technology to lure and capture every attention left with us. For sure, technology is moving at the speed of light (much faster than superman!) and carrying children along with it. The increase in world knowledge simply doubles each time around. This I think has a great advantage as well as a downside to it, especially when it comes to children’s learning.
We see the many benefits of today’s technology, making learning even more interesting and engaging. Growing up (I wouldn’t say when!), teachers from the private school where I attended used the reliable Betamax and VHS recorders to aid in the students’ learning. During those times, OHPs (or overhead projectors) were the ‘in’ thing for presentations. For the benefit of those who don’t know what OHPs are, this is an equipment that typically has a large box containing a very bright light and fan to cool it. Teachers would draw or photocopy their materials on transparency sheets, which they would place on the glass platform of the unit. The mirror above the lens of the overhead projector would then reflect the image. The use of such equipment saves teachers a lot of class time. But still, most of them would still resort to writing the lectures on the blackboards, wherein the students in the class would have to copy them in their notebooks (defined here as, ‘writing pads’ or ‘books made of paper’—surely, this isn’t the type of notebook you’re using now).
The good ol' overhead projector
Nowadays, I believe that there are a few schools which use OHPs. Once a fixture in classrooms, it is now replaced by large computer monitors, dedicated computer projection systems, and interactive whiteboards.
Adding to the difference that we see these days, kids and teens are taught in their schools with the use of multimedia which includes information content processing devices like computerized and electronic devices which can also be part of a live performance. Oftentimes, multimedia also describes electronic media.
Our kids’ education and learning are not only limited to the four walls of the school. Since the advent of the internet, learning has become dependent on what information can be drawn from different website content. Kids and teens these days can easily access information via mobile phones, notebooks or through the public library’s computers which have Internet access. The information drawn from all these devices makes learning accessible anytime, anywhere.
But how about the downside? In as much as kids and teens can access any kind of information, they might come across certain content that are inappropriate for their age, or things that require the supervision and guidance of adults. The Internet is a fun and enjoyable place to visit and draw all kinds of information from (and can be a great teacher, too!) but with improper use and handling, it can lead a child or teen to destructive behaviour and unhealthy practices.
All the other tech stuff we have (and enjoy) these days, can be great tools if we know how to use them properly. Still it is us who dictate how to use such technology, and not the other way around. I could discuss at great lengths regarding media and technology responsibility (and its many uses, functions and benefits). But there is one thing that I’d like everyone to know—such technology increases our knowledge. Now it is up to us, how we can responsibly use these things to serve its purpose and contribute to the betterment of our lives, especially the lives of our children.
September 26, 2009 is a date to remember for many Filipinos who were hit hard by “Bagyong Ondoy” or known as Typhoon Ketsana (international designation). “Ondoy” brought the worst rainfall in Metro Manila among recorded typhoons. Flood water levels reached 20 feet high in rural areas. This typhoon poured down a month’s rain in just 12 hours.
Five days after “Ondoy” hit Metro Manila, many residents are still struggling with the aftermath of the storm’s fury. Many people were displaced and the number of dead bodies found is still increasing. Most establishments are still closed; hospitals are still buried in mud; schools are still used as evacuation centres and many families, including my closest friends, are picking up the pieces of what’s left behind.
I can’t help but be overwhelmed and be sympathetic to those people who are devastated by this typhoon. Floodwaters reached the homes of almost everyone I know, including friends, former colleagues and classmates from high school. Our house in Marikina was not spared from the flood, too. I can imagine the thick mud clinging onto the walls; photo albums, appliances and garbage all strewn, all over the floor.
A very close friend of mine, shares her “Ondoy” experience. When she woke up that Saturday morning, it was raining very hard and the sky was dark. Later on, she was surprised to see floodwater seeping into her house. Her instinct tells her to rush to the kitchen and grab whatever food she can find. Since the water was already knee-high deep at that time and was rising very fast, there was no other option left but to leave the house. Her husband carried their child, and came back to help her. At that moment, my friend was not able to bring anything with her. It was a time that one has to think how to survive, and save the people you love. My friend recounted that the flood level was almost chest-high, when she left the house.
Early this week, I tried calling my parents who live in the suburbs near Metro Manila and find out how they’re doing. But the phone lines were dead as it was the case with hundreds of residents. I checked my email and read my sister’s letter and was relieved to know that my parents are alright ‘though my mom can’t help but cry for the fate of many other families. I am hoping that I can get in touch with them the soonest possible time.
Although typhoon “Ondoy” had already left the country, the aftermath of the typhoon is a huge problem to face. Not only did the local officials admitted that they were not ready for such a magnitude in terms of their preparedness to address the problem, but the many lives of many Filipinos, both rich and poor, are scarred forever. As what my friend said,” it’s like starting anew”—picking up the pieces from where you’ve left. You’re fortunate if you’re still able to retrieve some of your possessions but the truth is, many of their possessions were literally washed-out...tainted...destroyed by the floodwaters. It’s an indescribable situation. The loss was too much bear. But as one friend said, she’s happy that no one got hurt in her family.
The flood had affected a quarter of metropolitan Manila and some 24 provinces around the country. The typhoon “Ondoy” was one of the worst seen in recent history. The people described it as if a tsunami came and brought immeasurable havoc. People most affected by the typhoon and flood were those who lived in slum areas where houses were just made of cardboards and old roofing materials. They are the poorest among the poor. Those people have no one to depend on, except for the help and support coming from the government and non-government agencies. Although the floodwaters have subsided in most areas, they are left with debris and mud in their wake.
At this time, emergency relief efforts are underway providing healthcare, food supplies and clothing. Many organizations have stepped in to lend a helping hand and UNICEF(United Nations Children’s Fund), is providing hygiene kits, water purification tablets, essential medicines, portable toilets and family kits containing soaps and blankets. Emergency relief efforts are coming from all directions including the government, other communities not hit by the flood and various humanitarian organizations.
In calamities like this, the most affected in the society are the children. They are vulnerable to different kinds of waterborne diseases and even malnutrition. Not only is their physical well-being affected but as well as their psychosocial health. I am very much aware of the different organizations working very hard to reach this segment of the society such as the Philippine National Red Cross and World Vision to name a few. I am also amazed at the compassion shown by other people from other countries, which extend their support at this time of need. My graduating class, St. Scholastica’s Academy of Marikina batch 1990, has organized a committee to help out fellow alumni who were affected by typhoon “Ondoy”. If you are interested to help, please click here—S t. Scholastica’s Academy of Marikina batch1990 and your support will be used directly to the flood victims in Marikina City, which is one of the hardest hit by typhoon “Ondoy”. A peso/dollar account is made available to pool funds to help the families directly.
If you prefer to course through your donation to buy medical supplies, food, hygiene kits and others, please visit UNICEF Canada Prairie Region at http://www.unicef.ca/. Another way for you to help is to send your donations to World Vision Philippines. I know the director personally, and his team is doing a great job in helping a lot of displaced families. Please visit them at http://www.worldvision.org.ph/.
For your information, we are also organizing a relief mission project to help victims in the Philippines. We will be collecting clothes and other donations to be sent directly to the areas, hardest hit by typhoon “Ondoy”. I will be working hand-in-hand with other Filipinos in the community and with a team of pastors in a big church organization here in Winnipeg. If you are interested in donating clothes, shoes, etc. to this effort, please reply to this blog and I will do my best to answer back.
Several times over the summer, I had the opportunity to walk with my kids around the neighbourhood and enjoy the sweet breeze along the way. We would take our time walking around to get some good exercise, and simply admire the old trees that lined-up our streets.
Each time we reach a street corner, my kids would suddenly become alert, and would remain vigilant before, during and after crossing the road. This has been their training ever since they started to walk, and stepped onto the concrete pavements of our streets, under my close supervision. Of course, as young as my children are, I still make it a point to hold their little hands whenever we cross the streets.
One bright Sunday morning when we were driving along Portage Avenue, a young boy who is barely 8 years old, crossed the road alone on a green light. The little boy dashed to the opposite side of the road, and stepped onto the curb like he had won a race. My kids saw what had happened and said, “Mom, he just crossed the road on a green light!” Their reaction to the incident made me realize that children, as young as they are, know what common sense is. Crossing the road alone especially if one is still a kid, needs to be supervised by a responsible adult. The roads aren’t a safe place to cross on your own, and so, children need to be supervised and educated about pedestrian safety.
Janice Paskey from Today’s Parent, published an article on the subject in September 2009 issue of Reader’s Digest. She listed out some important reminders about Pedestrian Safety—By Age. For your information, here is an excerpt from that article.
Pedestrian Safety—By Age
Up to 4 years old – This is when parents tend to be most vigilant about supervising kids around cars; consequently, children are at the lowest risk of being hit or killed. Little ones can’t understand the dangers, so hold your child’s hand as you near the road, or strap her into a stroller. For extra safety, dress tots in bright colours and use reflector tape. And it’s never too soon to start modelling good traffic behaviour, such as crossing at lights and waiting for cars to stop at crosswalks.
5 to 9 years old – risk increases, especially for boys. “The five-to nine-year olds are out of the house more; they’re a little more independent,” says Pam Fuselli, executive director of Safe Kids Canada. “They’re shorter and harder to see than adults, and their capability to understand the road and cars is still developing.” Fusselli says kids often assume that they can beat the car or that the driver will stop. “One of the things we teach is to make eye contact”—the driver sends a kind of message to cross. With kids in the early school years, you should still be holding the child’s hand while crossing. By age nine or so, most kids will be able to cross familiar streets on their own, as long as they’ve been coached in the safety rules. Kids age five to nine are most likely to be hit trying to cross a road with no traffic lights, and one out of seven collisions suffered by kids in this age group happen when a child emerges from between parked cars.
10 to 14 years old—Tweens and teens really believe nothing can happen to them as they saunter along, talking on cellphones and listening to iPods. But this is the highest-risk group for pedestrian injuries, so vigilance is still key. Experts agree that by ten to 12 years old, most children have fully developed the cognitive skills to assess traffic risk and cross unfamiliar streets alone.
It’s been a few weeks already since school had started. For most of us, this is the time to get back to our regular routine of sending our kids off to school, picking them up, enrolling them in dance or piano classes and many others. Yes, it can be pretty hectic and daunting at first. But once we are following our schedules consistently, we’ll be able to get accustomed to it in no time.
Part of our kids’ day in school is eating their snacks and lunches. Most of us (I hope), have no problem preparing their food. If we follow Canada’s Food Guide To Healthy Eating, not only are we helping our kids, but we are also doing ourselves a favour, by keeping ourselves informed of what a balanced diet is. You know even as grown-ups, we too, also need to be reminded!
This morning, as I was preparing my kids’ lunches, my creative juices started to spill out. I suddenly thought of giving my kids a surprise. I took several markers and two napkins, and started working on something which will surely touch their hearts.
My finished product?...two works of art! An expressive way to show my love!
When my kids got back home from school, they were so excited. Both of them brought out the napkins I gave them, and gave me a warm, big hug. My youngest child thanked me for it and admitted that she was so surprised to find it in her lunch bag. My other daughter expressed her appreciation by giving me a kiss. At that moment, I felt so loved and appreciated.
Doing thoughtful things for our children, no matter how big or small they are, are always a ‘big hit’ to them. This cutesylove note writing (as I call it), is something which I have been doing for several years since my kids started going to school. It never fails to surprise them, and it just makes their day even brighter.
After I received their kisses and hugs, my husband got into the scene and jokingly asked, “Where’s mine?” I replied, “Oh, don’t you worry. I’ll make one for you—besides, you got a lot of kisses and hugs from me already.”
To all my friends and followers of the blog, "On Places and Faces", you might be 'surprised' on 'WHY' I've changed the title, format and direction. There are a couple of main reasons to explain this sudden change of heart:
1) Relevance -- This is not to say that my former topic on travelling is irrelevant. In all honesty, I love to travel and will always be interested in it (even if my hair is turning grey and walking with a cane in my hand). After I have successfully set-up my blog and published two posts last week, there was this constant churning in my heart that caused me to ponder whether this was the topic that I would like to talk about for a long period of time. I realized that this wasn't the choice of topic dictated by my heart from the start. All the while, my heart has been wanting to talk about children -- a topic that I am passionate about. At that moment, my maternal instinct took a high jump and yelped, "YES!This is what I want to talk about in my blog!" I felt a rush of excitement within, as if I were baptized with cold water which awakened my senses-- FINALLY! Now, the topic on children is very much relevant in the world we live in. They are undoubtedly the hope of every nation and the reflection of who we really are.
2) My Passion -- We were told a few times before in our class, to write about something that we are interested in or passionate about. Something that we care to discuss with others and simply share our honest opinions and insights about the matter. Although we were clearly told that we can update and refine our blogs as time goes by, I made this big step to totally revamp my blog from top to bottom, inside and out. A move which I deemed wise; a move that I won't have any regrets; a move that will change lives forever. The new direction of my blog is about children. As a mother, this strikes a chord and touches a soft spot in my heart.
For many years, I have been working in different settings where children are involved. In my teens, I worked in a centre for disabled children for the whole summer. I had the privilege to teach arts & crafts, and bring hope to those little ones, whose lives were devastated by domestic abuse and the effects of certain diseases, which crippled their minds, bodies and souls. The time I spent as a volunteer in that centre was a turning point in my life. Besides from meeting their basic needs such as food, water, clothing and shelter, I also felt strongly about advocating their rights and general welfare.
Why the name, HEARTSTRINGS WINNIPEG?
As defined in www.dictionary.reference.com, 'heartstrings' refers to 'the deepest feelingsand affections.' This perfectly describes my passion towards children. From a mother's point of view, I can imagine the time when my kids were still small and learning to crawl. Those early years when I was ecstatic about their first few steps, and even the first few hours after their arrival to this world. My heart simply talks to theirs, where a continuous exchange of affectionate love is felt. There is also that bonding that exists, where my heartstrings are connected to theirs.
The intentions of this blog is to discuss issues affecting children. It would also include topics that would be of great interest to families about raising kids; safety; helpful tips on how to make the most of your quality time with them; various children's activities; arts and crafts; yummy recipes they will love; and so much more!
So whether you have kids or not, or simply work with children in your community, (or let's say, interested in advocating their rights and general welfare), then this blog is for you! Please feel free to give me your feedback on any topic that I will be covering. I am sure that you will find this quaint meeting place, very interesting!
