Wordless Wednesday

Why I believe in natural family planning

“Natural family planning? What’s that? And does it really work?”

These are probably some of the most common reactions or statements we get when people ask us how we spaced our two kids (Tim is turning 5 in October and Rysse just turned 2 last July). Those who are already in the know though can testify that NFP is the best way to go when it comes to family planning.

Our kids are products of NFP, just like Umbert. ;-)

What is natural family planning (NFP)?
Wikipedia defines NFP in the following way:


Natural family planning (NFP) is a term referring to the family planning methods approved by the Roman Catholic Church. In accordance with the Church's requirements for sexual behavior in keeping with its philosophy of the dignity of the human person, NFP excludes the use of other methods of birth control.


*To read the full article, please go to Philstar.com's unBLOGGED section by clicking here.

How To Deal With Your Temper

What a timely, refreshing, "ouch-this-hits-me-where-it-really-hurts-coz-it's-so-true!" reflection from one of my favorite Catholic lay preachers, Bo Sanchez. I MUST REMEMBER THIS AS WE START HOMESCHOOLING NEXT WEEK! Gaaaahh! Pray for me please! ;-) God bless everyone!

How To Deal With Your Temper

       Do you lose your temper quickly?

       When you’re caught in traffic, do you lose your cool?

       Do you have shouting matches with your spouse?

       Do you yell at your kids often?

       Do you use degrading language?

       Do you not speak to people you’re angry with for days, weeks, or even months?

       If your answer is “Yes” to some of these questions, then you have a problem with patience. And you need to hear what I’m going to say today.

A "holy" start to the new school year

Homaygash!!! ;-) September is already HERE next week (in a few days!!) Waaaah. Thank God for this E-newsletter from CHC!

Time to get our routine and schedules in order! Dear St. Monica, pray for us!

+ August 27, 2011
St. Monica, pray for us!

May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints….

-- Col. 1:11-12

With what eager anticipation we begin the school year, knowing His presence in our homes; we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.  Our happiness is not based on the ups and downs of one day, but rather on the quiet certitude that He Who revealed to us this great gift of homeschooling will also guide us on the Way.  

Ideas for beginning the school year with a 'holy start':

~ Surely, begin with Holy Mass; you may even inaugurate the school year with a celebratory dinner or party, inviting your parish priest and asking his blessing on your school room/area.

First Friday Catholic Homeschool Parents Meet-up this September!

This is an invitation I typed on Facebook, for all Catholic homeschooling parents in Manila and the nearby provinces. ;-) Please do share with others! ;-)
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FIRST FRIDAY MEET-UP FOR CATHOLIC HOMESCHOOL PARENTS

To all my fellow Catholics ;-)

I hope and pray that all of you are doing well, by God's grace. :-)

I would just like to extend this invitation to all Catholic homeschoolers out there: 

What: 

A meet-up of Catholic homeschooling parents (plus other Catholics who are interested in HSing/pro-Homeschooling) 

When: 

Date: The First Friday of Sept, Sept 2. 

Time: 2-4pm 

Where: 

The Medela House in New Manila QC. (Complete address: #29 1st St., New Manila, Quezon City (Contact numbers: 725-3723, 738-6272, 0917-5614366). Coming from Greenhills, it's before you reach Aurora Blvd. From E. Rodriguez, go past Aurora Blvd. It's beside 8 Gilmore Place. Please refer to the map below.)

What to expect: 

Time for getting to know one another, exchanging ideas, sharing homeschool experiences, and if time permits, brainstorming for future activities 

What to bring: 

YOURSELF of course ;-) If you like, you may also bring some of your Homeschool books that you feel are worth sharing about, recommending ;-) *Pls. take note that no arrangements for childcare will be made at this point. You may opt to bring along your child/ren, but you must take full responsibility for him/her/them during the meeting. 

Please feel free to invite others as well ;-)

Please confirm your attendance, as the Medela House can only accommodate a limited number of people. You may do so by e-mailing me at teachermamatina@gmail.com, or texting me at 0922-8773587 or 0927-206004.  Please reply on or before August 26. Thank you! God bless us all! ;-)

Parents for Eternal Life

I recently read an article entitled “The Teaching of the Catholic Church on Home Schooling – Parents for Eternal Life” by Jesuit priest Fr. John Hardon, and the following paragraph really struck me:

“...what they (children) mainly need is to know why God made them; why they are on earth at all; why they are in this world; that they are here in this life in order to prepare and train themselves for the world to come. In a word, children are to be taught that their short stay here in time is only a preparation for the world that will never end. They are to be trained for heaven.”

(*To read the rest of this entry, please go to my blog post on Philstar.com's unBLOGGED section here. Thanks in advance for your support!) 

Novena to God's Love - by a fellow Catholic homeschooling parent

NOVENA TO GOD'S LOVE
by Bo Sanchez, fellow Catholic homeschooling parent and founder of the ONLY Catholic Filipino homeschool provider, Catholic Filipino Academy


Today, I receive all of God’s love for me.
Today, I open myself to the unbounded, limitless, overflowing abundance of God’s universe.
Today, I open myself to Your blessings, healing, and miracles.
Today, I open myself to God’s Word so that I become more like Jesus every day.
Today, I proclaim that I’m God’s Beloved.
I’m God’s Servant,
I’m God’s Powerful Champion,

And because I am blessed,
I will bless the world,
In Jesus’ Name.

Amen.
---------------
Praying for blessings upon us all! ;-) 

The Teaching of the Catholic Church on Home Schooling - Parents for Eternal Life

by Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.

(from http://www.therealpresence.org/archives/Education/Education_028.htm) 

Why should we ask the question, “What is the teaching of the Catholic Church on Home Schooling?”

The reason is obvious: Because we are Roman Catholics!

We know how much emphasis the Church had placed for generations on Catholic education, and for generations people came to practically equate Catholic education with institutional education. Home schooling as home education had not been the focus of the Church’s magisterial teaching until fairly recent times. We might say it was taken for granted.

But no more. The rise of global secularism on every level of modern life has placed the Church on guard. Her authoritative stress is now more than ever on the role of parents as the primary teachers of their children.

The most recent and authoritative ecclesiastical documentation on this subject is in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, issued by Pope John Paul II on the very day of the five hundredth anniversary of the discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus.

The key word that stands out in the Church’s teaching on home schooling is the word “primary”.

Parents’ responsibility to educate their children is primary. This means, it is their first responsibility. It is primordial; it is inalienable; it is almost impossible to provide an adequate substitute.

It is critically important to understand what the Church means when she says that parents have the primary right and duty to teach their children.

Lego Pilipinas Exhibit at SM Mall of Asia

I received an e-mail yesterday from Janice of Mommy Mundo, inviting me to the formal unveiling of the first-ever LEGO Filipino theme event, with guest of honor, Secretary Alberto Lim, to join in the celebration of the Department of Tourism's campaign, Tara Na, Pilipinas! The unveiling will be tomorrow, August 18, 2011, Thursday, at 1:30pm at the SM Mall of Asia Atrium, Pasay City.

Sadly, I don't think I will be able to go, as we are gearing up for the ANCOP Global Walk on August 21. I am helping out to document the event (via live streaming too hopefully!).

Anyway, the LEGO exhibit runs until August 27, so maybe we can bring the kids for a visit there another day! ;-)

The LEGO Pilipinas, Tara Na! Exhibit

Travel the spectacular Philippines with an 18x30 ft Philippine map with famous regional landmarks such as Luneta, Fort Santiago, El Nido Resorts, Vigan, Batanes, Bohol and other interesting Filipino sites – all built with LEGO bricks!

 

Together with the Department of Tourism, we will promote the Philippines in this fun and exciting family event!

Ways to celebrate the Assumption of Mary (from Catholic Icing)!

As usual, Lacy over at Catholic Icing has some wonderful ideas on how to make the Feast of the Assumption of Mary meaningful and fun for our kids. (I didn't have time to prepare for any of these - grrr! - but I will try to at least print out some coloring sheets for the kids to commemorate this wonderful feast day. *But I don't have a printer pala! hahaha.* Maybe I'll go over to my parents' place! hehe. Happy Feast of the Assumption everyone! ;-) Mama Mary, we love you! Pray for us!

Anyway, here is Lacy's post:

Assumption of Mary- Are You Ready to Celebrate?

on Friday, August 13, 2010

The Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary is on August 15. FYI- Jesus Ascended into heaven. Mary was Assumed into heaven. Hence the "Ascension of Jesus" and the "Assumption of Mary". Guess Jesus could do it on his own, and Mary was abducted alien style. Ok, only kidding about the 'alien abduction' part. :-)

Here are some ways to have fun in celebration of the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary! (Man, what a mouth full!) 

Who loves free Catholic coloring pages? I do! And these ones 

from St. John's Catholic Church are some of my favorites!

This coloring page of Mary's Assumption is just beautiful.

Over at Catholic and Loving It, they made this great

Marian Cake for celebrating the Assumption of Mary.

If you're looking for food ideas, you could try

Cloud Cocoa, Cloud Meringue Cookies,

Cloud Souffle, or Cloud Cookies! 

Also, here are some ideas from my Ascension of Jesus post. I love this
jello dish because not only is it clouds for the assumption, but
it's blue to symbolize Mary, too! :-)

I wish I would have had the time to pull off a craft for this one- maybe next year. Anyway, enjoy the coloring page and say good bye to your diet for this one!

If you enjoyed this post, get free updates by email or RSS. 

Your Preschooler: Learning To Read

I got this from Babycentre (the UK version, I didn't know there was a Filipino version at the time I was researching for good parenting websites while we were still based in Timor). I have been receiving regular e-mail updates from them ever since Tim was still a baby, and even now, with Tim at 4 years 10 months, I get useful information from their site. 


Here is an article on preschoolers and reading. :-) I am happy and proud to say that Tim can read simple 3 and 4 letter words now, mostly by sounding them out. (Thanks a lot to Starfall.com - check out my review about it, coming soon!) However, I realize that I need to focus more on the other aspects of teaching him how to read soon ;-) I must, must, must get into a daily routine! :-) Pray for me?!


How to help your preschooler learn to read

A few children learn to read at four. But the norm is for an interest to start at four and actual reading to begin at age five or even six or seven. Here's what you can do to help.

• About syntax
• About semantics
• About phonics

Learning to read requires the mastering of three basic skills: syntax, semantics and phonics.

• Syntax is the way words, phrases and clauses go together to create sentences and paragraphs. 
• Semantics is how words and sentences in a group relate to one another. 
• Phonics refers to the sounds letters make and the relationship between written and spoken words. 

As your preschooler learns to read, he will develop in all these areas. Most children, however, start understanding syntax and semantics before phonics. For example, he will learn that sentences in a book run from left to right before he understands what the letter combination “sh” sounds like. The best thing you can do to help your child grow in all three areas is to expose him to books and reading every day, whether by reading aloud at bedtime, going to story time at your local library or simply reading from the recipe as you make his dinner. 

About syntax 

A child who grasps syntax has an awareness of written language. Syntax skills begin with an understanding of the structure of a book and the words and sentences within it. For example, when your preschooler was a baby, he held books upside down, sucked on them or used them as a mat to sit on. As a toddler, he started to understand that a book has a front and a back, that words are read from left to right and that the book progresses page by page. Once your child grasps the structure of a book, he'll begin to understand what's inside: words, sentences, paragraphs and chapters. As your preschooler tackles new books, he'll start to get to grips with the stops, starts and pauses in a sentence and the purpose of punctuation. 

Here are some ways to develop syntax skills with your preschooler: 

• Read aloud books that rhyme. There are some great story books that rhyme, such as The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson. Or try a book of nursery rhymes. 
• As you read, follow the words with your finger. This will show your preschooler how a sentence progresses, that a full stop represents a pause in the flow of the story and other relationships between written and spoken language. 
• Write a letter with your child. Emphasise the different parts of the letter: introduction, sentences, paragraphs, closing. 

About semantics 

Semantic skills include an ability to recognise and define words, to predict the plot of a story, understand the characters, to talk about the meaning of a whole paragraph or section of a book and to discuss a book as a whole after reading it. It also means being able to substitute words and differentiate words with similar meanings too. For example, “cup” and “mug”. 

Here are some ways to encourage semantic skills with early readers: 

• Read books that tell stories. Fairytales are great for this. 
• Talk about the book as you read it. Ask your child to predict the end of the story. 
• Keep the flow going. When your child starts learning to read aloud, don't stop mid-sentence to labour over a difficult word. If your child is stuck, say the word, explain the meaning, and then move on with the sentence. This encourages comprehension of the sentence and the rest of the story. Go back and review the word another time. 

About phonics 

Phonics is the mechanical part of the reading process. It includes being able to sound out words and recognise word families, such as “ph” words and “th” words. Being able to differentiate between words that look alike, such as “big” and “bag” is part of it too. As well as being able to distinguish words with different letters but similar sounds, such as “four” and “phone”. 

Here are some ways to encourage and develop phonics skills with early readers: 

• Go through rhyming books, nursery rhymes and songs with your child. With each rhyme, point out the words that look alike and discuss the difference in meaning. For example, how is “hat” different from “cat”? 
• Use alphabet books to discuss words that are the same and different in their beginning and end letter. 
• Write down the names of family members and friends, and sound out each name with your child. Group the names by first letter. 
• Get your child to read to you. When he comes across new or difficult words, pronounce and define them for him, and then let your child read the sentence again. Keep a mental note of any recurring problems. 
• Don't name letters, sound them. When you are teaching your child about letters, use the sound: "a" as in apple, "b" as in banana, "c" as in cat. 

Created October 2008 

Sponsored Link

How to join HAPI

I just got an e-mail about joining HAPI from my Catholic homeschool yahoo group and thought it would be good to share here. I just edited the e-mail address in the latter part to indicate my own :-) I am already a member of HAPI, along with my husband and 2 kids. :-) So excited for how HAPI can help more homeschoolers like us! ;-)

To fellow homeschoolers,

HAPI (Homeschool Association of the Philippine Islands) is inviting us to join the organization. Membership is free for this year (2011).

Who can join HAPI?

Anybody who is willing to support homeschooling. You could be presently homeschooling or not. If your child has gone back to a conventional school, you could still be a member to signify your support.

Why should you join?

HAPI exists to propagate home education or homeschooling in the Philippines and the world, as a choice of educating your children. As an association, HAPI will endeavour to provide constant encouragement and an array of services to its members. It will strive to liaise as a body with the Department of Education particularly on concerns and policies affecting the homeschooling community.

What are some of the benefits of membership?

Discounts and perks; access to HAPI-certified Directory, DepEd updates, homeschool resources and materials, calendar of events at large. 

Should you like to join, please e-mail me at teachermamatina@gmail.com with the following information:

Parents' names

Children's names

Grade levels

School affiliation or Independent

To those who joined the Hapi Roadshow, no need to reply.
Let's support the cause of homeschooling in our country through HAPI.

Educating for Eternity

"Of course, our most important goal is to educate our children for eternity. How? By living and being what we want our children to be. We must be truthful, brave, forgiving, thoughtful, faithful, virtuous, self-disciplined, kind and cheerful if we want our children to be! Our Faith is caught, not taught... we can't give what we don't have. Overwhelming? Not when we remember that a baby learns to walk by falling! God measures our effort and appreciates every little thing we do for love of Him. He invites us to keep "walking" and grow more in love with Him each day."

- Introductory page, Educating for Eternity: Kindergarten, Catholic Heritage Curricula

This made me cry. I have been unkind, unforgiving, thoughtless, and angry a lot lately, especially to Tim. Lord, thank You for the reminder. We are educating for eternity. And no matter how many times I may fall, You will always be there to help me "walk." Please be with us as we begin our homeschool journey for real very, very soon.  Amen.

Painting shows a baby walking to his father. by Vincent Van Gogh

Wordless Wednesday

Catholic ABC's Preschool Curriculum!

One of my all-time favorite Catholic mom bloggers, Lacy, of Catholic Icing, may have outdone herself this time! :-) I am so so pleased to re-post her announcement about her latest project, Catholic ABC's preschool curriculum in book form! :-) Way to go Lacy! I am sure a lot of Catholic moms everywhere, including us here in the Philippines, will be greatly blessed by this! (I hope you consider coming up with a downloadable version soon, hehe!) Congrats to you and to God be all the glory! :-)

Below is Lacy's post, which you can read in full version here (there's a giveaway ongoing too, so head on over to her blog to check it out!). Blessings on everyone!

Catholic ABC's (The Book)- A Catholic Preschool Curriculum

on Tuesday, August 02, 2011

Anyone wondering where I've been? Well, I'm putting the finishing touches on my new book! Catholic Icing Presents: Catholic ABC's (The Book) - A Hands On Preschool Curriculum! {Also, there's a giveaway at the end of this post you don't want to miss!}

I love that the Catholic ABC's series matured into an all inclusive, user friendly book! 

I don't have any of them actually printed yet, but I'm sending off for them later this week!!! (Insert happy dance here!) I have poured my heart and soul into this book, and I could not be more pleased with how it has turned out! 

I couldn't decide whether to write the curriculum for homeschoolers or classrooms, so I wrote it for both. Can't go wrong with that decision, huh? ;-) So Catholic ABC's the Bookincludes separate teacher scripts for both homeschoolers and classroom teachers. You could use this book to teach your child, a group of children in your home, a class at a Catholic preschool co-op, or a whole preschool CCD class- your options for teaching are limitless, and this book makes everyone a teacher!

I am so happy to have this in a book form because it includes so much more than I've been able to post online! New crafts, 5 brand new unit studies, guides for setting up your classroom and organizing your materials, bible verses that go with each lesson, visual aides of full color artwork from the religious masters, and more! Also, the entire book is going to be printed in color which I'm really excited about!  

This Catholic preschool curriculum is hands on all the way! From the unit studies, to learning the alphabet, to crafting, singing, and counting- this book strives to make learning (and teaching) fun! Hey, why shouldn't it be fun?

I designed the book to engage visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners. The activities in this book help develop gross and fine motor skills. I believe that children learn best when they have multiple senses engaged, and when they have meaningful experiences that they can connect with. This book definitely helps you create these kind of experiences with your preschoolers. 

Catholic ABC's has 26 lessons that are based on the letters of the alphabet. They're meant to be used weekly. Each lesson includes a craft, bible verse, saint of the week, full color visual aid (usually in the form of beautiful artwork from the masters), and many lessons also include a bonus activity. The 5 unit studies follow the liturgical year and have directions for making unique learning tools to teach the story, and again, make it fun! The unit studies also teach the kids counting and numbers, and they all include a fun learning song. 

               Unit Studies:

1. Ordinary Time 1 - Creation
2. Advent/Christmas - Nativity
3. Ordinary Time 2 - 12 Apostles
4. Lent - Stations of the Cross
5. Easter - He is Risen!

All the templates, coloring pages, etc that are needed for Catholic ABC's are included in the "Master Copies" section of the book. They're bound in so they won't get lost.

As always, I take all of the guess work out of the crafting for you. Catholic Icing can make a crafter out of anyone! ;-) All of the crafts in the book are fairly easy to complete, and require only affordable and readily available craft supplies.

Ok, in case you can't tell by the excessive use of exclamation points in this post, I'm very excited about my book! I can't wait to hold the printed copies when they arrive! I just might have to invite all my friends over for a fun celebration. :-)

How Much Does it Cost?

Catholic ABC's The Book is going to cost $35 plus shipping, but if you'd like to place a pre-order, you'll receive a $5 discount! So that's just $30 plus shipping.  :-) (Shipping is $5.25 US and $15.00 international) I'm taking pre-orders between now and August 15. After August 15 the book will cost $35.00.

 

*The original deal offered on pre-orders was free shipping. Everyone who ordered within that time will receive the free shipping. Everyone ordering from now on will receive the $5 discount instead. Sorry for the confusion.*

Breastfeeding and homeschooling: How to make it work

I find it really comforting that a lot of the pro-homeschooling people I know are also pro-breastfeeding and pro-life! Even Hathor the Cow Goddess homeschools! hehehe. :-) Very affirming! 

From naturalmomstalkradio.com

In honor of World Breastfeeding Week/Month, which I also wrote about in my other blog here, I thought I'd also re-post this article from The Homeschool Classroom below. I found it very helpful myself. :-) 

HAPPY WORLD BREASTFEEDING WEEK! :-)

Homeschooling? Breastfeeding? Overwhelmed? How To Make It Work

by PAST WRITERS on OCTOBER 7, 2010 · 9 COMMENTS · BABIES/TODDLERS, FAMILY, HOW TO,MOTHERHOOD

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in babies/toddlers,family,how to,motherhood

Homeschooling takes place in the intimate domain of the home and family, and any changes in the family naturally also change the school.  One big change many home educating families go through is the addition of a new baby.

Infants demand Mom’s attention almost exclusively, and many parents feel stretched thin trying to keep up with the baby and help the older children with their studies.  However, because everyone is together in the home, caring for a newborn is happily compatible with home education.

Breastfeeding is a natural fit for many homeschooling families, so here are 5 tips for integrating feeding the baby with teaching the children.

• Put a comfortable chair near your school area.  Or, move the lessons to the couch or rocker.  Home schoolers don’t have to be tied to a desk, so take advantage of the situation to try out a change of scenery.  You won’t be very effective if you are crouched on a bar stool trying to feed the baby while your second grader demands help with her spelling words.
• Have supplies at the ready.  Your children still need your presence as they do their schoolwork.  Too often, when teacher’s away, the kids will play!  It’s distracting if Mom is always jumping up to find a burp cloth, grab a new onesie for the little one, or running to the nursery for a blanket.  Instead, get a hand basket or tote bag with a handle, and put all of your necessary breastfeeding supplies inside.  Carry it with you from room to room and you’ll have everything nearby.
• Make room for baby.  If your children do their schoolwork at the kitchen table, make sure there is a comfortable spot for the baby to rest in there, too.  Wear your baby in a sling, find a spot for the swing, get a travel bassinet, or even tuck her infant car seat in the corner.  That way, after nursing you can put a content or sleeping baby down and seamlessly move to teaching multiplication – while still keeping a close eye on your newborn.
• Hold off on field trips. Many homeschoolers also car school, teaching and learning on the road as the family drives from activity to co-op to club.  The weeks following the birth of a new baby, however, should be a time of rest.  Some women are sensitive about breastfeeding in public, although it is legal in most states to breastfeed anywhere.  Moms may be worried about offending other families or don’t think they can keep up with the kids on the playground while feeding a child at the breast.  Take it easy, stay home, and spend the time nurturing close family relationships while establishing your milk supply and getting to know your new baby.
• Make a list of activities that can be done while holding a needy baby.  Newborns are notoriously unpredictable, so that means Mom will have to be prepared.  Have your list ready for those days when you just can’t put the baby down.  Days like this might be perfect opportunities to set out photos of famous architecture and a bin of blocks, or to have a silent reading day with everyone curled up on the couch with a big bowl of popcorn.  Perhaps you can keep a few educational videos in reserve so the children can watch a special on the building of the pyramids while you tend to your littlest one.  Creating a contingency plan ahead of time will keep you in control of your school and ensure that the older children’s education is not neglected.

Enjoy your baby, and enjoy your children’s education. It’s not mutually exclusive, and your students can only benefit from seeing how everyone in the family’s needs are met as you learn together.