good read - 365 days of einstein

We love having friends. In just the right places. And this place we just love. Cat, who I went to three different schools with, looks after her three babies: two boys aged eight and three and the oldest of the lot, her fifteen-year old bookstore. I asked her to scour the bookstore's shelves in search of a great find. Mission completion.

Here is 365 Days of Baby Einstein: 365 Activities to Share with Your Baby.

Her all-time favorite, she swears it keeps her and the boys completely entertained. This book helped her introduce her sons to the wonderful world of colors, animals, our body and all its parts, and interesting things about the the world we live in. Page after page, they all explore nature, poetry, art and science. Even mommy managed to learn a couple of words in French and Spanish. Japanese too! It is both a good read and a great activity book. "It is", she says "a perfect gift and a must in every child's bookshelf".

You can check what else they have stacked in their shelves by visiting the website here or popping in for a visit. Thank you, Cat. You had us at 365.

extreme parenting

This looks like an interesting movie about "finding home", and I'm guessing it's going to end up "where the heart is". Your cue to roll eyes now. Anyway... Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida write, Sam Mendes directs Away We Go. The trailer alone gives you a look at extreme kinds of parenting - from the extremely devil-may-care: we're just white noise to them..., to the extremely over-zealous:

Exaggerated New Age Mama to her husband: They gave us a stroller...

Male Protagonist Who Gave Stroller: What's wrong with strollers?

Exaggerated New Age Mama: I LOOVE my babies why would I want to PUUSSH them away from me?

That was funny. Now is there really such a parenting philosophy that considers strollers evil? Watch the trailer to see what I mean.

I know, it kind of looks like a mom and dad mush-fest with a lot of annoying people on the side. But hey, sometimes that's actually MY life. Maybe yours too? Besides, it's a trip to make fun of annoying people. Looks like my kind of movie, plus Sam Mendes and Dave Eggers are involved.

postcard from the edge

Dear Nona, 

Check out the view that greeted me this morning.  

There were hills, river boats and monkeys involved.  And a little boy learned to swim today! 

daily dose

Our week ahead, according to Tato.

Things never turn out the way you plan them. Sometimes they turn out better. Wishing you a great week.

childhood lost

It's been a week since he passed, not exactly fresh news, but I just had to do a post about Michael Jackson. This Newsweek cover is just so so heartbreaking... it's poetic.

MJ and I had split up years ago, sometime after Thriller when he started looking prettier than me. But you never forget your first imaginary boyfriend. I was... Off the Wall crazy about him. So I devoured every MJ article I could find.

I remember reading an interview where he reminisces about his life as a kid. They were constantly practicing and performing and he recalls being on a bus going to a show and passing by a playground. He started crying because he had wanted so badly to just stop, hang out and play. Then there were the allegations of abuse. Makes you wonder about Neverland.

So his death, the tragic figure he became - and that sad, haunting Newsweek cover - is another reminder for us to be good to our children. Sometimes the wounds cut too deep, especially for those sensitive souls... some so sensitive, they can sing with so much pathos about a pet rat named Ben.

Sorry to be baduy, but I just really had to take some time to be sad and say goodbye.

fit to a T

History has a strange way of repeating itself. Remember how my Godmother started making dresses when she couldn't find any? Well her daughter Ines found herself in a similar predicament a few years ago. She was a brand-new mom looking for really cool tops for her newborn son. Not very successful. Like mom, she decided to make her own and In the Crib was born. Very successful.

Tato, Mak and the cousins were asked to show off the newest collection. We didn't catch Chicha at the pictorial as I heard she was in and out like a pro and breezed through her shoot. Photographer Monica clicked away, sister Han kept them entertained and MacDaddy managed to steal a few shots from the sidelines.

They all had a blast being models-for-a-day. And as expected when boys, bubbles and big space are involved, all hell eventually broke loose.

In The crib apparel and gear can be purchased at We Play Children's Activity Center , 2/F Kensington Place, 1st Avenue, Bonifacio Global City. You can call them at 632.856.7631 or 63917.522.4637.

working mom magazine

The latest Working Mom is out. The July issue is lush with info, insights and advice for thinking, proactive parents. There's a good book list for moms by moms compiled by de facto viva mama Barni - she's WM's Family Editor and her section rocks! Of course. She's smart enough to ask Nana to contribute and brave enough to ask me. Haha!

For this issue, Nana has an insightful article about playdate refereeing. Good stuff Nanabanana! I gathered expert advice on safe pregnancy skin care, and also wrote on ideas to get little couch potatoes up and moving.

Guess who's Nana? Guess who's Nona?

Oh and... if by any chance Maria Lourdes Canonigo stumbles upon this teensy-weensy blog: I wish you all the best in channeling your son's "wildness" to productivity. She won letter of the month for writing WM about her reaction to The Wild Child article. Glad to have helped (in your words) "make motherhood a little easier". So glad the article resonated with other parents who wrote in as well. Awesome.

the bare necessities of life

I really do encourage them to spread the love around and not play favorites. But they are children. And that is what they do.

Every night before their bedtime, two boys fresh from their bath and in their pajamas come to our bed carrying a pile of books they handpicked for the evening. And every evening for the last few months, Mak proudly walks in with the same book. And so bedtime at our home usually starts with Tato shouting: "Oh, no! Jungle Book AGAIN!" MacDaddy rolls his eyes. It's Groundhog Day. And I read to Mak without even having to look at the words.

Everyone jumps in and starts feeding the new obsession. I get him the shirts and a new version of the book. A dear friend sends over more Jungle Book apparel. MacDaddy convinces him the Aeta in Subic Zoo is actually Mowgli, the snake is Kaa and the tiger there is Shere Khan. Mak is star-struck.

Ninang Den, part time mosaic artist and full time enabler of her nephews' dreams, gifts him with Walt Disney's Double Disc Platinum Edition of The Jungle Book. The video has been digitally restored, the sound and picture enhanced. There are bonus games to play, songs that were never heard in its original release and even the introduction of Rocky the Rhino, the long lost character. The Jonas Brothers star in the music video. The Jo Bros! This is the 40th Anniversary Edition, after all. My boy is over the moon.

And because of the persistence of a three year old, I am reacquainted with the Jungle Book. I fall in love with Mowgli, a boy raised by wolves in the Indian jungle, serious yet unconditonal Bagheera and Baloo, the happiest bear ever. I fall in love with the music. And these are the bare necessities of life.