Happy Emojis for Sophie's 5th Birthday

Ever since we received the news that Sophie was accepted in her big sister’s school, I immediately knew she would celebrate her next birthday there. And after speaking to her teacher during the Parents Orientation to make sure it was ok to have it on the date of her actual birthday, I set to work in planning and preparing.

Sophie's Last Minute Book Character Parade Costume

When it comes to resourcefulness and creativity, nothing brings out these qualities faster from a mother than her child who has an activity or requirement at school and there's no time or budget to go out and buy.

Yes, that's what happened to me when I read in my youngest's school diary that they were having a Book Character Parade the following week...and only remembering that she still didn't have a costume two days before the actual activity would take place.  Aacckk!

First Day of School Photos

By now, I’m pretty sure all of the schools in the UAE have started their new school year. How did your first day go, mommies?

For me, since my girls go to different schools (it’s a long story), I had two first days. Just like majority of the schools, my eldest’s first day was on the 28th of August. My youngest, on the other hand, started school on the 1st of September (although, in reality, her official first day was on the 4th of September).

Kindy Graduate

Our eldest has grown so much from the time she entered those school grounds 2 years ago. She’s learned so many things and gained so many friends, and I can only feel pride at the person she has become.

She may not have experienced shedding blood, sweat and tears to get that diploma, but seeing her in that toga, receiving that rolled up piece of paper, and bowing on stage in front of everyone last Thursday was enough to make my eyes well-up in tears.

Congratulations, Caila!

We're so proud of you.

turning 5 with a hi-5 celebration

Although the celebration wasn’t until 3 days after her actual birthday, I couldn’t let her special day pass without doing something for our eldest daughter. So on the morning of the 27th of February, we made a number 5 pancake, prepared a banner, and stuck it on the wall.

And thanks to my co-n@wies for the reminder, I sent all the information needed to E-Junior more than a month earlier, and on her special day, Caila had a nice surprise when she saw this on our television screen:

She was so, so happy! Unfortunately, I didn’t get to take a picture or video of her face when she saw the greeting, but I could see it really made her day. Even until now, she likes to look at that greeting on Tisay, and show it off to our friends.

That night, our family celebrated with dinner at Texas Roadhouse, along with my sister and Gabe. However, when the servers came to sing her Happy Birthday, Caila just wouldn’t cooperate…because her birthday party is on Sunday pa. She didn’t want her picture taken either. Haaaay! Kids! Go figure!

Sunday finally arrived on the 2nd of March and this was the day that she was looking forward to. As expected, I had been the busy one preparing for that day. Since there are absolutely no Hi-5 themed stuff anywhere in Dubai, I had to make-do with whatever I could find (again…for the second year in a row).

I designed and printed the toppers for the cupcakes almost a month in advance, and whenever I had the free time, I would cut them out and stick them on toothpicks.

Hi-5 cupcake toppers

I had also downloaded song videos of Hi-5 episodes from Youtube, and burned these on CDs for each of the kids’ goodybags. Except for the candies and jellies which we bought the day before, the non-edible stuff and paper goodybags were bought a week earlier from Party Centre, Day to Day, and Daiso.

As for the cupcakes, I made them as soon as we finished having dinner on Saturday night. The little girl wanted vanilla Oreo cupcakes for her classmates, and since it was her birthday after all, that’s what I baked…with cookies and cream frosting…all from scratch. Whew!



one of the extra cupcakes for our consumption

The only thing that I didn’t prepare was the cake. I left that to the expert. When I showed Caila pictures of several Hi-5 cakes that I got from the internet, she sat down with me and explained what she wanted her cake to look like.  After sending the draft and exchanging several messages on Facebook, Tita Rina made the perfect cake for our girl


vanilla flavoured with chocolate ganache filling
all-edible...even JupJup and the Hi-5 logo!

That morning, our little girl wore one of her pink dresses. She told us that whenever her classmates would celebrate their birthdays at school, they were allowed to wear something else instead of their usual uniforms. So that’s what she did. She rode on the bus, excitedly looking forward to her celebration later.

By 9:30am, all of us (Hubby, me, Sophie, and Jovy) headed to the school, and at 9:55am, we were setting up everything in front of the kids in the classroom. It just so happened that almost all of them liked Hi-5, plus the program had just returned on E-Junior a few days ago, so they really appreciated the cake and cupcakes.

the celebrant with her Hi-5 cupcakes and cake

As they began singing Happy Birthday, Caila started cutting the cake. She just put the knife in the cake, then cut, then stuck the knife again in the cake and cut again, over and over. She didn’t or couldn’t wait! Excited lang masyado. After the kids stopped singing, that’s when she stopped cutting to blow the candles.

Right after that, the kids were asked to sit down at their tables while I helped Caila as she handed out the cupcakes to each of them. I’m happy to say the cupcakes were devoured in minutes! The kids and teachers found them really yummy. Hurray!

The entire celebration was over so fast, and before we knew it, it was time for us to pack and leave. We left the goodybags by the door for Caila to give out before they all left later.

family pic

A small celebration, but one that put a big smile on our 5 year old’s face.  All the effort was worth it.

my mini apple muffins at a breakfast buffet

While checking the contents of Caila’s school envelope a few weeks ago, I found a letter amongst her diary and homework. It was a invitation for the mothers to bring and serve healthy goodies for the FS2 Healthy Breakfast Buffet that Thursday. It wasn’t something that we had to do, plus it was a weekday, so I didn’t think about it anymore. However, the next day Caila told me that she really wanted me to participate. Yikes! A part of me didn’t want to give in, but then a bigger part of me felt guilty. Sure it wasn’t a major event and it wasn’t a requirement, but again, I kept remembering last year when Caila was disappointed at me and her daddy for not being at her very first school Sports Meet. Eventually of course, I agreed. My workload that week was manageable and I knew my manager would let me if I applied for a half-day leave from work.

Once that decision had been made, I asked Caila what she wanted me to bring from the list that was given. One by one I read the items, but out of the choices (almost all of which could easily be bought from the supermarket), she picked “mini-muffins.” Ohh-kay. The major supermarkets sell several types of mini-muffins; there wouldn’t be any problem in buying a couple of dozen packs. But when she said “I want apple muffins like the ones you make. I will help you, Mommy,” I knew there was no easy way out. I just HAD TO make these for her.

There was only one minor problem: I didn’t have a mini-muffin pan. I had a regular muffin pan, but the list specifically said “mini-muffins;” and considering these kids’ appetites, minis were the way to go to avoid wastage. So the following night (the night before the buffet) Hubby and I went to a baking supply store in Deira, but it was just my luck that they didn’t have any. We had already passed Carrefour and the traffic was getting heavier, losing us more time. Fortunately, after checking two different places, I managed to find the very last mini-muffin pan in Lulu Hypermarket hidden at the very back of the rack behind the rest of the baking equipment. Someone must have hidden it there and planned on going back to get it later.

We then rushed to get apples, pay for the items, then straight home so that we could have dinner and I could start baking.

Caila was excited the whole time I was making the muffins. She was very helpful too, handing me the ingredients and equipment that I asked for, mixing the batter, and saying “It smells very yummy, Mommy!” and then “Mummy, it’s very tasty and delicious!” after she finished a piece. She actually finished 3 that night =)

Since we didn’t have any liners, it was a good thing that I had printed out some school-theme flags earlier which I cut out and attached to toothpicks before sticking them into the muffins. The little toppers made them look more appealing.

I had managed to make almost 3 dozen mini-muffins (plus the 3 that Caila ate, 1 that Hubby tasted, and a few more for home consumption) to take to the school which I packed in aluminium trays. The following morning at the school, several mothers were already there waiting with their own goodies, and at 8am, we were asked to set up whatever we brought.

There were cereals and milk, yoghurt, juice, sandwiches, fruits, croissants, corn, and muffins of course.

 

After a while, the children began coming out. Kids of each section took turns in going around the buffet spread to take whatever they wanted, and then go to their assigned tables to enjoy their food.

I was sharing the “Muffins Area” with two other mommies who had brought store-bought muffins. Of course, since most of them were chocolate-flavoured, they were the first ones to run out. However, my muffins weren’t totally ignored because the little school toppers caught several kids’ eyes, making them reach out or ask for a piece.

Finally, just 3 mini-muffins were left on a tray and all the kids had finished eating. Suddenly, one of the mothers who had also been handing out muffins from another table approached me and asked if she could get one because she also thought the flags looked cute. Of course I said yes. When that happened, the mother standing beside me also took one. And then right after she put it in her mouth, another mother came and took the last remaining muffin. They all said they were delicious, and one of them even asked for the recipe!

simot!

the school principal thanking the mommies

So all in all, it was a success. Tiring, but definitely worth it. And to make it more rewarding, when Caila arrived at home a few hours later, she gave me this sticker which she got from the “Cereal Area” earlier.

When I asked her why, she said “Because you came to my school and you made my favourite apple muffins for my classmates,” topping it off with a tight hug and a “Thank you, Mommy.” Awww! Ang sarap, di ba?

I am sooo glad I took part in the buffet!

fs2 annual sports meet

The morning of the 11th of December was spent at Caila’s school because it was their level’s Annual Sports Meet. Hubby and I hadn’t attended the previous year’s (for some reason, we didn’t know about it) and since then, she never let us forget how disappointed she was that she didn’t see her Mommy and Daddy at the event while all the rest of her classmates’ parents were there. It’s heartbreaking, I tell you. It may seem like a small thing, but not attending a school event made me feel we had somewhat failed as parents. You see, even for Orientations or Parent-Teacher meetings, Hubby and I make sure that at least one of us (usually me) leaves work early to attend them. That’s how important we want our children to feel…that even though we’re busy with work, they can always count on us to be there for significant events.

So this time, Hubby and I made sure to take the morning off from work to be at her school. We didn’t take Sophie with us though because the weather was pretty cold; we just left her with Jovy at home. Caila didn’t mind. Just seeing both of us at the front of the crowd as she and her classmates marched around the field was enough for her. She kept waving and proudly pointing us out to her classmates. And as the kids showed their moves of the dance they had been practicing, I could see she was really giving her all. Of course, I was beaming with pride as I recorded everything on video.

There were just 2 relays, but with approximately 5 sections (or was it 6?) of 25 kids each, you can bet that it took a while for all the kids to race.

After the kids’ relays, the parents were asked to participate in the races. The first one was for the daddies, and the second was, of course, for the mommies. Hubby didn’t join the Daddy race, but since I really wanted to make up for our absence last year (oo na, di talaga ako maka-get over), I joined the Mommy race. 

Surprisingly, there were a lot of mommies who joined; so instead of just 3 groups, 6 groups were competing. Each time the participants stood waiting for the races to start, the kids would chant “Go Daddy! Go Daddy!” and “Go Mommy! Go Mommy!” over and over again. Nakakatuwa!

I can’t remember what the daddies had to do…all I remember is it involved a ball for each team, doing something with it from one end to the other, and then throwing it to the next team-mate. For the mommies, we were asked to go from one end to the other and back while balancing a big papier mache egg on a piece of cardboard. I was the second to the last in my team and when it was my turn, I could hear the emcee saying “it looks like the mommy in green (which was me) is in the lead.” However, it was a very close race, and we eventually lost to another team whose last mommy was much faster. It was ok, though. The kids and parents all enjoyed themselves and that’s what’s important, anyway.

Finally the Sports Meet ended and the teachers and kids of FS2 marched around the field again and back to their classrooms where they were each given a toy and a small bag of snacks to munch on. Since it was announced that the kids could leave right away, I went to Caila’s classroom to fetch her, gathered her things, and we headed home.

She couldn’t stop talking about the day and how happy she was that we were there. Taking the morning off work was definitely worth watching our daughter actively joining the relays. The best thing however, was seeing the happiness in her face when she saw us, in front of the crowd, cheering her on and supporting her.

celebrating mother's day...kindergarten style

Thursday last week was Mother’s Day here in the UAE, and weeks before, I had applied for a leave for that day because, well, I just wanted to. Good thing I did because a few days before, it was mentioned in Caila’s school diary that the kids’ mothers were invited to a Mother’s Day celebration to be held on the 21st of March. So, tamang-tama talaga yung pag-apply ko ng leave.

I arrived at Caila’s classroom that morning just a few minutes before the program started. All of the kids were standing in line outside the room, while all the mothers were asked to sit down on the small chairs. It was a bit cramped, but we all managed to be comfortable. Then the kids walked in and I saw my daughter following the little girl in front of her looking around for me. As soon as she saw me, she smiled. We were then asked to stand up and join them in the Mother’s Day prayer followed by their exercise: dancing to the tune of Justin Bieber’s song “Baby.” Most of the moms were game and joined, while some were too shy and just took pictures or videos of the children.

the nihao kai-lan party she wanted

As planned, Caila celebrated her 4th birthday at school last Wednesday...and fortunately, she was happy. Well, she should be. My fingers hurt from cutting the toppers, bottle labels, and container labels, and my arms hurt from mixing and stirring the batter for the cupcakes because I still haven’t been able to convince Hubby to get me an electric mixer. I had been up late the night before baking the cupcakes, and I had to wake up early the next day for the nuggets and frosting of the cupcakes. But of course, all these aches and pains weren’t much and I forgot about how tired I was when I saw how cute the little table in the classroom looked with everything we had prepared and how happy our daughter was on her special day. Allow me to share my first semi-DIY birthday project.

it started with the cake

image source

Caila wants to celebrate her 4th birthday at school. The plan was simple: I would bake cupcakes for her classmates, we’ll buy a small cake for the candle-blowing, McDonald’s nuggets for the kids to have something else to eat, flavoured milk or juice for their drinks, and a few stuff for lootbags. All Caila had to do was let us know what theme she wanted. Of course, that was my and Hubby’s plan.

first day of kindy

Tuesday last week was the first day of school for our daughter, so of course, like her first day in Nursery, I took the day off from work. As expected, Caila was really excited to start “big” school. She kept pulling her new Dora the Explorer trolley bag all around the apartment the night before, and even insisted to keep it beside our bed before sleeping because she was scared “the moon would get it if she left it in the living room.” That’s what we tell her will happen if she doesn’t take care of her stuff and leaves them lying around in a mess.

entering the most expensive part of parenthood

This morning my daughter and I visited the nursery and school we were eyeing to enroll her in to register her. Although it’s not mandatory for children to be put through nursery before they start KG1, Hubby and I decided to enroll her in one term (April to June) just so that she could have a feel of what a school is and socialize a bit in preparation for Kindergarten in September. Caila knows a few kids in our apartment building who go to school, so I think they’ve somehow influenced her because she always (as in everyday!) tells us that she wants to go to school so that she can play, and read, and write, and meet new friends. She has a small backpack that she loves bringing when we walk to the nearby supermarket or park because it makes her feel like a schoolgirl.