Miggy's Field Trip

A week before his field trip, Miggy was already excited about it.  He had visited Manila Ocean Park twice already,  but the thought of visiting it again with his classmates excites him and we just had to say yes to this field trip.

We got up early since assembly at school is at 5:30AM.  It took a while though for the tour organizers and the teachers to get everyone settled in their respected buses, we left the school 7:30AM.

Assigned to our bus as tour guide is Kuya Aljon.  I was expecting to take a short nap on our way to Ocean Park, but Kuya Aljon kep us all awake with his games and interesting trivia of almost anything, anyplace we passed by to.  He also made a running tour of Intramuros before heading to Manila Ocean Park.

Kuya Aljon, our tour guide

Upon arrival at Manila Ocean Park, we had to spend 30 minutes at the bus to wait for its opening time.  And another 10 minutes at the lobby which was no fun at all because of the hot weather.  But the little boy did not mind at all.  :-)

Our first stop is SERILAND.  We visited 3 exhibits or areas:  Kid's Paradise, 3D Cinema and Trick Art Museum.  We were supposed to visit Mirror Maze instead of Kid's Paradise but the latter is unavailable due to an accident a day before.  I think a mirror was broken.

Kid's Paradise

3D Cinema

The Trick Art Museum was very interesting.  They were just simple wall paintings but the trick is when you use the camera (without flash).  I wish we had more time to take pictures.

After a tiring morning at Seriland, we had lunch on board our bus, then they gave us free time to roam around the place before our 1:30 schedule at Penguin Talkshow.

Playing around

I thought the Amzaing Penguin Talkshow was a usual kid's show but I was surprised to have learned that it was actually a digital puppetry and stand up comedy in one! We were laughing the whole time!

Enjoying the Penguin Talk Show

Oceanarium was next.  We already visited the place twice and there was nothing new inside.

Nemo was a hit as always :-)

Magical Show was next.  This is the part when the camera's battery went out already.

Then Trail to Antartica was next.  But before you go inside, you will see a large a aquarium where you can see small penguins and you can feed them for a fee.  Miguel was really really insistent on trying it out that I had to pay 250.00 for a chance to feed the penguin one fish (as in one lang, you have to pay additional for another fish) and a photo op with the penguins. It was all over in a second! But the boy was really happy!

The Trail to Antartica was never a trail at all.  It was a big decorated room of ice where you can take picture as if you're in a snow. It was really cold!

Trail to Antartica

After the Trail to Antartica, we were already tired and exhausted and most parents were already wishing to go home. We dropped by the souvenir shop on our way out the area for pasalubong.  Our last exhibit was the Dancing Sea Fairies, and we already saw that the last time we visited Ocean park so I was kinda hoping to skip it and just grab something to eat but Miguel insisted we go and see it again.  We were there for less than five minutes.  Just a room of floor length aquariums with jellies- they are lighted with different colors though which makes them attractive.  It's obvious that the place was built to be a bar or resto.  Maybe it did not go well so they turned it into exhibit instead.

We left the place around 6PM already and the kid's were tired that they dozed off shortly after deaparture. 

All in all, we had fun, especially the little boy.  :-) 

Thank you Lord for this day. It would not have been possible without your guidance and protection.

Study Room Makeover In Progress

For weeks now, I just had to give Miguel's study space a major lift up!  For a sanguine student like him and a sanguine mommy like me, his old study space is a major NO NO!

Just want to share.  It's still a work in progress-  

This is what it looks like before the make-over--- yikes!

Initial touches done

I still need to put shelves and add color to the area... and a wall organizer too...

:-)

2013 CCF Leadership Conference

Conference details:
Make Him Known- 2013 CCF Leadership Conference
Where: CCF Alabang
When:  February 22-23,2013

Our bag kit

Mini folder

Inside the mini folder

Inside our bag

I will post some insights on the conference next.  It was a great blessing to be there!

:-)

Graduation Photoshoot

Time flies so fast!  We are already on our last module for our GLC Level 2 course at CCF! And last night, we had our graduation photo shoot.  Too bad there was no behind the scenes picture taken.  I was not able to ask Vergil to take one.  Hopefully, they will give us a copy of our graduation photos.

There's still so much to do though- our GLC testimony, our graduation one liner and we still have 3 classes to go and our project writing on the last day.  But I thank God for enabling us to finish the course.

I will post my GLC testimony here once done.

:-)

Letting Go

This song speaks much of the day I met the Lord.  Before that, I was already feeling the deep emptiness inside me that fame, wealth, and power cannot fill.  But it was until He had broken me down that  I sought him out.  And I am so grateful that He allowed me to draw close to Him.

I've learned to let go of my fears and doubts, but most importantly control of my life-  my dreams, aspirations, my plans.  I have let him take control of what He wants me to do.  I want to obey Him and wait patiently of His perfect plan for me.

Many did not understand what I did.  Being a full time mom and wife when I have all the ability to make it in the corporate world bothered people close to me.  I, myself was bothered too, and hesitant, especially that we had to struggle financially after a series of major financial problems.  But in many ways, He told us to trust Him and to obey.

Surprisingly, despite the major adjustment from having a lot to having just enough to spare, I feel peace and joy and contentment.  Although there are times when I am tempted to want more-  God has a way to remind me to focus on what's eternal and not temporal.  To focus not on my short stay on earth but the very long ETERNITY.

:-)

Timezone

Our Maxene was not feeling well the past days and she was always crying.  Before our worship service at CCF yesterday, she requested Daddy to bring her to Timezone with all the tears and sad face.  Vergil just had to say YES!

So off we went after the service-

My Sanguine Miguel

He's growing so fast, I want to cry.

Valentines Day

Brush Brush Brush

I got no problem with them (Maxene and Miggy) wanting to brush their teeth every after meal.  The thing lang is, most of the time if I let them do it on their own, they brush less than the ideal amount of time/minutes needed to ensure clean teeth.  

Good thing I discovered this light and timer toothbrush by Firely at Watson's.  Now they know they will need to brush their teeth until the light goes off.  Yipeee!  And they are definitely having fun too!

Enjoying their light up toothbrush :-)

Her First Bus Ride

Vergil was not available to drive me to pick up my Forever 21 items yesterday so I had to take a bus.  And I  decided to take Maxene along for her to experience to ride a bus.  I was surprised that she enjoyed it very much and had to ask me that we take the bus again going home.  Too bad I don't have a camera with me to document that moment.  My phone does not take decent pictures and I am not into bringing along camera whenever I go out ( I am now seriously considering getting a phone with a decent camera for such moments).

Next goal is to let her experience riding the MRT.  Kuya Miguel had been requesting for this also.   I'd better sit down and make a schedule and get a thumbs up signal from the big boss!

Photo of the Day

Sporty Saturday- Jogging

Full Time Mommy

I've been very busy.  For practical reasons, we decided to let go of our yaya and I will take over taking care of the kids, the husband and the house. :-)

It is very tiring, but very very fulfilling!  Humbling I can say since it is far different that what I used to do in the corporate world.  At the house, I am the servant, not the boss.  But I am so willing to do it for my husband and kids.  And for God.

I hope to post more the next days to come.  I am slowly adjusting to the hectic and tiring schedule.

:-)

AWANA Family Day

It's fun to see kids enjoying the games.  And it is more fun and heartwarming seeing them worship God through praise songs.

And the biggest surprise of all-  Miguel Topped his Cubbies class! So proud!

Happy New Year

2011 was a really bumpy ride for us.

2012 was still bumpy.  But what made the big difference?

We surrendered everything to God.  We trusted Jesus to be our Lord and Savior!

And-
He brought us peace and joy beyond understanding.
He taught us purpose and direction to begin with after we got up from the hits and knock downs of life.
He taught us gratefulness even for the smallest things.
He brought us blessings through other people.
He transformed us to become better persons in light of His righteousness.
He challenged us to rise up to His expectations of us.
He gave us the right perspective to what's really important in life.
He gave us the privilege and opportunity to serve Him.
He gave us the power to be a blessing to others.
He made us live life in view of ETERNITY.

We thank you Lord for the new life You gave us.  And this coming 2013, we are looking forward for the new things you are going to teach us, for the new blessings you are going to shower upon us.  Let You will reign in our lives as we strive to know you more and more.  Trials and challenges will be nothing next to your power, grace and mercy.

We love you Jesus.

Provider

As much as I know that God provides all we need and that we should learn to turn to Him and trust Him, I am still guilty of so many times when I forget to do just that.  Instead, I make hasty decisions without even consulting Him.

But there are times when I just pray and let my heart rest on His promise-

Matthew 6:34
Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Now, as I am reflecting on my reading today-  John 6: 1-15, where Jesus feeds fives thousand people - He once again confirmed to me that He is able to provide all that I need.  But I have to admit that whenever I think of Him as my provider, it is always in the area of my physical and emotional needs.  I never really pondered on the more important truth about Jesus.  He, being the bread of life that gives everlasting life.

John 6:51
I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will leave forever.

Most of the time, I am bounded by wishing heaven here on earth, and I forget the truth that life here on earth will never be like heaven- even if I will be have all the money of this world.  There will always be emptiness of the heart, trials, and absence of peace in our minds.  It is only through Jesus that we come to know peace and joy beyond understanding, beyond material things... And living forever means joining Him to eternal life- where there will only joy and peace.

I need to always remind myself that life here on earth is a test.  And just like the classroom, there will be two results.  And I need to focus to work on passing- to do His will in my life and to live a true Christian life.

Christmas 2012

What's more important than spending time with the family- sharing good laughs, old memories, new stories and gifts to one another!

We've been blessed- Thank you Lord!

On Righteousness

Another wonderful truth I have come to learn about Jesus and what He did on the cross:

2 Corinthians 5:21
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

The Lord Jesus Christ, who live a sinless life, was tortured, rejected and put to an agonizing death on the cross, because of His love for us! And what happened on the cross was, God put all our sins on Him, he actually became sin, and He took Jesus Christ's righteousness and put it in all of us.  So that whenever we confess our sins, God do not see our sins in us, but the righteousness of Christ.

1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 

As I am pondering on this truth, I realized how God loves us.  I deserve to be on the cross for all my sins and yet, God sent His Son to become the perfect sacrifice so that I will become free from the slavery of sin and be reconciled to Him.  Imagine the impact of this truth:  Jesus Christ's righteousness is in me!  I may lived a whole life doing good works but I will never deserve such a privilege.  And yet God gave it to us, Jesus Christ shed His blood so that His righteousness will live in us.  God's grace is truly amazing! The sinless took all the sins!

I pray for the Holy Spirit to prompt me on this truth everyday.  I want to always remember this truth the next time I feel rejected or mistreated or criticized.  Because if our Lord, who lived righteous, sacrificed Himself on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins-  what reason do I have, a sinner, not to forgive others for the petty wrongs others may do to me? And also, since the righteousness of Jesus is in me, then this should motivate me to live on that righteousness.  And I know that God will give me the power and strength to do it.  I will stumble for sure... I still live in my sinful nature.  But that should not give me the excuse not to get back up and head to the way God wants me to take- to live righteous just as He has given us!

To God be all the glory!

Treasures

Matthew 6:19
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

My life before Christ had always been about pursuing treasures on earth rather than treasures in heaven.  Well, it had to be that way before because I really never give a thought about heaven  or eternal life.  And as the bible said, it was where the whole of my heart was- pursuing financial freedom and gaining all the material things I wanted for me and my family.  For someone who also never understood about investment in eternal life, it was a noble and reasonable goal and pursuit.  To work hard and leave a legacy of financial freedom to your family is what most of us see as SUCCESS.  My heart and my soul and my strength was into it.  I never cared much already about other things like time with God, with my family and my friends.  Well, I can have all the time in the world once I get the goal.

And then I met Christ, accepted Him as my Savior and surrendered my life to Him... He became my Lord, my King.  He showed me about eternal life and how foolish it was for me to be investing my whole life over my short time here on earth and neglecting eternity.  He made me realize that the right legacy I can leave to my children was not financial security but security in the knowledge and grace and salvation of God.  

Was it easy to just let go and change the whole of my direction 365 degrees?  

It was a struggle!  But you see, He made me see what is like to be a follower of Him and how faithful He is to His promises.  It was always me who is not faithful of surrendering everything to Him and trusting Him of His will and promises.  I am a work in progress...  I have surrendered many areas of my life to Him and still surrendering... 

For me, pursuing treasure in Heaven is understanding the will of the Father in my life and DOING HIS WILL.  And understanding His will is first seeking him and knowing Him.  Just as we are here on earth, you can never understand or trust someone if you don't know him/her.  Same with God, you will never trust your whole life to Him and seek and understand His will if you don't know Him- close and intimate.  Slowly, as I grew closer to Him, He is revealing His will in my life.  And I pray for strength, courage and wisdom to follow.

I pray that I may be able to store up for myself treasures in Heaven and have the courage to always give up pursuing treasures here on earth.  I pray that my heart will always be in the right place.

Merry Christmas!

This christmas will be the best so far! With the Lord in our hearts and the transformation we are going through everyday, I am pretty sure whatever happens, we are going to celebrate and be joyful and grateful!

Tree is up!