Snoopy Lover

This post is dedicated to a good friend who celebrates her birthday today. She LOVES Snoopy.

There's no event in the Winter Olympics called "The Downhill Supper Dish"!

I painted your supper dish to give you the illusion that life is more interesting than it really is.

Nobody's perfect. I was wrong once .. two years ago on a Monday afternoon in March.

Someday somebody's going to put four boards around him and have an "instant sandbox"!

We're gonna carouse. I don't know what that is, but it sounds great!

The last day of school! Put all questions on hold 'til September!

I should never call the roll before noon.

Fishing for compliments? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard.

I hate long goodbyes!

My heart may not be broken, but it sure is bent.

It's fun to visit Woodstock. We swap stories, laugh and cry together .. and drink cheap root beer.

Years are like candy bars. We're paying more, but they're getting shorter.

The Mechanical Claw

The Mechanical Claw -- 25 April 2008

I found it! I found it!

I was at Landmark the other day and I went to the toy section to look for samurai swords for RD and MyGirl (that's a different story). Then I saw it. There it was ... THE mechanical claw. I remembered RD and I couldn't resist. What can I say? The toy was calling out to me. It said, "Take me! Take me!"

When I got home, I gave RD and MyGirl the samurai swords I had gotten. I left the mechanical claw in the bag.

Later that evening, RD saw that ' something extra' I had left in the bag. He asked if that was for him. I teased him and said, "Maybe."

He was all excited and asked, "What do I have to do so I can have it?"

I thought about it for a while then remembered that 24 April 2008 was the last day of his summer badminton classes. I said, "All you have to do is to be yourself and come home from badminton classes tomorrow, and it's yours!"

He gave me a funny look which sort of said, 'That's like doing nothing. But if you say so, I can surely be myself and I will surely come home from badminton classes.'

Needless to say, RD is now the proud owner of a new mechanical claw. The claw has found its place in the basket at the bottom of his bed along with his plastic samurai swords and other treasured stuff. He uses it (primarily) to irritate his brother, to pick up faraway objects and manipulate the television volume and channels.



The Mechanical Claw -- 22 March 2008

We went to National Bookstore this morning. After going through the book section, we passed by the toy section. On our way out, RD mentioned that one of the toys he would like to get is a mechanical claw. (He had seen this toy in the mall a long time ago and I think one of his cousins had such a toy when they were much younger.)

"Why would you want that toy?" I asked him.

He candidly replied that he could use that toy to pick things up.

I told him that I had something better to do that for me. "They're called children," I said.

RD just looked at me and smiled.

Heaven Sent

Heaven Sent -- 23 April 2008

Out of the blue, I thought about one of my first cousins. She has lived in England for as long as I can remember. When my grandparents were still alive, they would visit the Philippines once in a while as a family. As the years passed, my cousins got married, had children, moved out of their house. In other words, they grew up.

Their visits to Manila were far and few. As a result, me and my cousin hardly see each other and we rarely communicate with each other. Yet now that I think about it, she was nearby during two instances of crises in my life. I distinctly recall her message to me and also the positive effect her presence had on me during those times.

She once told me, "Just remember, nothing is wasted."

These were the words of wisdom she gave me when I was nursing a broken heart. My first boyfriend and I had split up after eight and a half years, and I was crushed. I was young and idealistic. Admittedly, I was (and still am) a hopeless romantic. I thought that he would be the one I would marry and that he'd be the father of my children.

Anyway, these words play back in my mind even after 15 years, particularly during hard and trying times. And nothing IS wasted as long as we learn from our experiences.

In 2005, I was going through a particularly difficult time in my career. She and one of her sisters came to visit. It was a very rare visit. Her sister had flown in from the States and she had flown in from London. They had sychronized their trip to be in the Philippines at the same time to visit their father who is here. It was a short trip primarily aimed at seeing their father but they were able to spend an afternoon at Cebu Avenue to see my parents and meet the children.

When we saw each other, she could tell that something was wrong. We were able to talk briefly. Her calm presence was a great help. She told me not to worry too much and that things would turn out fine.

I don't know what it is about her but somehow she always comes across to me as being so at peace with the world. Though she is very soft-spoken, one can feel her strength. She is like an angel sent from heaven.

I still yet to achieve that sort of serenity in my life. I know it is possible for I have seen it with my own eyes.

Muffins

Muffins are among of the easiest things to bake. Only seven basic ingredients are needed for plain muffins. A 12-muffin batch can be mixed up, baked and served within an hour.

In its simplest form, this is the muffin recipe

2 c flour
1/4 c sugar
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 c milk
4 T oil or melted butter
1 egg

Preheat oven to 400° F.
Combine dry ingredients.
Mix in wet ingredients until just combined.
Grease muffin pans and fill 2/3 with batter.
Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.

The secret to getting muffins which don't get compared to baseballs is not overbeating the batter. When the recipe says 'mix until just combined,' mix until just combined. The instructions were placed there for a reason. It's ok to have lumpy batter. The muffins will turn out fine.

The more creative muffin would still have the seven basic ingredients but with an expanded list of ingredients for added variety. Wet and/or dry ingredients can be used as additions. The muffins can have toppings or icing for a batch made especially for those with a sweet tooth.

GRAIN : 2 to 2 1/2 c white flour
--- or oatmeal, cornmeal, whole wheat, or cereal for 1 cup

MILK : 1 c
--- or buttermilk or sour milk
--- or fruit juice for part or all of the milk

FAT : 1/4 c vegetable oil or 4 T melted butter
--- or margarine or peanut butter

EGG : 1 egg
--- or 1 heaping T of soy flour + 1 T water

SWEETENER : between 2 T to 1/2 c sugar
--- or 3/4 c brown sugar
--- or 1/2 c honey (but decrease milk to 3/4 c)

BAKING POWDER : 2 - 3 t
--- if using grains, use 3t
--- if using buttermilk or sour milk, use 1 t but add 1/2 t baking soda

SALT : 1/2 t

ADDITIONS : up to 1 1/2 c total
--- if > 1 c of wet additions, decrease milk to 1/2 c

1. DRY : nuts, sunflower seeds, raisins, coconuts
2. WET : bananas, carrots (cooked), applesauce
3. SPICES : 1 t cinnamon + 1/2 t nutmeg or cloves

TOPPINGS : combine 2 T sugar + 1/2 t cinnamon
--- dip top of baked muffin in melted butter the sprinkle with cinnamon sugar

ICING : 1 c powdered sugar, 1/4 t vanilla + a little milk to improve consistency

Though I haven't made muffins lately, I do remember that muffins were among the first things I baked when I decided I wanted to bake. I simply loved the muffins at DeliFrance and the ones they had at French Baker. I didn't have an oven at that time but I wanted to bake so badly that I would bake muffins in the microwave oven using Pyrex custard cups. I whipped up a batch of microwave muffins for Eldest Sis when she visited us at Makati a long, long time ago. Do you remember that, ES?

If you must know, although microwave muffins taste fine, they still don't quite have the same texture as oven-baked muffins. So I was happy when we finally decided to buy an oven. I managed to improve the texture of my baked product but I have yet to get that store-bought muffin top texture. And if you must know, my favorite part of store-bought muffins are the muffin tops. Yummy!

(Here's a picture of my favorite muffin.)

My New Toy

SisterDeer got an HP iPaq Pocket PC for Mother. It was almost exactly the same as the one MacGyver uses. MacGyver uses his extensively. He uses it for things like Word and Excel, he connects to the internet, checks his mail there, sends out SMS, reads the news, listens to music, and lots and lots more.

When weeks passed and the new Pocket PC remained idle on Mother's kidney-shaped desk, MacGyver convinced me to ask Mother if I could have it. At first I was hesitant. What did I need a new gadget for? I hate being a prisoner of my stuff. I dislike having to worry about forgetting where I placed something, even more so when it is something of value. The less things to watch over, the better, I figured. But MacGyver didn't see things that way. He was thrilled at the possibilities. He knew that if only I would agree to ask for it, he could be able to convince me to find good use for it.

Well, it was at about that time that I had decided to start this blog. MacGyver said I could make my drafts in the Pocket PC while on the move then transfer them to the desktop PC when I got home. Interesting. He mentioned I could store pictures of the kids and show them off to my friends. Tempting! He told me that if i got an SD card, I could put hundreds of songs in there and listen to music to my heart's content. Sold!

First chance I got it was, "Mother, can I have the Pocket PC SisterDeer got for you?"

Luckily, Mother had not grown attached to it yet. So I inherited an HP iPAQ Pocket PC H2210. Hurrah!

Thanks, Mother! (And of course, big thanks to SisterDeer, too.)

I've used it for several blog post drafts and I have managed to check my mail on several occasions with MacGyver's help. (There are a couple of work-related files in there already but that is beside the point.) I have yet to put pictures of the kids in the Pocket PC to come up with some sort of hi-tech brag album.

I have, however, already gotten an SD card (which reminds me, I still have to reimburse Father for the card). As soon as I got the card, I requested MacGyver to load it up with songs. He was kind enough to transfer the songs stored in his phone over to my new toy. He handed it over to me, complete with a good pair of earphones, and let me listen to a sample of the songs he had saved for me. The song that was playing was carefully selected and guaranteed to make me smile -- David Benoit's Key to You.

I'm sure I will eventually get the Pocket PC to do more for me.  But for the meantime, it will serve its purpose by providing the extra music in my life.

Swing Out Sister

While checking my mail last night, I went to our MP3 subdirectory and selected Swing Out Sister. I clicked on ‘Breakout’ and the song started to play. As you can imagine, I was moving with the music although nobody but I could hear it.

GI, who was beside me, gave me the “Oh, please, Mom” look. When I didn’t stop he said, “Mom, please stop it. You look like a bubble head.”

I just realized today what he meant by that comment. A bubble head is one of those toys where the head is attached to a spring. Once the toy moves, the head goes bobbing from side to side.

Obviously GI hasn’t been to any dances yet. One day I shall get my revenge. I’m sure I’ll catch him dancing to music playing in his MP4 player. So there!

Special Treat

Yes, it's true. I confess. I love whipped cream.

End of the story.

Ü Ü Ü


16 April 2008

I couldn't decide what the second paragraph would contain so RD sat on my lap and typed out "End of the story" for me.

-o-o-o-o-

Father had some whipped cream in the refrigerator over the weekend. So I decided to have some with my coffee. Whipped cream is a special treat for me. I don't know why but I really do love whipped cream. Of course I love ice cream, chocolate, cookies and cake, too.

-o-o-o-o-

After dinner last weekend, RD asked what he could have for dessert. I offered him some suggestions. I said, "You can have mangoes with whipped cream, bananas with whipped cream or ice cream with whipped cream."

He gave it some thought then said, "Where's the whipped cream?"

Meaning of Love

Meaning of Love -- 08 December 2002

The other day, I brought home a couple of choco candy sprinkled for GI and RD upon request. While MacGyver was watching the DVD of Harry Potter, they ate their donuts. Nine-year old GI ate his without a much ado but RD, who's almost five, tackled his by going through the icing first. Just as I expected, RD gave up after he'd licked off all the topping. I was carrying MyGirl at the time so RD handed over his half-eaten donut to his Dad (lucky me). MacGyver was kind enough to finish off the donut. What a guy!

Yesterday, we passed by the supermarket and I got them donuts again. This time I instructed RD to eat his donut properly. I told him he was not allowed to lick off the icing.

As they were finishing off their donuts, we discussed our previous donut experience. On MacGyver's finishing RD's half-eaten donut, GI had this to say, "Isn't that the meaning of love?" Sweet, but still ...

We all laughed then I mischievously asked, "GI, do you love me?"

He reluctantly answered, "Yes... but...," giving me a pleading look that indicated '... but please don't make me eat a half-eaten licked off donut.'

Lamaze Partner

In case you don't know, I married MacGyver* in August 1992. In December that year, we found out we were going to have a baby. When his siblings learned we were going to have a baby, they encouraged us to go for Lamaze classes.


Dr. Fernand Lamaze was a French obstetrician who developed a prepared childbirth technique that involved breathing and relaxation techniques as an alternative to medical intervention during labor.


Most of MacGyver's nephews and nieces were born via Lamaze. Since I was the first one in our family to get married, this pregnancy and childbirth business were all new to us. We figured it was worth the shot and enrolled for Lamaze classes when I was about six months pregnant.

MacGyver and I attended Lamaze classes at the Sanctuario de San Antonio along with about seven other couples under RKanapi. We were told what to expect when the baby was about to arrive, we were instructed on various means of massage, we were taught breathing techniques, we were shown a video on childbirth, etc.

When we graduated from the class, we were not quite sure whether we had everything we needed to know to go through childbirth via the Lamaze method. Well, as we all know, whether the parents are ready or not, when the baby is due to arrive, he/she will come.

As our baby's due date approached, we prepared our hospital bag. Our guideline for going to the hospital -- if contractions were coming every ten (10) minutes then it was time to go to the hospital. Otherwise, go through early labor at home.

It was late Thursday evening when I started feeling contractions which were different from the previous ones I had felt. At that time, the contractions were erratic and still tolerable. However, after midnight, they started to come more frequently and were more painful. Being the paranoid first-time parents that we were, we sought the advise of Eldest Sis, who is a doctor. We were all at Cebu Avenue at that time so we woke her up in the middle of the night. She said contractions would be much harder than the 'feel' of my stomach, but we decided to go to the hospital anyway, just to stay on the safe side. Newbies!

Off we went to Medical City in Mandaluyong at 1 am. (Medical City used to be located behind SM Megamall.) At the hospital, the check-up revealed that my cervix was 2-3 cm dilated. The cervix has to be 10 cm dilated before the mother starts pushing because if it isn't the baby won't be able to pass through. And that the baby was at -2 station. The baby would be at zero station (meaning his head is settled into the mother's pelvis) when he is ready to come out.

Since I was still at the early stages of labor, we were advised to have MacGyver rest in the hospital room while I remain in the labor room with the other expecting mothers. This enabled both of us to get some sleep in preparation for the baby's arrival. Towards noon, we decided to move to the Lamaze Room in Medical City so that we could be together.

The Lamaze Room had huge picture of a garden on one wall. There were a lot of focal points to choose from. A focal point is any object, picture or thing that the mother focuses her attention on to divert her attention from the pains of labor. I chose the outlet on the side of the room behind where MacGyver was seated. Don't ask me why. Perhaps it was because I much preferred to see MacGyver's face than those flowers and trees in the garden picture on the wall. Ask anyone who knows me, I have never been the 'girlie' 'flowery' type of person.

Anyway, MacGyver was a great Lamaze partner. He was with me all the time. He held my hand and counted for me. I was in such horrific pain that I don't think I was smiling anymore. I was concentrating on my focal point, practicing my breathing techniques and controlling the urge to push. MacGyver was as cool as a cucumber. I remember distinctly that I ordered him to move because he was covering my focal point. He moved aside quietly. Do not argue with a woman in labor. Smart guy.

He was probably as relieved as I was when GI finally popped out at about 1:30 on that Friday afternoon in September of 1993. Apparently, I had transmitted some of the pain I was experiencing to him by squeezing his hand so tightly every time there were painful contractions. MacGyver tells people that his hand ended up several sizes smaller that day. I consider that a small price to pay for the bundle of joy he got in exchange.

For RD's birth, we took a refresher course on Lamaze with the same teacher. Since we sort of knew what to expect, we didn't rush to the hospital when there were contractions. I would actually say we waited too long before going to the hospital. You see, RD was born within the hour of our arrival at Medical City. In fact, our obstetrician arrived at the hospital after RD did.

By the time MyGirl was due to arrive, almost eight years had passed since our original Lamaze classes. I figured my Lamaze partner had forgotten most, if not all, of our lessons. I decided it was best to go through labor at home. I also figured that squeezing a Size D battery was an acceptable alternative to MacGyver's hand. It was small enough to take wherever I went. And best of all, the battery would not shrink nor complain when squeezed.

We didn't realize is that I was almost ready to give birth when we arrived at the hospital. When the intern checked, she found my cervix was already 10 cm dilated. My water bag broke soon after. Clueless Lamaze partner was busy sending text messages when they wheeled me into the delivery room. I had to have the nurse call him lest he miss the event. It was quite fortunate that our OB was having dinner in a nearby building that evening or else she would have missed the delivery as well. MyGirl was born within thirty minutes of our arrival at the hospital.

God willing, we have decided to stop at MyGirl. I don't think I want to give birth in the car.

==========================================


*The real MacGyver is actually Z's hero. She has followed Richard Dean Anderson with passion and dedication. Over the years, she discovered Lamaze Partner's knack for fixing things and being an all-around handyman in the house.

"Wow! You married MacGyver."

Yes, she is the one who baptized Lamaze Partner as MacGyver. Admittedly, he is a genius and never ceases to amaze me.

Going for Green

When we were still kids, we had these chewable Vitamin C tablets called Cetrinets. They came in two colors, yellow and green. I don't know for sure if that meant that they came in two flavors as well but I guess they did because the green ones got eaten first.

For the Cetrinets, I can understand why the green ones were preferred over the yellow ones. They tasted better. What I don't understand is why my brother Slash-M prefers the green M&Ms over all the other colors. From then until now, he would single out the green ones in a pack and eat those ones first. He insisted that the green M&Ms tasted better than the ones that come in other colors.

I don't think so, bro.

Several years ago, I decided to put his theory to the test. He was still living at Cebu Avenue then. I opened a pack of M&Ms and asked him to close his eyes. I handed him several M&Ms in different colors then asked him to tell me which one tasted better and whether he could distinguish the green one from the other ones. Needless to say he couldn't identify which one was what color and as far as he could tell they all tasted the same.

In spite the scientific process I adopted, my brother is still in denial over the conclusion. As far as he is concerned, GREEN M&Ms are still the best.

Now that he is living in the States, I can imagine him going for a bag of Christmas M&M's in December and leaving all the red M&Ms for his wife.

Chair Pairs

The Lazy Boy chairs in the living room upstairs. These would probably be the most photographed pair of chairs for family pictures. Note the lovely design on the backrest of the chairs.

°0°0°0°


These chairs and cushions are also found in the living room. When the family is present in full force, there would be more family members than chairs and cushions available.

The chairs in the background, now covered in white, have gone through several cover changes. I think it started out as green. Over the years, the curved cushions that come with these chairs have become fortresses, walls, towers and horses. The possibilities are endless with a little imagination.

°0°0°0°

These Lazy Boys are located in the study room. It's always good to have good reclining chairs available when watching the kids run around and play. Father and Mother like to sit here when the kids are around.

Lazy Boys are also great for sleeping. When you recline the back rest, the foot rest goes up. Aahhhh ...

°0°0°0°

I think these chairs USED to have pairs. They were our main chairs in the living room downstairs. They were set around the rectangular marble table which is still downstairs. These chairs have also undergone several cover changes. Note that the cushions and side pillows of green chair still has SOME of the original material.

°0°0°0°

Last but not the least, the rattan swings downstairs. These chairs are suspended on sturdy poles by thick ropes. They are the choice seats for children and adults alike.

There is a certain sense of calm and quiet brought by sitting on the swing and enjoying the breeze, and listening to the ropes creak as one sways back and forth, and back and forth.

Truly, these swings are one of the best pairs of chairs in the house.

☺☺☺☺☺

Brain Age

MacGyver's sister got our kids a Nintendo DS (Dual Screen) for Christmas last year. (Truly a generous aunt. Thanks again!) They were thrilled to receive such a wonderful toy. They have a ton of games in their newfangled toy now. The games range from simple ones to really complicated ones.

RD managed to convince me to try one of their games. The game is called BRAIN AGE. Inspired by the work of prominent Japanese neuroscientist Dr. Ryuta Kawashima, the Brain Age games feature activities designed to help stimulate your brain and give it the work out it needs. The theory is that if your body needs a work out to keep fit, so does your mind.

For this particular game, the optimum score (brain age) is 20.

The first game I tried was one where the names of colors were flashed on the screen, BLUE YELLOW RED BLACK. But as you can see, the color of the words do not match the name of the color. The instructions were to say the COLOR of the words.

I called out the correct color but the DS would not understand what I'd said. In the end, the DS declared that I had a brain age in the 80's. HE was the one that was deaf and I was the one with the brain age in the 80's?!! The nerve!!

So RD recommended I select the DS options "I can't speak." In that mode, the choice of games are different. Questions are answered by using the stylus and tapping or drawing or writing the answers on the screen.

I tried one of the "I can't speak" games called Calculations x 20. The game flashes twenty math questions, one at a time, which one is supposed to answer. Of course the faster one solves the questions, the better for him. Errors are counted as 5 second penalties each. I thought I would do better in this game since it wouldn't involve the DS deciphering what I'd said. To my dismay, when I wrote "2" in reply to "2 + 0," the DS took it as a "12" and marked me wrong. Good grief! Not only is this thing deaf, but it is also blind. Alas, my brain age improved to 60-something.

Another challenge is Head Count. At the onset, they show a certain number of people. Then a house comes down and covers them. As the game progresses, people are shown leaving and entering the house. In the end, it will ask how many people are in the house. Though it is a matter of addition and subtraction, it gets confusing when people are leaving and entering the house at the same time. I've gotten most of the answers in this section correct, but have never managed to get all of them right. There comes a point where I say, "Arrgghhh!! I don't know anymore!" For some amazing reason, RD seems to find this challenge easy. ARRGGHHH!!

There are simpler challenges such as counting how many syllables there are in a sentence, reading a short essay, or connecting A-1-B-2 ... all the way to L-12-M-13.


One of the harder ones for me is Low to High. (This is another one of those which RD considers as EASY. So what else is new?) Numbers are displayed on screen and when they disappear, you are supposed to tap the boxes on the screen in such a way to display the numbers in ascending order. Sure, the game is easy when there are only five or six numbers displayed on screen. But when there are seven, eight or nine numbers flashed, (sadly) my short-term memory fails me. I think my high score was obtained when RD and MyGirl were coaching me in the sidelines.

Somehow it is truly amazing how the kids are able to hurdle these Brain Age challenges. I have managed to beat RD in some of the training programs like the syllable count and calculations. I have an Engineering degree, for crying out loud, I think I should AT LEAST be able to beat him in math. But by and large, I have to hand it to him. He rules.

However, since he loves me so much (and perhaps he enjoys the competition), RD gave me yet another suggestion. He recommended I go through training before I take the Brain Age Check. What a humbling experience.

True enough, last weekend, after going through two days of training, I managed to get my brain age up to 22. Of course RD's brain age at that time was 21 (with an unrecorded brain age of 20). For now, I've slipped down to 31.

I have gotten hooked to the game, primarily because I refuse to have the DS conclude that my brain has gone dull. Plus, because it is so much fun to see RD gloat over his high scores.

In retrospect, I can understand RD's elation over being branded with a brain age of 20. He's 10. However, I cannot quite get myself to celebrate when the DS gives me a brain age of 22 when I know for a fact that I am much smarter now than when I was 22. Perhaps they didn't figure on parents getting any airtime on the DS to play games.

(Note : Today, 07 April 2008, I have managed to get a Brain Age of 20. As such, I shall relinquish all DS airtime back to the children.)

The Sign

I heard an incredibly wonderful story this morning. These events happened yesterday.

In the parish, there is a Eucharistic minister who opened the tabernacle and was surprised to find a flower on top of the ciborium. Thinking it was improper for the flower to be there, he placed it in his pocket and went about his duties. After the mass, he remembered the flower in his pocket. He decided to give it to one of the ladies in the parish office. He told her that the flower was a special one and relayed the events that had brought the flower to his possession. She was happy to receive the flower.

Later that day, the lady sent the Eucharistic minister a text message. In that message she thanked him again for the flower and said that it was especially significant because she had been praying for a special intention and had asked for a sign from God.

I don't know what the special intention was but the flower she received was the sign she was looking for. She had asked God to send her a flower from His Heavenly Garden.

------<-----<@

Is Your Hospital Bag Ready?

This message is dedicated to my brother, Slash-M, whose lovely wife is about to give birth to their first child.



"Is your hospital bag ready?" This is one of the questions my parents asked me as my due date approached. I have, in turn, asked this question of my siblings as THE date came close during their pregnancies.

I thought MY hospital bag was ready when I was about to give birth to the three children, but apparently, I managed to miss some of the important stuff. Little RD came home with us wrapped in my bathrobe because I had failed to pack a baby blanket in the hospital bag. Shame on me!


So this is a friendly reminder, brother dear, please pack your hospital bag early so you can bring home my new niece in a proper blanket.

What's in the bag?

Hospital bag checklist has stuff primarily for the mom -- nightgown, bathrobe, slippers, underwear, nursing bras, sanitary napkins, toiletries, extra towel, reading material, clothes to wear home, etc. Of course there are also things for the baby -- diapers, diaper pins, plastic pants (or disposable diapers, in this day and age), baby clothes, baby blanket, bottle. Don't forget the thinks the new dad will need. He will most likely be staying with the mother in the hospital and he'll need stuff, too.

Other things needed for the hospital, particularly if you've taken Lamaze or childbirth classes and intend to bring the baby into this world with your memory intact are the following :

1. Pencil and paper - to record the time in between contractions
2. Washcloths
3. Watch with second hand or stopwatch - to time contractions
4. Sugar lumps / lollipops / hard candies / gelatin -- this is the only thing the mom is allowed to eat (the dad can eat anything)
5. Paper bags -- for breathing into and out of, in case of hyperventilation and in case any of the parents need to throw up
6. Socks - to keep the feet warm
   
7. Chapstick / ice chips -- to keep the lips from drying
8. Tennis ball -- to use for massaging the back (of the mom)
9. Focal point and scotch tape -- for the mom's use during labor
   
10. Hand fan -- in case there is a power outage
    
11. Camera / Videocam
    
12. Small pocket mirror -- in case the mom would like to see what is happening down there
13. Food and drink for the Lamaze partner
14. Manual / book on Lamaze -- or your personal cheat sheet
15. Music
16. Telephone numbers to call
    

So I go back to my original question -- Is your hospital bag ready?

Sleeping Beauty

We had a record player when we still very young. We usually got to listen to our records during weekends. One of our long playing records was the story book record album of Sleeping Beauty, the one with Mary Martin narrating.

I'm sure I fell in love with her Prince.


Who could blame me? He was a true blue hero. He fought the evil sorceress turned fire-breathing dragon for Sleeping Beauty and woke her up with a kiss. What young lady would not be enchanted?

I mean they lived happily ever after. Isn't that every girl's dream -- find Prince Charming and live happily ever after.


Last week, RD asked me a hard question. He asked me to tell him the story of Sleeping Beauty. Goodness gracious! I was at a loss for words. I couldn't remember the details of the story. All I could remember were bits and pieces of the songs that were sung in the record and the voice of Maleficent who said, "...before her sixteenth birthday, shall prick her finger on the spindle of the spinning wheel ... and DIE!"

Were Flora, Fauna and Merryweather the three fairy godmothers of Sleeping Beauty. Was she known as Briar Rose? Was I even in the correct Disney movie?

That was BAD. These are stories I knew by heart when I was younger. We listened to that record over and over again.


As you can see, I found the record which has lost most of its pages. The record rekindled memories which reassured me that I was in the right Disney movie. Yes, Flora, Fauna and Merryweather watched over Princess Aurora. Yes, they named her Briar Rose and raised her in the woods where she sang, Once Upon a Dream. I had totally forgotten that the Prince's name was Philip. (I thought he was Prince Charming.) Unfortunately, the remaining pages in the story book record were not enough to provide me materials for a decent fairy tale for RD.

I looked around the house for a book which might have Sleeping Beauty. Surprisingly, there was none. I must have given them away. I looked at our stash of DVDs. Perhaps Sleeping Beauty was among the Disney movies in our collection. No such luck. Somehow Barbie reigns as the princess in our DVDs these days. We do have Belle, Jasmine, and Ariel. Of course long playing records were way before their time.

Alas, we ended up going to National Bookstore and buying a BOOK OF FAIRY TALES.

I suppose I have to be thankful for these turn of events -- this memory gap, the missing pages in the old story book record, the absence of Sleeping Beauty story book or DVD at home. All of these led to the acquisition of a new book which has become the source of bedtime stories for the kids. RD and MyGirl now look forward to storytelling before sleeping time. They get to pick one story each which I read to them. Then I pick an extra one, so that they have three stories for the night.

This has been going on since we bought the book last Saturday. Perhaps when we finish all the 50 stories in the book, we will move on to another book. It is always good to bring back these bonding moments with the children.