Food for School Program of the DepEd

I will feature a very laudable program of the Department of Education named Food for School Program. It started last 2006. The program aims to mitigate hunger of poor families and improve school retention. In the first phase of the program, only grade one students from selected elementary schools in areas declared as vulnerable provinces were given one (1) kilo of Iron Fortified Rice every school day for SY 2006-2007 and Summer of SY 2006-2007. Per our interview of the teachers from selected elementary schools in Zamboanga del Norte, the program was a big help to the families of pupils because it improved the attendance of their children in school and gave them rice everyday.

In one elementary school in Zamboanga del Norte, the teachers served the same rice to us for lunch, paired with sardines for ulam. We not only inspected the rice but ate it as well. For others, they are bothered by the yellow specks in the rice, but it is these yellow specks which gives iron in the rice. It is an eye opening experience talking to the teachers and recipient families about the program.

For SY 2007-2008, the recipients were expanded to grade two to six students. But it is still limited to one family per kilo of rice. Meaning, even if you have two kids, one in grade 2 and the other in grade 5, only a kilo of rice will be given, usually to the older child.

I hope that such program will continue and it will not be open to abuse and corruption by the people in government.

Dealing with the sudden death of a loved one

How do you deal with the sudden death of a loved one?

It was 7:45 a.m. yesterday when my tita died of a single gunshot wound to the heart. I was on my way to the office when my officemate called me and told me that she was in the hospital. I went to my mother's house to inform her. We were both crying endlessly. We rushed to the hospital hoping that she is still alive. When my officemate texted me again, all the more I cried. She was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. I could not believe it. She was my dearest Tita, my second mother. I could not believe that someone woud be so heartless. Why? Why her?

My tita is a mother of three boys, age 12, 11 and 2. She is a devoted wife and a

dedicated public servant. She died in the line of duty. She was on her way to work when two unidentified suspects overtook her vehicle and shot her twice. She was usually the one who took her kids to school. Yesterday, she woke up late so her husband took the kids to school. God is merciful, for had the kids been with her, they would have witnessed the gruesome incident or become victims themselves.

She was a lawyer and the legal officer of our office. She was a strong woman, she never backs down on anything. But she also has a gentle heart. I woud usually go to her and ask her advice when I had a misunderstanding with my mother. She never fails to give me pieces of wisdom and guidance that I need in my personal and married life. During the time when emails and texts where not yet popular, she would never fail to send me cards for my birthday and other occasions. And she would always say "I love you" after we had a conversation over the phone.

She recently went abroad as part of her work. I planned to call her when she came back but I never had the chance to do so. Now, it's too late. How do you deal with this kind of situation? Everytime I think of her, tears roll down my eyes and I would cry endlessly. She does not deserve this kind of death. It is unfair. There are so many bad people in this world and yet they are alive. Why
take a dedicated public servant, or a devoted wife, or a loving mother?

My heart is still grieving. My life would never be the same without her. My world will never be the same without her.

"Tita Vi, wherever you are, may your soul find rest in God. I will never forget you. I will always treasure every memory and every moment I have of you. You will always be in my heart for as long as I live. I love you very much."

my mid-30's wishlist

I turned 34 this year. Looking back at my life, I can say that there are still so many things that I wish to do but have not found the time. You see, I'm a working mom. I have two gorgeous little boys aged 4 and 2. My husband also works. The only time we have for our kids are after office hours and during weekends. I have a helper but she's just part-time. When we come home from work, we take over since she goes home, too. Sunday is her day off. I hardly have time for myself. Motherhood is such a challenging vocation. I would not label it as a "job" since the reward I get is beyond financial gain. When I was still single, there are two things that I love to do, read books and do some crafts.

I love to read books. When I was in grade school, I started with the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew series. I was such a bookworm, that I would read Nancy Drew in class, cover it with the current subject's book, and pretend that I was listening to the lessons at hand. Good thing the teacher owned the Nancy Drew book I was reading, so I didn't get into trouble. Then, I went on to read Agatha Christie and Sidney Sheldon in high school. In college, my favorite author was Robert Ludlum. I love mystery books. I get thrilled when their books are turned into movies. There might be deviations from the book, but I don't mind. When I started working, I was into the Harry Potter series. Nope, it's not just for kids. It's my favorite. There are still other books that I would love to read. But, time is not on my side. You see, when I read a book, I want the time for myself alone. I want to be in the book, to jump into the pages and be engulfed in the excitement of it all. But, with two active boys who constantly fight for my attention, no time for my books.

I love doing crafts, like cross stitching, making things out of scraps, and many little kikay things. But, alas, there's a cross stitch project that is half done and gathering dust. My scrapbook project for our wedding album, and for each of my kids is still in the gathering stage, as in gathering only the photos and acecessories but not organizing it into a scrapbook. So many projects, so little time.

I love to cook, too. I'm a big fan of Lifestyle Network. I'm a closet Martha Stewart. I wish I was a stay at home mom but I can't afford it. Even with both me and my husband working, the budget still gets busted. Again, time is precious. So here is my mid-30's wish list:

1. Have time alone with my husband;

2. Read all the books I want;

3. Do all the crafts that I love to do;

4. Cook ala Martha Stewart style; and

5. Travel around the world.

Am I being selfish? I hope not. Calling all seasoned mothers out there, please help me. What should I do to maximize my time, especially between personal and family time? I want to bond with my family every chance I get. But, I also want some time for myself? This is what my husband says when he sees that I'm in the verge of losing my patience, "Sweety, the kids will grow up someday. And when they do, we will have time for ourselves." Such a sweet husband. Well, maybe i'll just wait for that time and hope my wishes do come true.

life's endless extra challenges

Sunday is considered a rest day...for even God rested on that day.

For me, Sunday is my workday at home. You see, I'm a working mom with two energetic boys, aged 4 years and 1 year 7 months. I have a yaya for my youngest son. She's a stay-out yaya. She works from Monday to Saturday. When we arrive from work, that's the time she goes home. When she does go home, my dear son cries. How come he's having separation anxiety for her and not for me? It's because I'm on my way to work when he wakes up in the morning. Sigh...

What is my typical Sunday like? I wake up early, around 7 am, even though I still want to sleep late. I clean the sala, sweep the floors, wash the dishes, cook breakfast, prepare the kids' clothes and vitamins, eat breakfast, feed them breakfast when they wake up, bathe them, then I take a bath. Then I prepare them to attend the 10:30 am mass. I'm only half concentrating during the Mass because the kids run around the church. It's my yaya's day off, so it's my turn. In the afternoon, I put my youngest son to sleep on the 'duyan'. When he's asleep, then I can dose off, too. But not to deep, because he might fall from his hammock.

Where's my husband when all these are happening? My husband helps me do the chores at home. But, during Sunday he wakes up late since it's the only day he can do so. He goes to work from Monday to Saturday, and has to wake up early. I don't want to bother him for I know it's the only day he can sleep longer. The other things is, he's having contact dermatitis lately. So there are chores which he cannot do, like washing the dishes, pealing the condiments, bathe the kids. So the bulk of the work rest on me.

I'm not complaining, I'm just ventilating...Hahaha, is there a difference? There may be other working mothers out there who are experiencing the same. I hope you can share your experiences with me. Somehow, it would make the load lighter.

I thank God because He has given me a day to spend with my family, serving them, laughing with them, playing with them, or just spending some quiet time. One whole day...just the four of us. Others may not be as fortunate. So, I'm not complaining. I'm very thankful for life's endless extra challenges...

twice hospitalized

been to the hospital twice...

the first time was last week of may. my son, doldy, was diagnosed with bilateral pneumonitis. he had low grade fever for ten days. he was active and his appetite was the same. we treated him at home. by the seventh day, he was admitted to the hospital because the fever wouldn't go away. rashes came out of his upper torso. we thought it was dengue fever, and was grateful that it was not. after two days, he attended pre-school.

then, ten days after he had fever again. this time it was high-grade. meaning, 38 to 39 degrees celsius and would not go down despite the paracetamol being given every four hours, plus the sponge bath and regular hydrite liquid to replenish his lost nutrients. unlike his previous fever, he was weak and would not eat much. we checked his platelet on monday. it was 275. by thursday, when the fever persisted, his platelet went down to 115 after checkup. his pediatrician suggested that we admit him to the hospital for monitoring of his platelet. he had rashes on his body as well as his legs and arms. it was the classical signs of dengue fever. we were in the hospital for two days. his platelet count remained stable. that's a good sign because the next 48 hours after the fever has left is considered the most critical. good thing his platelet did not go below 100.

i hope his platelet count will continue to rise. it would take a while, said his doctor. i love my son and i hope that he will grow healthy and strong. i pray that there will be no more going to the hospital for a long while.

happy birthday...no rice?

happy birthday placido...hehehe. last april 21, my eldest son doldy celebrated his 4th birthday. my mom and i planned the occasion weeks ahead. placido is an endearment we gave him since he was born through ceasarion section due to placenta previa totalis. his birthday is actually the day before. we attended mass at the Metropolitan Cathedral after having lunch at McDonald's. he asked me to buy him the teenage mutant ninja turtle toy.

since the party was set at 4 p.m., we had plenty of time to prepare. i helped my mom prepare the ingredients while she cooked the dinuguan, indulsao (humba type of cooking pork), and fried the fish for the fish fillet. then i went home and prepared the utensils, tables and chairs. i headed back to my parent's house, since it was just walking distance from us. my mom then cooked the spaghetti, fish fillet, friedn chicken and squid balls. i went back home to finish arranging the tables and chairs, and utensils. since i thought there was plenty of time left, i fried the hotdogs and cheese sticks.

the menu was simple : spaghetti, fried chicken, hotdogs on stick, squidballs, cheese sticks, chocolate cake for the kids, and dinuguan, fish fillet, indulsao, rice, fruit salad for the adults. we invited around fifty people composed of his playmates from our neighborhood, his ninongs and ninangs, a few of our officemates, and our family. i prepared assorted candies for the kids and some balloons.

it was nearly 4 p.m. and i was still frying the cheese sticks. my brother helped me finish the rest as i rush to dress doldy and his little brother, kyle, with their new tshirt courtesy of their papa don, my brother. some guests started to arrive and i was waiting or my mom to help me plate the dishes. she was so exhausted, so i had to do it myself. my sister in law, angging, helped me. lo and behold, as i was putting the food in their serving platters, there was no rice. aarrgghhh...we forgot the rice!!! hahaha...i instructed my father in law to cook rice and told my husband to buy some at the nearest restaurant. as i completed the buffet table with all the food, i mingled with the guests. it was nearly 5 p.m. when the party started. so far, so good.

i entertained the guests while refilling the serving platters. the children got their bag of goodies and balloons. my husband was watching over them. he said that the children were chanting, 'vote doldy for vice-president.' they gave candies to the other children who were playing outside. the party mellowed down at around 8 p.m. although very tired, i was so happy since the party was a success and my child was happy...well, time to prepare for the next party.

swimming

hubby d suddenly decided that we go swimming last sunday. it was 9 in the morning and the kids just finished breakfast...well, what a nice thought. it's been awhile since we went swimming. we decided to go to the swimming pool near our place, hilltop resort.

after hastily packing the kids' extra shirts and pants, a towel, water, and sme essentials. we were off...yeehee!!! when we arrived there, a group of children and their parents were busily surrounding the fee collector. entrance fee for adult is P25, while it's P15 for children. we waited...and finally decided to changes venue...my eldest son protested. with the size of the group before us, the pool wasn't big enough...

so off we went to pasonanca park, to the tanada swimming pool...it consist of an olympic size pool, a medium sized rectangular pool and a circular pool for children...since it's el nino time, only the children's pool has water. the tanada pool does have water, but only knee length since it was up for cleaning...

so we dived into the kiddie pool...bruugh!!! the water was cold. but, my kyle did not mind. i thought that he wouldn't enjoy it because the last time we went swimming, he was afraid of the water. what can you expect from a one year old child? hubby d was surprised, too. he accompanied my eldest son, doldy, while i was incharge of kyle...

the time went by fast...my little kyle did not want to go home. so does doldy...but lunchtime was fast approaching and we did not bring any food except for some mamon and water. one our way home, we stopped by dodong's lechon and bought a half kilo of lechon for lunch...

thank you for making my little boy's wish come true...