let's have a zoo party!

One wild birthday party could be around the theme of a zoo party wherein kids come in animal costumes or just animal hats. You might want to have a purely doggie theme wherein kids will choose to be any kind of dog breed he wants---a dalmatian, a shepherd, or a spitz. I prefer to let the kids choose any animal costume or hat---they could come as alligators, zebras, giraffe, sheep, etc. It will surely be one colorful and noisy party of animals. The games can revolve around this theme like making animal sounds or movements, etc. It's fun, try it!

gift basket, anyone?

Sometimes finding a perfect gift for someone on his/her special day can be a problem. We do not know what he/ she wants and needs. One solution is to organize a gift basket which could contain a number of stuff which he/she will appreciate. The contents of the basket will of course depend on the recipient of the basket. If it's a lady, you can lump in a bottle of cologne, a couple of hankies, a pocketbook, lotion, soap, shampoo, and others. If it's an old woman, you can throw in a shawl, vitamins, some fruits, bags of tea, etc. For a kid, of course, kids always appreciate toys, so you can put in a stuffed toy, some candies, cookies, a pair of socks, a cap, etc.

Whether it's a birthday present or a Christmas gift, a gift basket seems to be the safest and the most practical present.

cute simple invitation cards

It's going to be the simplest birthday for our turning 5-year-old kid. Just this afternoon we pruchased 45 pcs. very cute invitation cards to be given out to her classmates on Monday. Actually, we found regular birthday cards too expensive. These card makers have made card-making an expensive and profitable business. Years back birthday cards were packed in 30's at a reasonable price. Today b'day cards are packed in 4's and at a very high price. As we did our calculations we were considering the use of colorful and attractive stationeries for her invitation but the price wasn't any lower and they were also packed by 6. Whooaaaa! Too wise of them. But we were not that willing to spend a fortune on invitation cards alone, so we thought and thought until we came upon one section in the department store that contained cute gift cards. We examined these gift cards and decided to use them as our invitation cards. There were princess gift cards, Winnie the Pooh, Disney characters, etc. We felt proud and triumphant over our ingenuity. Can you guess how much we spent for those 45 cute cards? They were worth 1/8 the price of real birthday cards.

It's August 3, Dewey's b'day!

Something weird is happening in this blog of mine because the date has not changed since July 23---so this is what I am going to do-----make the date as my title. That way, nobody gets confused and people won't accuse me of neglecting this blog.

Another strange thing is that the newest tidbits I put in here do not appear as the latest post but somewhere in the archive.

Anyway, let this not spoil the party as we move on to what transpired during the 5th birthday party celebration of Dewey held at ABC Learning Center. It was fun! The kids looked like they were enjoying just having a short party with their classmates. The kids wore zoo party hats of hippos, giraffes, elephants, tigers, and bears. And yes, you'd think the teachers required the kids to bring gifts coz they each had a gift for Dewey. Each one went to the celebrant, gave her a peck on the cheek before handing her the gift. How nice.

I think having a birthday party at school among her classmates and teachers is good. We are considering this for her future birthdays. It's less hassle, less costly, less greasy and more fun!

the problem with food delivery for b'day party

Finally, it's the simplest birthday party for our 5-year-old Dewey. Burgers, peach pies, drinks, a piece of cake, loot, zoo hats, and balloons----that's about it.

We were advised by Jollibee that foods like spaghetti, french fries, and ice cream are not very good ideas for delivery because the spaghetti is bound to lose its taste because of the time span between preparation and delivery, french fries will wither when it is not fresh from the pan, and ice cream will melt of course. Sigh, sigh. So we made it as practical as possible since it is going to be held in their classroom, the food to be served will turn out with little or no mess and less garbage.

It is a very simple zoo party tomorrow when Dewey turns 5.

Happy, happy birthday baby Dewey!

thought for the day: children need love especially those who do not deserve it

Children are said to be gifts to parents who are tasked to nurture and take care of them until they are old enough to stand on their own two feet.

However, not all parents are capable of providing for the needs of their children that is why there are children who are in orphanage homes. But no matter what the reasons are, it is the sole duty of the parents to love and care for their children.

Children need love. As parents we have to love our kids even if they are the most unlovable on this planet. For if parents could not even love their own brood, how do they expect others to do the same? Whether a child is handicapped, deformed, sick, dumb, silly---he is still your child. I have read in the newspaper recently about the story of a polio victim who, at the age of 5, suddenly fell ill and was diagnosed with polio. The parents of this boy denied the fact that they had a child who had this disease. In their house they had a small space or cubicle between the sala and the dining room, to which he retreated when there were visitors. He grew up hiding and ashamed to be seen by others. When visitors would go to their house he would slither to his cubicle to hide.

However, this little boy had developed the habit of reading. He read, read, read until his eyes burned. He became well-informed until one day he decided to leave the house and live in a place among others with physical disabilities. His life changed since he stopped hiding.

fruit hats, fruit blouses

Pre-schoolers and grade schoolers got to wear their cool fruit and vegetable costumes at school during the culmination activity of Nutrition Month. It was so refreshing to see the multi-colored hats and fruit-decked shirts worn by kids of ABC learning Center.

birthstone for August

The birthstone for those born during the month of August is PERIDOT. It is also the anniversary gemstone for those celebrating their 16th wedding anniversary.

July modern birthstone

Brithstone for July is RUBY which is also the anniversary gemstone for the 15th and 40th years of marriage. In terms of hardness, if diamond is 10, ruby gets 9.

(NOTE: Something is wrong with blogger.com system. My latest updates are found somewhere after this blog. I've done other updates after this and they are all found after this blog which is still dated July 23. My latest blog, "kid cries at b'day party" is sent in August 4 but the date that came out is July 23. In fact the latest blogs are all dated July 23. I hope blogger.com fixes this problem)

Happy, happy birthday to DAN EMMANUEL or MANNU who will be celebrating his 1st birthday on July 30, 2007 at Nerisse Bakeshop, Dumaguete City.

Harry Potter

J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books had stirred some controversy among conservative groups for they tried to view it as something like promoting sorcery and black magic. The same controversy also happened when Dan Brown wrote the Da Vinci Code.

Both books are fiction, most especially the Harry Potter series which are too far-out from reality. Children who read and understand the books should know that fantasy and reality are not one and the same.

Harry Potter books are very entertaining. They let the imagination fly to far away lands inhabited by strange beings. I think they're great for kids.

Do you want to have the complete set of Harry Potter books? You may leave your answer under comment.

El Villano, Robbie Rotten

Meet Lazytown's villain, Robbie Rotten. He is one guy nobody wants to be with because he always has nasty tricks on everyone. He hates anything good. He hates exercising, healthy food, and rules. He turns everybody's day into a nightmare. Guys, this villain is not to be imitated.

But in fairness, Robbie Rotten is extremely funny. HIs acting and antics just make me roll. REally now, he is one of my favorite television actors. Of course, along with him is Jim Carrey. If you want to see how crazy Robbie Rotten is, go watch Lazytown. You will also love Stephanie, that very sweet and talented girl who always finds good solutions to problems. Sportacus is just fantastic. But Robbie Rotten is one that creates all the fun.

smiling faces!

Hi, kids! Keep that smile plastered on your faces! Smile, smile, smile!

5th birthday in school

We have finally decided to have a very simple birthday celebration for Dewey's 5th birthday come early August and it's going to be held in school with her classmates. Food will be delivered by McDonald's along with balloons and other party favors. We have to follow what previous celebrants in the class had been doing and that is, celebrating the birthday in school with classmates. It's a most welcome change because it's hassle-free.

what our kid watch at home

Dewey, my five-year-old grandchild, has her favorite TV shows. She has the TV to herself while we busy ourselves with our online tasks. Of course, I see to it that she watches wholesome cartoons or shows. Her favorites are "Spongebob Squarepants", "Totally Spies", "Wonder Pets", "Dora", "HI-5" and "Lazytown".

Barbie doll

For her approaching 5th birthday my granddaughter was asked by my sister what she wants for her birthday and she blurted "Barbie doll". Oh, this granddaughter of mine have had real Barbie dolls as well imitation Barbies but where are they now? They are either lost or mangled. The real ones given to her on her previous birthdays just disappeared while the fake Barbies already have broken extremeties and are no longer playable. I remember her having Brats and mermaid dolls. She brought all of them to school last year and came home without them. They got stolen by other kids. So.

July is Nutrition Month

Kids need to get the three food groups everyday. Are you getting them? Samples of the

Go, Grow, and Glow food groups are as follows:

Go --- spaghetti, bread, rice, cakes

Grow -- eggs, chicken joy, steak, fish, hotdog, milk, cheese, french fries

Glow -- mangoes, vegetables, apples, grapes, oranges, carrots

Kids should be sure of getting a little of everything every meal to make them strong, healthy, alert and happy.

trick or treat?

In some countries, October 31 is considered an important event because the evening of that day is Halloween. Kids wear spooky costumes and go from house to house for a "trick or treat" which of course ends in the giving away of sweets, fruits, cakes, cookies and others.

I read somewhere that parents actually start making or looking for halloween costumes for their kids as early as July or August. Will the kids wear costumes of witches, vampires, the devil, goblins, ghosts, vultures and other scary get-ups? Will they get to go ghost- hunting or will they go to haunted houses for the thrill of it? Will they attend a costume party in the neighborhood? Or will they just go with friends going from house to house to ask for treats? The answers to these questions have caused some excitement in the parents who are now considering halloween costumes.

In our country we do not observe this practice of wearing costumes and asking for treats. But families troop to the cemetery to visit the departed loved ones. Some families sleep there during halloween to keep company to the departed.

on renting clowns

Based on observation, there are different types of clowns that you can hire to liven up your kid's birthday party. However, some fastfoods that cater to such needs will provide mascots for free provided you choose a certain range or offer. Anyway, should you choose to prepare the food, you can always hire the services of clowns. In our locality I have noticed two groups of clowns which give different types of services. The first group have clowns who do everything---hosting and entertaining the kids with magic and games. There are two clowns in this first group, one of the clowns does the hosting and leads in the overall flow of events while the second one acts as assistant. Both are females. The second team also has two male clowns whose task is only to entertain the kids with dancing, magic, and games. Another person, who acts as the overall leader, does the hosting. In other words, the clowns are only there to clown around. No one hears a single word from them but they dance, bounce, do tricks and the like.

We compared the two groups and personally preferred the latter. Clowns are more credible when they stick to clowning but if they also function as host, it sort of diminishes their credibility and takes out much of the fun.

What's in the loot?

Middle of this month we plan to start buying kids' stuff to fill the loot bags. My granddaughter's birthday is on the first week of August and it is going to be a very simple one in school with her classmates.

So basically what we need are kids' snacks, maybe birthday hats, balloons, a layer of cake, and loot bags.

Since we only intend to have the food catered, the only thing that we need to worry will be what to put in the loot. I have considered stuffing the bags with the following: tablet candies (they love this), some chippies, small toys, pencil, crayons, stickers. I know that I should have a toy or two in there because kids go crazy over these things. But of course I need to choose those that are inexpensive in order to fit our budget.

Any suggestions are welcome.

Birthday greetings to all our July b'day celebrants:

July 7 -- eseomame (Mylot member)

8 -- OURDEW (Mylot member)

27 -- Maybelle or Tita Bing (my niece)

Belated happy b'day to our June celebrants:

June 10 -- djdguy (Mylot member)

21 -- ashar123 (Mylot member)

27 -- Dale (my nephew)

HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GUYS!

to cater or not to cater

My granddaughter's 5th birthday is barely a month away and we are faced with two options regarding food preparation. Should we prepare the food or shall we have it catered? We have already identified the kind of food that would mostly likely be eaten by kids her own age. If we prepare the food ourselves, cook them home and prepare them in individual containers, we know that we could have more with a small budget. However, there is going to be a lot of work involved from the cooking to the placing of the food in styrofoams. We know the hassles of doing all these. If we have it catered, we'll be paying more for less food but the headache and hassle will be removed from our turf. We will be able to enjoy the party more and attend to other details of the kids' party which we have decided to hold in their school. Family members and friends will have their own celebration in the evening at some fancy restaurant I hope. My granddaughter's 4th birthday was big and we've spent quite a fortune for that occasion so this year we want to make it as simple as possible.

what kids want to wear at X'mas parties

Times have changed greatly. During my time in the 60's we donned party clothes when we went to our school X'mas party. We'd put on our best dress and our best shoes for the X'mas party was the most-awaited event in school at that time.

I got the surprise of my life when my own kids were in grade school and they started to choose what they wanted to wear for their party. In the past, they did not have such choices for I picked their clothes for their party and they were always party clothes. One day, however, everything changed. They wanted to wear ordinary street-clothes like maong pants, t-shirt, rubber shoes. I was like, rubber shoes? But they insisted, cried that they'd not attend if I did not buy what they wanted, so I had to give up.

I thought they'd be out-of-place in their jeans and rubbers, but when I took a peek in their classroom I was awakened from my ignorance, for there they were, the new kids in town attending their X'mas party in sandals, sneakers, faded pants, and what-have-you.

I learned my lesson----to be more updated on what the kids are wearing and are saying.

Don't get bullied at school

Now that it's back-to-school time and some kids will have to deal once again with their greatest of fears--being bullied by kids of his or her own age.
A bully is a boy or girl who acts mean or hurtful to others. He picks on someone else to get power, or get their way, or feel important. They hit, kick, push and hurt people using bad words to call names, tease or scare others. Nobody wants to be a victim of bullying because it results to any of these negative feelings---scared, sad, worried , embarrassed. A bully takes the fun out of school for the victim is scared to go anywhere. He is afraid to go to the lunchroom, bathroom, or playground because he is scared of the bully.
Now let us turn our attention on the bully. Who is he? Why are kids scared of him and why does he do what he does? According to a recent study, a bully is actually looking for attention and bullying makes him feel big or superior.
Bullies come from families where everybody is angry, pushing, hitting each other and he could be a victim of bullying at home. So to a bully, since he is seeing a lot of fighting and screaming in his family, he believes that this is the normal thing to do. He projects this in school and feels inwardly satisfied for doing so.
How not to be the bullied:
1. Be brave or act brave. When the bully sees that you are scared near him, he will be delighted to scare you more.
2. Ignore. When he makes a move, just move on and let it pass.

3. If he insists in coming close to you, ask him what he wants. If he starts bullying, report him to the teacher who is expected to do something immediately so no untoward incidents will happen.

4. If, after reporting to the teacher the bully does it again, make your parents write a report to the teacher with a copy furnished to the principal and school director. This should already lead to something.
Bullies should never be tolerated anywhere. They should be dealt with properly and immediately with the right dose of discipline from school authorities.