May Powers Ka to be #SuperEpic!

Have you ever thought you were ordinary?

"Imagine if we can be partners with the Lord Jesus in transforming lives and communities? Astig di ba? Still think you're ordinary? Think again."

This is the premise of Mighty Rasing's book, May Powers ka to be #SUPEREPIC. Based on the book, Mighty is part of the Philippine stay of Young People's Ministries, the goal youth ministry affect of the United Methodist Church.

Youth.

The youth, energetic young people that they are, have the potential to change the world for the better. They have the skills, the grit, and the time and energy. However, it is not uncommon to see potentials untapped because of many reasons: lack of support, lack of ambition and determination, or the lack of awareness of this potential.

Mighty's book aims to change this and empower today's youth to follow Christ and become superheroes who can save the day - because they can! We can!

#SUPEREPIC talks about:

- Taking initiative and responsibility
- The importance of training
- Understanding limits
- Planning
- Teamwork
- The proper way to resolve conflicts
- And avoiding getting tempted by power, sex, and money

What makes #SUPEREPIC different?

- Using a comfortable mix of English and Filipino, the book is easy to digest.

- The book is within most young people's comfort zones because of its pop culture references. From superheroes like Superman and Batman to musicians like Ely Buendia. The words, super epic, themselves are from pop culture.

- Mighty wisely occasionally injects humour every now and then. For example, referring to Superman, he writes, "Kaya nyang bumuhat ng isang isla, lumipad papunta sa space, magsurvive sa isang nuclear blast, at syempre magpa-cute sa officemates nyang si Lois Lane pag may time." His words tickle the funny bone and, at the same time, the grey matter and the soul.

- Knowing today's youth's attention span, the writer wisely uses interesting anecdotes to keep young readers interested. An example is the interesting story of Jay Jaboneta, founder of Yellow Boats of Hope Foundation.

- I did not find any piece of advice that contradicts the Bible or attempts to present an inaccurate interpretation of it. On the contrary, from time to time, Bible verses are there to support the writer's words.

- Finally, reminiscent of Ed Lapiz's (author of Siksik, Liglig, Umaapaw) writing style, Mighty does not mince words when it comes to opening the youth's eyes to their (our) common flaws including impulsiveness, laziness, and the lack of self-control.

All in all, I truly liked reading the book. I didn't find a single flaw or, like what I have said, Biblical contradiction. Instead, the book is both light and fun to read and enlightening and inspiring. I am actually planning to keep this book and encourage my son to read it when he becomes a youth himself.

I don't doubt he would enjoy reading it and learn a lot from it. I did.

May Powers Ka to be #SuperEpic is published by OMFLit and is available in all leading bookstores nationwide.

Know more about the book here. You can also read a sample chapter or register for freebies!


Disclosure: Mighty Rasing sent me this book for free in exchange for a review. However, it did not, in any way, influence my opinion. All of the thoughts and points expressed here are my own.

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Are You a Nagger? (Review of "Motivate Your Child" by Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller)

Sometimes, I have no choice but to subscribe to the nagging and bribing academy of parenting.

When my toddler was still a baby, I swore I will never nag or bribe because I know these will never result to anything good. But now, out of desperation, I find myself either nagging to death or bribing my son with a toy or a treat to make him follow me.

The book, "Motivate Your Child" by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN BSN, is what I need.

Image from Amazon

The book basically focuses on how many parents today are using external methods of motivating their children. Yes, these include nagging and bribing, and these are very misdirected. These result to short-term effects where the child obeys just to either avoid punishment or get the reward.

Nagging is tiresome. On the other hand, if your child was exposed to a reward system that is basically bribing, you have no choice but to "outdo" the last reward. I actually see this in my sister today who, before obeying, will ask, "What is in it for me?"

The book then ultimately says that the best way to motivate a child is to motivate them internally. The writers call this form of parenting "heart parenting." What does it mean?

This approach entails removing the external reward-consequence system and looking into the root of the matter: the heart.

Book Review: The Sacred Year by Michael Yankowski

Source: booklookbloggers.com

I'm sorry; I just can't be at peace with this book.

I've read many Christian books and this is the first book that drew many questions from me that is not in a good way.

The writer, Michael Yankowski, is a Christian motivational speaker. Paraphrasing the book's summary, he got disillusioned with his lifestyle and decided to pursue a year of "focused engagement with spiritual practices" to experience faith.

Guided by the voice of Father Solomon--a local monk--Yankoski's Sacred Year slowly transforms his life... His story will resonate with those who wish to deepen their own committed faith... for their own authentic encounter with the Divine.

I have conflicting feelings about the book. The summary above alone should've been a red flag. Referring to God as merely "the Divine" and spiritual realizations guided by the voice of a monk? They seem harmless until you realize that throughout the book, there isn't much focus on the Christian God and Jesus' Gospel.

My Expo Mom 2014 Fun Finds

I try my best to be a wise shopper. If I pass by a clothing store sale, I can easily ignore it. Promise.

But I have two shopping weaknesses: food and kid's stuff. Biglang bumababa ang financial IQ ko jan. So when I received an email last week about Expo Mom coming to Davao, I knew I had to mentally prepare myself to practice restraint. Haha!

Looking back, it was a good thing that there weren't too many booths so it was not so overwhelming. Because of that, I was able to examine all products and decide 3x whether I absolutely needed to buy them or not. Which was not hard because I came with a checklist!

Yes, ako na ang prepared. Anyway, I promised to talk about my finds today so here they are:

1. Kiele Anti-Mosquito Cologne

Upon entering the expo, I made a beeline to Kiele's booth for two reasons. First, our last bottle of GIGA insect repellent is almost gone, and second, I'm curious to use a good-smelling repellent. Relate?

A bottle costs P199

Verdict: Woah I didn't know a mosquito repellent could smell this nice! And the scent lasts long ha; in fact, you can use it as an actual perfume. As for its mosquito repelling power, I'm glad to report that Yuri hasn't gotten bites since he used it last Sunday. I'm definitely buying this again!

2. Human Heart Nature Loot

False-Alarm Kidnapping, Firing Yaya, and Other Stories

The past weekend was Kadayawan weekend and we originally planned it to be a weekend of mindless mall-hopping and (window) shopping. But more things happened that made a supposed uneventful weekend, well, eventful!

I'll start with the regular, steady stuff before I tell you about the juicy stories, ah-key?

1. My Only Kadayawan Find

There must be something wrong with me because I am no longer excited by sales. Mas excited pa ako for book sales and garage sales hehe. So despite the many sales all over the city, unsurprisingly, this was the only thing I bought:

Montessori Letter Work

I first discovered this book in my internerd-blackhole, bookdepository.com (you're welcome), and it's unique because it uses the Montessori concepts of textured letters (Google sandpaper letters) and teaching children not letter names but letter sounds. I subscribe to these philosophies so I knew I had to get it.

In the website, it costs $11, free shipping, or around P473. It's quite pricey for a board book, and while I'm willing to invest in it, I just had to shop around. That led me to local bookstore chain, Fully Booked, that sells it for only P398! Almost P100 less! Yay!

So yesterday, first thing we did was go to Fully Booked in Abreeza and when I finally found it, I never let go. Haha!

But the best thing was that when I was paying for it, the cashier told me it was on sale, so it was now just P318! Perfect! Based on the original $11 price, I saved... do the math!

2. The "Stores" I've Been Waiting for are Finally Here!

BREASTFEEDING: A Journey Worth Taking - Free for a Limited Time!

I wasn't completely breastfed by my own mother mainly because of the lack of information available during their time. While Yuri and I are still happily breastfeeding at 28 months now, I only breastfed for less than three months. Like my mother, I know there are still many mothers today who lack the information about breastfeeding.

Knowing that my mother could've breastfed me properly had there been information available during her time makes me very thankful for the vast resources that are at my grasp. I admit that part of the success of my breastfeeding journey is the acceptance and encouragement of my partner and my family. But when it came to extended breastfeeding, they were not so welcoming, only tolerant.

But I kept breastfeeding, and that's because of the books and articles that I was able to read about the virtues of extended breastfeeding. I don't know these women, but their words kept me going!

One of the great breastfeeding resources you can get your hands on is this book called BREASTFEEDING: A Journey Worth Taking. It is written by a Filipina author! I have been meaning to buy this book but haven't found the time yet. But I know I, as well as a lot of mothers, will benefit from reading it. This is why I'm happy to announce this great news:

Free Download of Breastfeeding Book in Support of World Breastfeeding Week 2014

Things I Want to Buy for Yuri But Can't (Yet)

There are things we can afford and then there are things we can buy if we wanted to but choose not to (yet) because it's not a top priority.

I seriously hope I'm not the one who thinks like that. Otherwise, it would just confirm my suspicion that I'm inherently kuripot. Hahaha. Well, my mom's an ultimate kuripot, so I shouldn't wonder!

Now I really don't have any problems about buying anything for myself. I'm well-trained at delayed gratification. For example, mason jars are really cheap and I first got fascinated by them May of last year but actually bought them last April. What a long wait!

But for "Yuri Stuff" or things that Yuri doesn't really need but mama wants, I can't wait for too long. I hesitate to shop for my own clothes but would buy Yuri ones even if he doesn't need them just as long as it fits the budget!

Now I'm hoping that you're secretly agreeing with me all along. Most moms siguro do, right? If you don't have a secret no-occasion list for your kid, I'm pretty sure you'll get some ideas from mine below. I apologize in advance! Hee hee!

1. Stainless Steel Cup

This is more of a need than a want because Yuri's cups need to retire. However, I can't buy one yet because, frankly, they are not exactly cheap and I want to choose the best one.

His straw cup is icky (ew, that's what you get from buying cheap), while his 1 1/2 year old Avent is starting to leak. Also, I just found out that even BPA-free plastics are still dangerous. I will save the details for another post.

Image: http://www.zebebe.com

My options are CamelBak Stainless Steel (pictured), KidBasix Sporter Cup, and Thermos Foogo.

2. Milk jars

I'm not veering away from the drinnking cup topic just yet. The one above should address his on-the-go drinking needs but I also need a new non-plastic cup to use at home.

Image from Instagram account, kitchencountermnl

My first option was a Tramontina stainless steel cup - but it's too pricey! 600 for a small cup! No way, Jose. So maybe I'll buy small milk bottles and try to look for covers. I'll hope for the best.

EDIT: Just ordered a set of the milk bottles. Sorry.

Love and Respect in the Family (by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs)

I have a painful childhood memory which remains fresh in my mind. I was 6 years old and awoke to the sound of my parents fighting. I huddled in bed and waited for the house to calm down. I was crying. Minutes later, my mom went inside the room and sat on an armchair. Sniffling, I snuggled up to her. She asked, "Why are you crying?"

"Because you're fighting. And you didn't even get to tell me 'good morning.'"

My mother held me away from her. I can still remember the disgust in her eyes and the contempt in her tone when she said, "You're so selfish. You're such a bad girl. All you could think of is yourself. How very selfish."

I was 6 years old with no understanding of what I did wrong. To be honest, I still believe I didn't do anything wrong. I love my mother dearly and I'm sure she does, too, but at that moment, I've never felt more unloved.

I still think that's the reason why I have trouble expressing love and affection to my family.

I needed to understand why that little moment made such a big impact on me. It eclipses the other low moments of my life, such as the times I failed to meet my parents' expectations. They're painful, yes, but somehow, I was able to manage the temporary loss of respect on me (for a while). I mean, I was able to bounce back. However, not the same could be said for the moments I felt unloved, and I wanted to know why.

Thankfully, God answered my prayer in the form of a book.

I am very blessed to have received a copy of the book, Love and Respect in the Family, written by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs, who is an internationally known expert on relationships. I say "blessed" because it opened my mind to the real reason behind the rifts within our families.

To say that this book changed my life is an understatement.

The premise of this book is this: parents and men demand respect while children and women desire to be loved. While both are not mutually exclusive, most conflicts happen when these demands are not met.

When I study the conflicts I've been in, this idea makes so much sense. It's like a light bulb suddenly turned on. Now I understand! Parents get frustrated when they feel they are not respected, while children resent their parents because they feel unloved.

On the other hand, husbands commit sin when they feel their wives don't respect them, while wives get discontented when they don't feel they are being loved. It's a vicious cycle actually. The author even calls it the crazy cycle. 

Come to think of it, everything's already written in the Bible, which makes this book not only credible but also practicable:

For children to respect their parents: Exodus 20:12

For parents to love their children: Psalms 127:3-5

For wives to respect their husbands: Ephesians 5:22-24

For husbands to love their wives: Ephesians 5:25 

The author also offers a very practical guide readers can follow in order to achieve "harmony." The acronym used is GUIDES, and here are the letters' meanings:

G - Give (Not too little and not too much)
U - Understand (Putting yourself in their shoes)
I - Instruct (Not too much but just enough)
D - Discipline (Confront, Correct, Comfort)
E - Encourage (Equipping them to succeed)
S - Supplicate (Praying with confidence!)

What I really like about this book is how it values the imperfection of human relationships. In other books, we are given "tips" on how to handle a clingy child or a secretive husband. If you're looking for tips on how to change another person, well, this might not be for you. However, if you're praying to change yourself, I say that this is a great book to start with.

You see, we always pray to see change in other people. We always pray for them to be more honest, more understanding, more patient. What about ourselves? Change begins in ourselves, and we cannot really do that unless we completely depend on the Lord. This is one of the main points of the book. Human relationships, even in the most ideal families, will never be perfect. However, we can depend on a perfect God whose love is unwavering and unchanging.

Isn't that amazing?

This is life-changing for me because I learned how to treat other people. I can prevent conflict by trying to weigh whether I sound disrespectful or not. I try to avoid being unloving. Finally, I am able to assess my feelings and know when to validate my anger and when to dismiss it.

Of course, I cannot tell you everything I read. The experience is unique because you can read about the cases the writer has handled. You don't need to be a parent to read this and benefit from it. Reading this book does not only teach me how to handle Yuri but also Job, my parents, my siblings, and yes, even the household help. If you are a father, a mother, a daughter, a son, a sister, or a brother, you will benefit from reading this book. 

This just goes to show that every kind of relationship within the family takes work, and you just cannot expect to see results without intentionally treating them with love and respect.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com® book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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Toys and Book of the Week: Time For Bed

Hi there! I'm doing a toy rotation system for Yuri's toys. Some of you might have known that by reading my blog post last week, but for the rest of you, here's a recap on how I do it:

A week's worth of toys should have one educational toy (shape sorter and the like), plush toys (stuffed toys), cars and toys with wheels, and little non-toy trinkets (like his Calpol's cover) to encourage Yuri's imagination.

Anyway, the bottom line is get out only a few toys each week (the number of the toys and the frequency of the rotation depend on you!) and keep the rest hidden. So far, it proved to be only advantageous in our household. Less mess, fewer toys to pack away, gets the child to play with all his toys, and encourages the child to read more books. 

To make the most out of this system, as well as to help you curious souls out there, I will be featuring my chosen toys each week. Just in case you want to have a clearer idea of how to do it. As for me, blogging about it is gonna be a constant reminder to be vigilant in choosing toys every Sunday night!

In addition, I'd also like to feature one book per week. Again, this is for kindred souls out there who also want to raise readers and bookworms like me! By doing this, I hope we'll be able to build libraries for our budding book-devourers. Okay, gawa-gawa ko lang yung word na yun. But it captures the essence, right? Who doesn't want a kid who devours books like there's no tomorrow?

Anyway, enough talk. For this week, here are Yuri's toys:

I've given him wooden puzzles over the last weeks, so to minimize suya, I didn't get out another puzzle this week. Instead, I got out some electronic toys that he wasn't able to use for over a month now. I chose those that can, at least, teach him something, so I got the piano with a mini shape-sorter (unfortunately, one piece is missing!) and an electronic turtle that teaches words. The most educational toy would be the shape-sorter.

I also got out a little plush puppy, a plastic clapper (which we used last New Year's Eve - it was really loud). For the non-toy category, I got out a pink hairbrush. I didn't bother to get a wheeled toy anymore because he has several toy trucks in the living room (I think they are becoming a mainstay!).

And this is our book of the week:

I wanted to feature Yuri's ultimate favorite book at the moment for my first ever Book of the Week feature. Yuri loves "Time for Bed" by Mem Fox, illustrated by Jane Dyer. I read it to him every bedtime, and one reading is never enough for him. He even asks for it when he wakes up in the morning!

Funny anecdote: There was one time when he didn't let me finish a second reading of Time for Bed. Instead, he got the book from me. Then, he got one of his stuffed toys (I think it was Jollibee), and laid it beside him on his crib. He got the book, flipped through the pages, and mumbled as if he was reading. Then, he said to Jollibee, "Tuyog, anayt!" (Tulog, good night!). He then hugged the toy and kissed it. Suh-weet!

Baby Verdict: 
I think Yuri loves this book because of the different animals. There are different mother-baby animal tandems featured with unique "good night" lines. Based on experience, I think all toddlers are enamored by animals, making the book a sure hit. I also think he likes the book because he relates to the little boy in the last page. He thinks it's him! By the time I get to that page, he says, "Tuyog Suri" (Tulog Yuri).

Eh kung ano kung blonde yung boy? Sya daw yun eh!

Mom Verdict:
I don't get annoyed with Yuri's requests for me to repeat reading the book because reading it is like singing a song. The lines are very rhythmic and melodic and stress-relieving. Also, they are very easy to memorize. This is a good thing to remember for us, mommies, because there are times when I'd be too sleepy to read and I'd just close my eyes and recite the lines like a pro!

Seriously, though, the best part of the book for me would be the watercolor-style illustrations that are realistic and romantic. Plus, the fact that it features different animals and the correct names of baby animals (i.e. horses and foals) makes it educational, which makes bedtime learning time!

(I got the book from The Learning Basket for only P90. What a steal!)

PS:
For the record, I don't do book rotation. I think it's not yet time for us to do that because we only have a few books. Also, I want Yuri to be always surrounded with books. Unlike toys, I want him to be able to have a lot of options for "reading" (closed in quotation marks because he doesn't read yet - duh! Hee hee). Finally, if the living room will get messy, I want it to be messy with books. Just like this:

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Sunday Fun-and-Fab Finds: On Feeding Stuff, Board Books, and Lang Leav

Hi! How was your weekend? Mine got unintentionally extended through Monday because our yaya announced at the last minute that she's going home yesterday for her birthday. Ooookay. Good thing my job has a flexible schedule.

Anyway, I feel like it's Monday now. Yesterday, I posted a pre-drafted post about my our plans for Yuri's preschool. Today, let me tell you how my real weekend (read: Sunday) went. My sister's birthday was last Saturday (yes, my mother's and my sister's birthdays are exactly 1 week apart, and because we had birthday dinner last Saturday, we went for a simple birthday lunch last Sunday). I have several fun-and-fab finds! First, here's Yuri's simple OOTD!

Oh no, I forgot the shirt's brand, and I'm too lazy to go upstairs to look at it!

Pants - Baby Mossimo

Suspenders - SM Department Store

Shoes - Children's Place

Aaaand here's an outtake. The little boy can't resist getting his shoes! He wants to wear them na!

It's also getting more and more difficult to take Yuri's picture. He's always a blur!

And here's what I wore. Nothing special!

The acrobatics that I have to deal with every single day!

Job: What do you want for Christmas?

Me: A tummy tuck.

Little gentleman in suspenders

Don't be fooled with this photo. He was still for only about a nanosecond!

After church, we ate lunch in Abreeza, and we met Jollibee again!

Look at the pure delight on Yuri's face!

And Yuri test-drove cars, too.

This looks okaaay.

Hmmm. *thinking deeply*

Oh. Sino ka?! Charot. We're making friends here.

And Yuri test-drives another car. This time, it's an open Jeep.

This is good, too. Oh decisions, decisions.

We went to SM Lanang Premier afterward and saw the Davao Collective Gourmet again.